The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1890-09-30
HOoSIER
At Guessing the Native of Indiana is the
Equal of any Yankee.

~9A~@ ~ SI @$~
One day, as | was riding through the
lower end Of Upton county, Indiana,
came upon . native, who was engaged in
picking trash" and burning logs in a
little clearing by the roadside, writes Ed.
R. Pritchard in the Arkan5a w Traveller.
Not knowing exactly the best way to
reach the neighborhood I desired to visit,
I reined my b rise up at the fence and
asked the Hoosier to direct me the way
to Benefits mills.
"Wall," he replied, pausing in his work
and seating himself on a stump that stood
conveniently near, q low it's a matter
of FIVE miles, though it mout be a leetle
grain less. You jess keep this road fer
bout a milk furder on; then you turn to
your right an go north til you come to
the second o roads; then turn west
and keep straight ahead till you git to the
mills"
| thanked him AID was about starting
off when he hailed me and said:
81 reckon it mightent be none Of my
business, stranger, but I'd like to ask you
a question er two, eff you've nc objec-
tions"
"All right, fire away" said I.
"Well, then, I'd jess like ter know
what you're going down to Benefits
fer p
Well" said I, there is a man down
there that owes me some money, and as
I'm hard up myself 1 thought I'd see if I
could collect it."
II thought So" he answered; and
now I'll bet a dollar / kin guess the feller's
name the first pop; an III bet a luther
dollar on top O that n that you don't
git a CEN"
"Well?"
a see you won't bet, so I'll jess tell
you fer fun. The Teller is Jake Rodkey
an he hain't worth shucks. You're jess
wastin' your time a-ridin' round the
country tryin' to git money out Of him"
The fellow had named the very man I
was going to see and about whose fnan
cial soundness myself had serious doubts,
but having got this much inf ,rmation
from an entirely unexpected source, I was
naturally anxious to get more.
"Well, my friend" I said, "you've
guessed the man; but what makes you
think that he won't pay me what he
owes2 The claim is just, and besides,
has been standing a long time"
cts fer a mowin' machine you sold
him more'n two years ago, hain't it?"
eyes" | answered, now more puzzled
than ever that a man whom / had never
met before should know more about my
affairs than l did myself. eyes," I con-
tinued, land there's a balance of nearly
fifty dollars still due"
"Mout as well be fifty thousan'," an
swered the native; { Jake could pay it
jess as easy"
Concluding that the fellow was chatting
me and thinking to let him know that
fact, I said:
ooh, I think Jake will pay me, at any
rate I'll just ride on over and see him."
"Wall," he answered, with a grin, off
you're bound to see him you'd better take
some men with spades an a screw driver,
'relse you'll fad him perty hard to git al"
"Wh4t do y u mean?'
"Why, nothin'; only that Jake Rod
keys deadern a mackerel. We buried
him last week over in the Bald Hill bury
in groun', bout er mile north of the
mills"
"Is it possible ?" I exclaimed.
"Course it is. I was at the funeral,
an I reckon | know a dead man when l
see him."
tive no doubt of It," I answered and
bidding him good day I pursued my
journey. Sure enough, 1 found on reach
ing Benefits mills that my man was
dead, and also that / stood no earthly
show of collecting my bill. never did
learn, though, how the native knew who
l was and the nature of my business, but
have always supposed he simply did a
good job of guessing.