The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1889-10-03
HE'D HAD EN- FOR FORTY ONE YEARS
AND DID'T WANT To CHANGE.

Down IN certain sections of the Miss
issippi River bottoms there is such an air
of unconcern that the first thought of q
travele. is: These people are too lazy
to entertain a hope" 1t is however,
not wholly a condition Of laziness that
produces such an appearance of indo-
lence. Laziness may play its part, and
moreover, may play it well, but it can
not hope to assume the leading roll.
What, then, is the principal actori
Chills. There are men in those bottoms
who where born with a chill and who
have never shaken il off.
Some time ago, while riding through
the Muscsdine neighborhood, / came
upon a man sitting on log near the
roadside. He was sallow and lean, with
sharp knob cheekbones and with hair
that looked like soiled cotton. The day
was intensely hot, but he was sitting in
the sun, although near him q tangled
grapevine cast most inviting shade.
"Good morning." said |, refining up
my horse,
"Hi.n
You live here, 1 suppose"
"Jest about"
"Why don't you sit over there in there
shade?'
will when the time comes"
"Whst do you mean by when the
time comes ?"
"When the fever comes on"
"Having chills, are your"
"Sorter,"
How long have you had them7"
"Forty odd year"
"How old are your"
Forty odd wear"
"Been shaking all your life, eh p
"Only half my life, fever was on the
other half"
"Why don't you move away from
here ?"
''Becaze I've lived here so long that
I'm afeerd might not have good health
nowhar else"
Gracious alive, do you mean to say
that having chills all the time is good
health ?"
"Wall, health mout be wuss. Old Nat
Sarver moved up in the bills some time
ago, was tuck down putty soon With
some new sort of disease and didn't live
more'n a week. Don't b'lieve in swop.
pin off suthin' that I'm used to for suth-
in l don't know nothin' about. Old
fashioned, everyday chills air good
enough for me. Some folks, when they
git little up in the world, mout want
to put on airs with dyspepsia and bronki-
chus, and glanders and catarrah, but as
l lowed to my wife the other night, old
chills and fever war high enough for US
yit awhile. A chill may have its draw
backs, but it has its enjoyments, too"
II don't see how anything about
chill can be enjoyable"
"Jest owin' to how your air raised, as
the fellow says, When have a chill it
does me power OF good to stretch, and
| tell you that fust-rate stretch when
a feller Is in the humor amt to be sneez-
ed at. I'd leave watermillion most any
time to have good stretch. High-o-
hool" He gasped, threw out his legs,
threw back his arms and stretched him
self across the log. "It's sorter like the
ITCH" be went on. 1.-THE itch has it's
drawbacks, but what power Of good it
does man to scratch"
Had uncle who took the itch in the
army and he lay thar and scratched and
smiled and scratched again. In order to
keep up with the demand of the occa-
sion he sprinkled lot of sand in his bed
aad tuck off all his clothes, 80 that every
time he turned he'dbe scratched all over.
He kept this up till the itch killed him,
but he died scratchin, and smilin'
and l reckon he was about as happy
dead man as ever lived. Wall, my fever
is comin's on now and reckon I'll git
up thar under the shade"
He moved into the shade and stretch
ed himself again.
"How long will your fever last ?" I
asked.
"wall. don't know exactly; three
hours mebby."
"Then what2"
"Wall I'll funter around awhile, chop
up a little wood to git bite to eat with,
swap a hoes with some feller, mebby,
and then fix myself for another chill"
"Have you much of family2"
"Wife and grown son. He's about the
ablest chiller in the country why, when
he's got rale good chill on be can take
hold of tree and shake off green per-
simmons. Why, he wins all the money
the niggers have got shakin' dice. Wall,
have you got to go ?"
yes"
"Wait till my fever cools down little
and I'll beat you outen that nag you're
ridin'."
mo, don't care to walk"
"Goodby, then. When you git tired
ridin' up thar among them new-fangled
diseases, come down here whar every
thing is old fashioned and honest. ar
kansas Trdueler.