New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-06-23
POSSUM RIDGE.
roLK.sKRTCHEs IN THE MISSOURI BACK
WOODS


the ridge section. / had gone about nhc ai'hs
An. trail when all at once old follow popped ont
Of the scrub-oak brush few yards IN front Oh me-
md came down the path at Swinging gait. Tic
WAS a tall loose jolnted old chap. wearing ormiess
straw hat pair of cotton trousers OF many coiors'
and long tailed DueIcans 0oo'' ""'e Up "
eccosted me with:
nuor,r,ve mistcr7 Air yc from town."
~Good morning. l replied Yes. I'm from town.
sJest come from thar 2" he asked.
"Yesn
ais it thar, then"
ais 1t thcrc7" repeated. "What do You refer
tor
"why, the show, OF course. What else ola you
s'pose7"
81 don't know anything about It,"
"Dont1 Wal, yer quarc''u shore
"why7"
aJcst bekasc you live right in town whar the
shows to be- an yit don't know nothin bout IT, say
did We know thar wuz gon to be snow
ayes, / heard something about IT, o"' "'""
nav much attention to it,"
Wal nv um but You shorcly air a quare feller
an, I'm goldarncd if you don't beat me cieah ou''
"Why, man, what have donc1'
aDo yer reckon If ! lived in town whar show
OH. comm wouldn't know all about Ut be, !e.
shin would, er break haimstring a'tryin' to ma
out
"Where are you going1'
aCon,7 WHY. I'm goin' to that show"
awhat,s your hurry The show won't be open
until after noon." -
"r,vc cot to cit down thar an work my way IN
BY helpn' bout the tents
"why don't you pay your way in =
"That takes so cents, mister, an anu ""u '
much money fer two ycer"
al think / would have rather worked ana eafheu
ba,fdolar with which to buy ticket thah u ~
down there and pound stakes all the forenoon
"Mobby YOU would but hant able to work. Been
feeln powerful porcly all summer, an ther OLD oman
an, the young 'uns has had to tend the crap
"You evidently have a great liking for SHOWS
"Bct do They're better N hossraces or hans
why didn't You take your wife and children along
with your" ,
"They're comm back yon. ! told the ole oman
che mout lay of outen the crap to-day, an take ,'e
vounc ,uns down to the street parade. anus
make II pint 10 act white with the Gle oman Bu'
reckon ia best be gittn' on. or may be TOO la'e
rbars abont forty o. the fclcrs up amin 10 glt
down thar an work their way in. an want TO peat
.cm. Didn't meet none OF 'em as yer come erans'
did yes
"No"
al guess I'm all right. then. Say if you see tie ole
'oman back thar. tell 'er to hun II up a iec'ie Will
yer
al wouldn't know her il saw her.
ar Won sec n old plug with cross eyes. an seven
children, an dogs, why, yer got er' Hhe : "
1cetle lame too Tell to sorter hump erScf along
hinder lively or the fust thing she knows she'll miss
the fun"
The other day an old fellow wearing tow trousers
md lone.tailcd blue jeans coat came down TO the
county seat from Postum Ridge and after CONSIDER
able inquiry found the sheriff Siding cautiously up
to that functionary, the old chap raised his coon
skin cap, saying
{" Mister be YOU the sheriff o. this we're town.
"No. I'm the sheriff of the county"
"AIr. chi thought yon wuz sheriff O. ther
town but / reckon mebby ycr'll do
"Perhaps. What do you WANT"
"Bein' sheriff, ] reckon you know Almost ever
thing that's goin' on don't vert"
al know some things, guess. What do you wish
10 find QUIT
"say, kin I ak yer some qucstions''
Certainly"
can yer won't charge me nothin' fer answcrin
thcm''
"No.n
oval say IS the war done eended?'
"The war? What war;"
"why the war atwixt the North and the South"
"weli. should say it is"
aver dead shore O. that, air yer
"why Of course"
"Uh nul. Say, when did it eend1"
"Oh. about twenty-five years ago."
"An the North whipped"
EYES,
can JEFF Davis gin in, an all thatl'
EYES,
"An' ther hain't no more fghtin ner nothin'''
"say. by cobbs, mister, but I'm ticklcd nigh Almost
70 death"
And the old fellow haw.hawed and stamped about,
holding his hands to his sides, until he red in
the face.
"what tckles you so I" the sheriff asked, when the
old man Quoted down a little.
"say,n he whispered, "1've got IT onto Their ole
soman bigcer'n er mule an it makes me most bust
myself a-laughn' when think of it,
"what do you mean. anyhow
@say, I've been argyn' all crlong that the war WIZ
eended an that the North whipped, but the ole oman
she's stood plumb squar agin an said il
WENT 500
"Why didn't you ask somebody sooner7'
ave did. Last tall teller came erlong up thai
on the Ridge sellin' apple trees an he WIZ kinder
fixed up, an looked like lie mout know heap so
tuck an axed him bout the war. he said it VIII
eended.'
And still your wife didn't give in 2"
"Nary tme she didn't. She hung out agin M
~ussn ever an last night got TO argyin the pint
an she GOT riled an lit inter me with er stick G
stove wood an fer bout hour fit like dogs an'
cats"
"Not much. ! didn't. Their ole 'oman haint m
easy 'un ter force ter acknowledge ther corn"
al expect not"
"Bet yer hide she amt. She's wussn er mule 4
change when she gets in her mind say, do yo'
see them knots my head an this yere black strca
across my eyer"
"Yes."
oval, them shows you what sort Of argyfcr the
ole oman is. Reckon yer wouldn't like ter STAN on
acin Ter moren hour or two at a stretch"
81 hardly think would
oval last night l got ter fggerin' over this thing
an says 10 myself that it ort 10 be stopped an S
this mornin we greed 10 leave IL ter you"
"Do you suppose she will give in now and let tn
matter dropl'
al reckon she'll hev to. won't shei'
L don't know
"wal. low she haind goin ter stand out agi
the sheriff
Do you think she would"
4" reckon she shorely wont be fool enough TO