The Arkansaw traveler. (Little Rock, Ark.) 1882-1???, 1889-03-02
"No, l was not" l answered.


TO do his writing for him."
"Yes, have heard So" | assented.
The colonel dropped his knife with noisy clang
"And some of them. understand" said Lucille
"were extremely bright fellows, but given to
drink. think that saw somewhere that one of
them had to be hauled about in a wagon"
"Now, look here" said the colonel 81 want you
to let that drop. Hang it, can't man make a
trifing mistake without being eyerlastingly
annoyed by it?"
Bloomington" said cid Buck, 81 think you've got
some mighty stupid books in your library. | took
one down this morning, but couldn't get the hang
of it. Wrote by Teller named George Eliot.
Called 'Theophrastus Sich,' think"
"'Theophrastus Such you mean, don't your"
Lucille asked, looking up with smile of mischief.
"Oh, WELL" old Buck snorted, blushing at the
same time, "if you want TO call ii Such you can
do so. When was boy and folks honest,
SIGH was good enough for people that didn't have
TO borry from the neighbOrs every time they
wanted TO get bite to eat; but now that every
thing is gittin' TO be Yankeefed, we have TO twist
up our mouths and say Such" Here old Buck
stuck out his mouth. "Ah, Lord, these times,
these times Pve heard old Tom Marshall say 'sich,'
but (nodding his head at Luzelle) this was before
every thing Ysnkeefed."
After breakfast, while the colonel and were
waiting for the horses TO he brought around, old
Buck took seat on the gallery and began To blow
long yellow flute. His playing, | soon noticed,
had not the tremulOus tenderness of the melancholy
notes blown by CopperfeidS poverty depressed
tutor indeed do not think that old Buck could
have successfully competed with Midas of Acragas.
Lucille ran Upstairs, Fred disappeared and the
colonel, turning TO me, said in undertone:
Buck drives everybody of the place with that
id flute | trod on ii once and thought I'd
mashed II all TO pieces, but he stuck ii up with
shoe makers wax, and the next morning blew his
brains out usual He'll sit there now till the
sun strikes him, then he'll move about three feet
down the gallery. Then he'll play till the sun
strikes him again, and then he'll move. In the
summer he follows the shade all around the house.
Come, here are the horses"
We passed through large gate, held open by
negro boy, and thence down into the woods, still
cool with dew Here and there q yelowish patch
of May apple stalks lifted their broad leaves afford
ing shade tor the toad and the high land terrapin.
The blackberry briers were shedding their white
caps and the red bud tree, in full bloom, blazed
against the hillside The woodpecker was Shrek
ing at the top of bis shrill voice and frisky yell
lOwhammer lirtef with his image in the spring
branch. snake, summing himself on log, licked
out his tongue, then tumbling off, hurried nosily
away through last years leaves. The rain-crow
cried though he had need to, for every thing
fresh and the squirrel, with a hickory bud in
his mouth ran along the path though thrilled
with his al venture, and then, scampering up tree
threw piece of bark at us we passed under him.
We went through another gate, and rode into the
fields where the men were planting corn. A negro
boy, with nothing on but a shirt, sat under the
alders in tence corner, playing with lazy dog
that slowly beat the ground with his tail. Nu-
merous black birds flew about in seeming confu-
sion, but each one had his eye the sack OF seed
corn setting "squshed" down, in the turn-row.
In the damp places, where the soil had broken
up clOddy, negro women were covering with
hoes alternately singing and almost profanely con-
demnng the boys for not having dropped the corn
in the "check." AS rode alone we came upon a
negro, sitting under q persimmon tree His hat,
half covered with an old red handkerchief lay on
the ground. He got up when he US, and,
brushing the dirt from the seat OF his jeans
trousers, said
"W'y, good mawnin', coin, good mawnin', sab.
Lookin' mighty we'll dis mawnin', an dat udder
generman is, too"
"Isom," said the colonel, bending a severe glance
upon the fellow "What are You doing here in the