Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1890-02-28
Won the "Wldder" Over.


had experienced a great deal Of trouble
not in securing the right of way from tn
State, but in satisfying the people that w
would not destroy the patches Of groun,
which they were pleased to term farms.
had charge of the advance construction
gang, and to me fell the unpleasant duty
of smoothing into compliance the briste
of opposition.
Early one morning, just as | had finished
eating breakfast, one of the men came
back from the front" a short distance
away, and informed me that we had
"struck another snag" / hastened for
ward and soon came upon the picket
line" as the breakers Of the right of way
were called.
Whats the matter now 7" I asked ad-
dressing man who stood leaning on his
spade He said nothing. but pointed to a
woman who sat on a log near by. She
was the hardest-looking specimen of femi-
ninity | had ever seen. Her coarse hair.
tangled into snarls, looked like crab grass
IN the wake of whirlwind She had a
4
| dressed-or rather covered-with a sort of
dingy tent cloth. But the most noticeable
thing about her was dOuble-barrel shot
| gun which she held across her lap.
MADAM" said /, what is the natter
"Sothing the matter with me-" she
answered
"But why are you sitting there with that
gun''
ITO keep you folks from trompin on my
rights, that's why"
SIS anybody attempting to tramp on
your rights'"
'Yes; you folks"
"Howf
BY coming along here with fetch
taxed railroad and sp'iling my milk an
butter"
81 don't understand you.
''But you will after while See that
spring house down thar she asked, point
ing to a rail pen. oval, my milk an but
ter air in thar, an tho inst man that runs
railroad over that thar spring house gifts
two loads Of b uckshot. Hear mc7'
Il do hear you, and"
tWall, now, harken or these her buck |
shot air yourn"
why, madam. IT Is nonsense to stop the
building of a railroad on account of a little
milk and butter
''You wouldn't think so ef you was to
see Bob and 'Riah an Moll aa' Tom an
: -vIvnafcr an Iulo am C;,, o,.t a. a,,,n.,. |
an Jane an Tobe an Cy an Paul an Rob
an the baby cuttin' an slashin' of butter
an swillin of milk. Ny conshuns alive!
though the war was bad enough, when
The fetch taxed soldiers crippled the COW;
but nov comes along a railroad an -snts
% run smack, smooth over the spring
house"
Madam, what is your spring house and
milk and butter WORTH"
'Taint fur sale"
"But can you not move in out Of the
yayf"
NO ITS doin' mighty well whar it is,
m | wanter say right now befo' furgit it
hat ef you fling any dirt in that milk with
70 good fur rnothin' ole railroad III load
,..aa LII +
III you with handspikes."
I'VE must build the road, madam
Then dodge the spring house
eve cannot 1t is directly in the way
'fWall, then, let the railroad stop right
yhar it is. It's gone fur enough, anyhow"
Madam, although | have no authority
ont rnf IN En1p Iptpu trnu |
,le | viii give you liberal for"
"Jest ez well save yo' breath. I'm goin'
o set right here till night an then some of
he children will take my place. Thar amt
many Of u.s. but whut dar is will stand up
ur ther rights"
Men" said / eve can't afford to fool
,long this way. Go ahead"
"Stop thar" the woman demanded. She
locked the gun. Il don't kere ef | am a
gidder woman with none too much of a
amily. | amt goin' to have my rights
-romped on. Tech that spring house airy
one Of you an I'll make you weigh ton
Dcfo' | git through with you"
Madam, III give you twenty five dol
lars if
Don't want yo' twenty Gye dollars. /
cs want my rights an | am goin' to have
en- lessen this gun snaps an sho hain't
never snapped yit."
Boss" said a negro Zone of my gang)
coming forward chat lady doan know the
value Of money. knows all crbout dezc
yere folks case / wasn't raised fur frum
yere, an ei you'll ges gib me or quarter ri
Tx de lady finer den silk"
"IIowP | asked.
"Neber mine how, Gaze | knows whut
I'm talkin' erbout. Gimme dc quarter an
I'll jump on one de mules an go ter dat lit
tic ole ato way back yandcr an when |
come back dc lady will dun be fixed Gin
me de quarter
gave it to him and he mounted mule
and gallopcd away.
"Whar is that niger goin'f' the woman
asked.
~ don't know"
Yes you do. You know you've sent
him after the sheriff, but that don't make
Ib ulHuHttb Iul Hc bt n hIttiu bl me, any |
how Tried TO levy on my COW once an | |
broke one Of his arms 1t do pear like |
every thing rises right up agin "A bodys |
milk an butter, an now here comes n rail !
road. Here, you red headed man, don't |
stand 30 close to that spring house. You
mout knock dirt in the milk That's right, |
you'd better git away. Never had as much
trouble in my life. Last week Riah souscd |
"a thorn in her foot an Tom was butted |
putty nigh TO death by sheep and the
very next next day Puas was run over by "A |
steer, an Tobc was snake bit, aud now |
that niger go,"
81 don't know, I tell you"
'fWall now, cf you want to send him |
after the sheriff it's all right with me, fur |
he has larncd that it's mighty uneasy walk
in when he's tromping on my rights
anziously awaited tue gcturn " the |
negro, though had I been called upon | |
could not have told why. Finally / saw
him coming.
"Hc amt got tho shirif with him Hho |
uua," said the woman. 81 reckon he wuz
hfecrd ter come. fur jest tell you it won't |
do ter tromp on my rights. Better tromp |
on rattle snake an be done with it,
The negro diamounted and came forward,
hnldiup afunlt uactapc i'm hi4 hnnd !