The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1889-06-22
LOWLAND FOLKS.

The "Hines Place." as it was called,
was q squatter's farm That is, Tom
Hines had dumped his wagon load of
household goods down by the highway
at a certain spot, built brush shanty to
shelter his family for few days, and
eventually erected a rude log cabin, and
there he had stuck for the last fifteen
years. He had "brushed" over two or
three acres of land around the house and
raised little corn and few bushels of
potatoes, and found him sitting on his
doorstep as good natured and content as
a house cat after full meal.
Powerful glad to see yer-powerful
glad, he said as we shook hands. 1.-The
stage driver was a-saying you'd be along
today, and l was sorter on the watch.
You thar, jenny"
A woman appeared in answer to the
call, and the man said:
"Jenny, this is he 'un. Stranger, Jen's
my ole woman. We've got boy named
Moses, but he's off arter roots. Now
come right in and feel home made"
The cabin consisted Of one room about
sixteen feet square There was fire.
place, two beds made of poles, rude
shelf on which were few dishes, an old
clock which did not go, rifle resting
on deer horns, few garments hanging
to pegs and a photograph of Cleveland
tackled to the logs. The cash inventory,
outside Of the rifle, would not have been
So. Iexpected to hear the woman begin
the usual "nagging" after bit, and the
man to start OF with excuses, but moth
ing Of the sort took place. On the con-
trary, as soon as l had been furnished
with bite of cold bacon and corn bread,
and washed it down with summer
| tonic made Of roots, we went out for a
| smoke, and Hines inquired:
"How ar ye findin the people along
| the roadfp
'Much discouraged.
"Over what?"
= 'Oh, the weather and so on"
That's jis' like 'em, the onery, fault
findersl When it isn't one thing it's an
other. Stranger, kin ye expect to find
better weather than this outside of
heavenF"
Hardly"
'Thats what I say. Ye found most
of 'em lazy and shuckless, 1 Ireckonf"
eyes"
"Well, it's nobody's fault but thar
own. Things don't look very peart
around yere, do they?
swell. no."
"Thar's reasons fur it. In the fust
place Pm a squatter. Can't tell when
I'll hev to pull up and git. Tharfore, ye
can't expect me to rush things. In the
next place we hev huff to eat and war,
and that's all we want. We is pore folks,
and we is satisfied to be-"
"There are very few that way"
"'Zactly, stranger, and that's what
ails this nashua Thar hain't huff phil
osophy about common folks. Now, then
s'posin' the president should pint me
postmaster down at Red Bridge? cant
read nor write, an can't talk grammar
an I'd jist feel onery mean all the time
S'posen that Jay Gould should send mC
down a kerridge an hosses as a free gift
Hev got airy place to stable them hossei
an put that kerridge? How would
look ridin' round these yere parts in 1
thousand dollar rigr
''Then you don't want to be richy'
"Yes, 1 do, but faint fur me. Whel
got growed up to 21, an found mysel
pizen pore, an homely, an long shanked
an ignerent, knowed figures an richie
wasn't fur me. l cut my sticks acordin'
That's jist the way with Jen, too. Jen
come out yere an talk"
The woman came out, lighted her pip
and sat down, and her husband con
tinued:
"Jen, he'un thinks it mighty quar-
that we don't yarn fur bizness an riches
! Tell he'un how you feel about it.
"You was pizen pore an ignerent,
4 she said as she looked over to him, ''aI
was all that billed down an mo-, too.
knowed right off that riches wasn't fu
4 us, an so l didn't yarn fur EN-"
"Aud you are content to live as you dol
"Pooty nigh, stranger-pooty nigh.
had hull pound of sixty cent tea al
five pounds of brown sugar in the cabi
= all to once l wouldn't trade places wit
any woman in the state"
eye see, it's like this" said the hu
band as he dug up the soil with a sticl
IF we was wantin' we'd hev to hev
fine house. Then we'd hev TO furnish
an git hired help. Then we'd hev to he
watches an diamonds an sich, an goc
clothes, an go to the Sheatre, an trav
Q around, an keep dressed up, an tai
- sweet, an so whar' would the comic
come in? It's too much to put on pu
sons shoulders"
"He 'un is jist right" added the wifi
yves pore an can't git no better Of
What we's got we's got. What v
heven't got don't hurt nor help us"
= A couple of men, going to mill with
" few bushels of corn in a cart, came alor
q, just then and stopped to get drink
, water asd "ehitter" with us.
"How's Mandy, Jim" queried Hin
of one.
"Pore-very pore"
, "How's craps"
Powerful bad shown fur craps IL
year"
Flows yer own feelins, JimT
''Only sorter. Hay been chilling (ha
or ing chilD mo- or less"
"An' hows the children
"Jist fairly kickin', thank ye."
pTo pIe' 'Waal, now, Jim, yere's stranl
lful from the moth, an he can't make us Of
nv Do you want an offisg'
ipe "Shucks, nor
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