Daily independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 188?-1915, 1890-08-19
HoosIER sHREWDNEss.
At Guessing the Native or Indiana Is tho
Equal of Any Yankee.

lower emu OF llptOn County, Indiana, 1
came upon a native, who was engaged
in picking trash" and burning logs in
little clearing by tho roa lsidc, writes
Ed. X. Pritchard in the Arkansaw TRAY
clcr. Not knowing exactly the best
way to go to reach tho reighborhood
desired to visit, refined my horse up at
the fonce and asked tho Hoosior to di-
rect mo the way to Benefits mills.
WALL" no replied, pausing in his
work and seating himself on a stump
that stood conveniently near, 81 low
it's n matter OF five miles, though it
mout be lcetle grain less. You jess keep
this road fer 'bouta mile furdcr on; then
you turn to your right an go north till
you come to the second cross roads: then
turn west and keep straight ahead till
you git to the mills"
] thanked him and was about starting
off when he hailed mo and said:
81 reckon it mightont be none OF my
business, stranger, but I'd like to ask
you question er two, of you've no OBJ
jections."
''All right, fire away" said I.
"Well, then, I'd Jess like ter know
what you're goin' down to BENEFITS
fer?"
WELL" said I, "there is q man down
there that owes me some money, and rs
I'm hard up mysolf thought I'd see il
1 could collect it."
81 thought so,'' he answered; land
now I'll bet dollar kin guess the
fcller's namo the first pop; an I'll bet
anuther dollar on top o. that one that
You don't git Cont"
"Woll?"
81 see you won't bot, 80 I'll Jess tell
you fer fun. The fcller is Jake Rod
key 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
/ was going TO SEQ and about whose
financial soundness myself had serious
doubts, but having got this much infor-
nation from an entirely unexpected
source, was naturally anxious to get
more
"Well, my FRIEND" said, you've
guessed the man; but what makes you
think that he won't pay me what no
owcsP The claim is just, and besides,
has been standing long time"
Its fer n mowin' machine you sold
y
eyes," answered, now more puzzled
than ever that n man whom / had mover
met before should know moro about my
affairs than did myself. eyes," con-
tinued, ''and there's a balance of nearly
fifty dollars still due"
"Mout as vol he fifty thousan'," an
swercd tho native; Jake could pay it
jess as easy"
Concluding that tho fellow was chat
fling me and thinking to let him know
that fact said:
''Oh, think jake will pay me, at any
rate III just ride on over and sec him. :"
Wall ne answered, with q grin, "it
you're bound to sec him you'd better
take some men with spades an a screw
driver, reIse you'll find hlm perty hard
to git at"
"What do You mcanp"
"Why, nothin'; only that Jake Rod
keys dcadcrn mackcrcl. We buried
him last week over in the Bald Hill
buryin' groun', bout or mile north Of
the mills"
ais it possible?" exclaimed.
"Courso it is. l was Mt tho funeral,
an reckon know dead man whom 1
see him"
''I'vt. no doubt of IT," answered; and
bidding him good-dny 1 pursued my
journey. Sure enough, l found on
reaching Benefits mills that my man
was dead, and also that stood no earth
ly show Of collecting my bill. l never
did learn, though, how tho native knew
who was and tho nature OF my bust
ness, but have always supposed he sim
ply did a good job OF guessing.