Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1890-05-21
Lowland Folks.

nOueenOlu ROOus uOWu Uy tne highway
at certain spot, built brush shan
ty to shelter his family for few days,
and eventually erected rude log cab.
in, and there he had stuck for the last
fifteen years. He had brushed over
two or three acres Of land around the
house and raised little corn and a
few bushels Of potatoes, and I found
him sitting ON his door step as good
natured and content as a house-cat
after a full meal.
Powerful glad to see yer-power-
full glad" he said as we shook hands.
"The stage-driver was saying you'd
be along to-day, and was sorter on
the watch. You thar, Jennyf"
A woman appeared in answer to
the call, and the man said
Jenny, this is he'un. Stranger,
Jen's my ole woman. We've got a
boy named Moses, but he's off arter
roots. Now come right in and feel
homemade"
The cabin consisted of one room
about sixteen feet square. There was
Fireplace, two beds made of poles, a
rude shelf on which was few dishes,
an old clock which did not 60, rifle
resting on deer horns, a few garments
hanging to pegs, and lithograph Of
Cleveland tackled to the logs. The
cash inventory outside Of the rifle,
would not have been five dollars. l
expected to hear the woman begin
the usual "nagging" after bit, and
the man to start of with excuses, but
nothing of the sort took place. On
the contrary, as soon as l had been fur.
nished with bite Of cold fried bacon
and cornbread, and washed it down
with summer tonic made of roots,
we went out for a smoke, and Hines
inquired
"How ar ye findin' the people along
the road Z"
"Much discouraged"
"Over what ?"
ooh, the weather and so on"
/
That's jist like 'em, the onery,
fault finders When it isn't one thing
it's another. Stranger, kin ye expect
to find better weather than this out
side of Heaven
Hardly"
That's what say. Ye found most
of 'en lazy and shuckless, I reckon2"
Eyes"
"Well. it's nobody's fault but their
own. Things don't look very peart
around yere, do they2"
"Well, no."
"Thar's reasons fur it. In the fust
place I'm a squatter. Can't tell when
I'll hev to pull up and git. Therefore
ye can't expect me to rush things. In
the next place we hev 'nuff to eat and
wear, and that's all we want. We is
poor folks, and we is satisfied to be-"
"There are very few that way"
"'Zactly, stranger, and that's what
ails this nashun. Thar amt 'nufl
philosophy about common folks. Now
then, 'sposing the President should
pint me postmaster down at Red
Bridge? l can't read nor write, an |
can't talk grammar, an I'd iist feel
onery mean all the time. 'Sposing
that Jay Gould should send me down
kerridge an hosses as free gift p
Hev I got ary place to stable them
hosses an put that kerridge2 How'd
look riding round these yere parts
in a thousand dollar rig?"
"Then you don't want to be rich"
"Yes, I do, but faint fur me-
When I got growed up to 81 an found
myself pizen pQe an homely, long
shanked an ignerent, / knowed figures
an riches wasn't fur me. / cut my
sticks according. That's jist the way
with Jen, too. Jen. come out yere an
talk"
The woman came out, lighted her
pipe and sat down, and her husband
continued.
"Jen, he'un thinks it mighty quare
that we don't yarn fur bizness and
riches. Tell he'un how we feel about
it."
"Yer was pizen pore an ignerent,"
she said as she looked over at him,
ian was all that billed down an mo-
too. knowed right off that riches
wasn't fur us, an so / didn' yarn fur
EN-"
"And you are content to live as you
dow,
"Pooty nigh, stranger-pooty nigh.
If ] had hull pound Of 60cent tea
and five pounds of brown sugar in the
cabin all at once wouldn't trade
places with any woman in the State"
"Ye see, it's like this" said the hus-
band as he dug up the soil with stick.
"If we was wanting we'd hev to hev a
fine house. Then we'd hev to furnish
it an git hired help. Then we'd hey
TO hev watches and diamonds and Sich,
4 Al