Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-11-15
MRS. JILKINS OF TEXAS.
Her Son Josh the First to Do Honor to
the Family.
From the New York Times.

the Family.
From the New York Times.
Mrs. Jilkins was dressed mp and had come to
call. l was a newcomer out on that frontier
divide. Ny husband was a "tenderfootn who
had strayed to this border land of civilization in
search OF health. Having heard several DAYS
before that the Jilkins' water hole" had given
out during the prevailing drought. he had sent
word 10 them to come down from their ranch
about five miles above US, and camp" at the
same spring from whose abundance We drew
our supply of water.
Being an utterly new species of humanity to
Mrs. Jilkius she took tender curiosity and
interest in me and frequently gave me the
benefit of her society. On this particular after
noon she appeared to neat advantage, wearing
gayly figured calico skirt and a white lawn
sack, cut low in the neck, apparently with a
view to displaying the wrinkled yellowness
which time had there bestowed. Her dark locks,
usually worn short, were on this occasion
drawn tightly, very tightly, back from her
face and thrust into net of rusty black cotton
at the back Of her head, causing serious appre-
hension in the mind Of the beholder lest,
should she wink triie more emphatically than
usual. the much-strained strands would snap
Il likes to come over when it's SO as kin
and cheer you up bit" she said settling her
self comfortably in the one rocking chair nv
establishment afforded, her Powered skirts
bubbling up all around her, her restless little
brown eyes travelling exploringly over the rest
of the contents of my tent.
Il reckon as how you gifts kind o low-spirited
out here after bein' used to Twin in a CITY,"
she remarked. For my part can't abide to
go to this ere town In the country, even for
two or three days; it seems as if the fuss and
nsp nil m aHao he, 4
and never wuz to a rale city but onc't and
that was when 1 went to have these put in.
And she deliberately removed both the upper
and lower sets OF her teeth that l might see
the reality OF their fakeness, if may be per-
mitted such an expression.
Il went down all the way to San Antoine that
time on top o the wool sacks in the wagon,
and the sun was powerful hot, and l got
mighty tired, cause it was a hundred and
seventy miles, only kept thinking how I'd git
onto old Jack If he went to playin' any pranks
bout that wool, cause the time before, when
we went to sell the WOOL it 'peared to me that
he didn't tell very straight story bout what
he did with the wool money, and it seemed to
me as how the price had gone down nightly
that year.
Il didn't mean to take I'D your time with old
Jacks sly tricks this afternoon. Seem as how
you was young and never been used to dom
much. as kin sec by your hands, as lowed to
Miss Hanlan the first day seen you, thought
maybe as how you'd like to have me put you in
the way of managin' as to save and 'cumulate
property out here. Jack Jilkins kin count his cat
tie by the thousands now and he's well able to
buy the finest house was ever builded and it's
well known as how his property is all OWN to
my managin' ways.
he'll stan good chance to beat 'em and gil
clear, If money kin do it, and it's his mother
and not that precious rascal of a father of his
that he IL have to thank for it, Yes, he'll git of
If money kin do it, even il it is proved as how
Bunce Hadley's Winchester wasn't loaded tina,
day that Josh met him on the River road
That was before you come out here and I've
been wantin' to tell you the straight of tina,
story.
why! when that blessed boy come to me
that night and told me. while he was eatin his
supper, that he'd done good days job and
Bunce Hadley was layin' six mile up the road
and had passed in his checks, said: Well
Josh, my boy, I've been the mother of six sons
have, and this is the first honor in the Jilkius
family You see, Bunce was at that dance
they had there by Tinker's ranch the time o
that big round up and Josh, he was there
too, with Jilkins' outfit Bunce had two OF
three drinks ahead and he told some o. Tin.
kers cowboys as how he was gon' to dance
with Josh's gal that night. Josh swore he
| shouldn't and saw to it that he didn't till JOSH
skipped out to take little game with the He'll
boys who'd been shearin' sheep over on
South Llama at Redmund's and were feelin
pretty fiush-had made so much money, though
do hear now as how Redmund says he'll never
have m again. they cut his sheep up SO bad.
well! when Josh finally made out to come
back 'mongst the company there sat Bunce
Hadley right by the gal fannin' of her and
lookln as much at home as if Josh didn't have
the - right there, in his pocket to git out the
license to marry her with. Hadley lit out the
Josh met him that Wednesday on the Rvel
road he made outs as how She sort of invited
him to dance with her. and then, when JOSH
told him he lied, he lowed as how he was Ger.
tain sure she'd callee him to set there by her
and Josh never wasted no more words on him
then but put bullet through him right there
and he tumbled off his horse dead
Josh is crazy bout that gal He saws he's
goln to marry her soon as he gifts bail and her
| folks is willin' enough, cause they know old
man Jacks pretty well fixed and will do the
right thing by Josh one of these davs. pertic'.
larly since the poor chiles been in sech hard
| luck bout this river road KILN scrape.
| don't b'heve they gives him half enough to ca,
| in that Jail down there, and he says there's a
mlniste' been in to see him twice every week
| since he's been there; the boy is gittin' right
| down poor with SIGH treatment; he amt used
| to benz worried SO with preachin' and lonp
| prayers, and Josh always was pertic'lar 'bouI
| his victuals; likes good lay out and that well
| cooked, though he never wuz no great hand to
want fancy things. Often and often l seen him
push away sOOu TiCH Custdru pie or maybe
vinegar tart, and relish a baking of plain corn
bread if there wuz a good onion stew and bite
OF cheese to 60 with it. My Josh 8 been brunl
up right after my own way, and he's a rattlin
good fellow, if do say it as shouldn't and il
| money kin keep him out of jail he'll marry his
gal fore Christmas, even if some people do say
| Bunce Hadley was ondefenseless that day he
took the River road to town. He'd ought to
! known better than to fool round Josh Jilkins
gal even if she did ask him to set by her when
Josh wasn't there.
But I'm forgettin' wanted to tell you
how manage bout lookin' after things SO rs
SwitZer's bills down there in the town dom,
| mount up SO monstrous high against us that il
| takes more than one bunch O. fat beeves ia
settle it up. First place, there's no use in all
the cowboys and herders bein' provided with
coffee, because that runs off with the sugar.
There amt no coffee drunk at my camp, 'cept-
in old man Jack has his cup in the mornin',
else he says he gifts the headache. The milk is
powerful sight O. help, if you know how to
use 1t right, cause you kin see the butter in
the bread in place of short'nin'. There's not
been any shortnin' bought on our bill all this
year. Flour an meal Is about all we gifts
mutton to count on, and now and then a batch
OF venison only never lets the boys waste the
powder and shot a riskin' to kill deer less en-
it's down sure thing"
Just here Cheekeet, the twelve-year-old hope
ful OF the Jikins family, appeared in the door,
way and called her mothers attention to q
long-horned COW, which was proceeding slowly
toward the river for its evening drink nibbling
at the grass as it went and accompanied by 4
little calf. On the white side Of this COW near
est to US appeared the mystic letters JILL"