Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1889-06-18

Moses, out ne OH drttr rows NO"
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. a rude
shelf on which were a 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
s. expected to hear the woman begin
the usual "nagging" after bit, and the
man to start OFF with excuses, but moth
ing Of the sort took place. On the CON
trary, as soon as | had been furnished
with a 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 We findin the p"opl along
the road"
Much discouraged"
Over what"
"Oh. the weather and 8 on.
That's jis' like EN-, TIE emery, fault
finders! When it isn't oic thing its an
other Stranger. kin yc ,Xp'ct to find
better weather than this outside Of
heaven
"Hardiv."
That's what | say. lc food iaos'
of EN- lazy and shuckless. | rec,on:'
YES
We'll, it's nobody's u!t Lut thar
own. Things don't look very pesrt
around yere, do theyF'
well. no"
"Thar's reasons fur it, In the fast
place I'm a squatter. Can't tell when
I'll hev to pull up and git. Tharforc, We
can't expect me to rush things. In the
next place we hev huff to eat and " ar.
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 nashun. Thar hain't huff phil
osophy about common folks. Now, then,
s'posin' the president should pint me
postmaster down at Red Bridge? | can't
read nor write. an can't talk grammar,
an I'd list feel onery mean all the time.
S'posen that Jay Gould should send me
down kerridse an bosses rs free gift?
Hev got airy place to stable them bosses
an put that kerridge? How would |
look ridin' round these yere parts in a
thousand dollar rig
Then you don't want to be rich?'
YES, do, but faint fur me. When
got growed up to 81, an found myself
pizen pore, an homely, an long shanked.
an igncrent, knowed figures an riches
wasn't fur me. cut my sticks acordin',
That's jist the way with Jen, too Jen,
come ont we're an talk.
The woman came out, lighted her pipe
and sat down. and her husband CON
tinued:
"Jen, he'un thinks it mighty quare
that we don't yarn fur bizness an riches.
Tell heun how you feel about it,
"You was pizen pore an iEnerent,"
she said rs she looked over to him, an
was all that billed down an mo. too
knowed right off that rich v,.,u't fur
us. an so didn't yarn FIR en-
And you are content to i've as ynudo:"
"Pooty nigh. stranger - 'oty nigh If
| had hull pound of sixty cent tea an
five pounds of brown sugar IL tn cabin
all to once wouldn't trad places with
any woman in the state.
aye see. is like this" said the hus-
band as he dug up the soil with stick.
If we was wantin' we'd hev to hev q
fine house Then we'd hev to furnish it
an git hired help. Then we'd hev to her
watches an diamonds an SIGH, an good
clothes. an 20 to the theatre, an travel
around. an keep dressed up, an talk
sweet, an so whar' would the comfort
come in? It's too much to put on pus-
sons shoulders
He 'un is jist right" added the wife.
Yves pore an can't git no better off.
What we'- got ives got. What we
heven't got don't hurt nor help u.s."
A couple Of men. going to mill with a
few bushels Of corn in n cart, came along
just then and stopped to get drink of
water and "chitter' with us
"Sartin The sile is all right if you
keep the weeds down. Come up fiom
the Coners?'
YES"
stop TO smack;
81 don't want to make you any trou-
BILE"
Reckon you hadn't better want to.
Come in"
1t didn't take long TO discover that
she was strong minded and "sot" In her
ways. She put on dinner. and as we sat
down To the table she thawed out little
and said:
"You were AKIN IL the ole man was
home. He's dun got no business around
yere no mo- I'm a-speakin' Of the last
one. I've had three.
"Ahr' was all dared reply.
1.-The fust one died. Right smart good
thing that he did, as he was tryin' to be
preacher and was agin it and fixin
to stop him Second one played on the
fiddle and hunted fur bars. stood it
fur about a var and then hunted fur
him. When freed him he had to cum
down
How I asked. as she waited for me
to say something.
Walked him out and jumped him off
the bank over van, and he's jumped so
fur he's never got back Went down
into Kintuck and fell dead one day. He
was too lazy to be sick like other folks.
And the third. madam
He was great on tradin' mules and
raisin' dogs. When lie got his 70 mules
traded down to sick heifer and tame
fox logged him. Didn't meet up with
anybody back thar who looked like him,
did YEP
How did he look:-
When he went arter yer he was tryin
TO fly. hair on eand, eyes bulgin' out and
his breath comm shortly. That was five
months ago. He may have got over his
skeer by this time.
And so you are running the farm?"
That's it. and don't want any help!"
''0f course not"
Il don't go fur to confess that all men
are shnckiess and Improbable. but the
heft o them hain't with 2-yer-ole 'taters.