Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1891-03-13
GOOD STAYERS.
How Cousin Jabez Put in All the
Time There Was.


Time There Was.
There's one thing about il" said
Aunt Hannah Parsons, 'if Cousin
Jabez Thayer comes down from Berll-
shire TO stay over we shan't have no
place fur i'm TO sleep He weighs two
hundred and fifty if he does a pound,
an it takes an unornary bed ter hold
i'm; an he snores-I've heard Us wife,
that wuz. say-like a burrowed bear,
so't he has ter hev a hull room ter his
self. With Uncle Riyal's foll5ses a-com-
in. an all the rest, ] don't know how't
we'ro goin' ter work ter lodge m.
We've mad. up extra beds a'reidy in the
back chamber an the summer dairy,
an"
'fOh it's easy enough to get along
with Jabez, Aunt Han nah, said Aaron
Taylor, who had just dropped into the
old tavern long kitchen. "Jabe wiz
set up all night II he hes some one ter
talk to. He beats all for settin' up. l
shouldn't wonder ii he'd never say moth
in about goin' ter bed if nobudy said
nothin' ter him | should like ter see
it tried. III agree ter cum over an
give him pull till midnight, an the
boys here ken git up along, one at
time, ter keep i'm company, an he
never'l think what time It's till break
fast's reddy"
'sEz big er hand ter hold on, Jabez is,
as old Billy Rarthburne used 10 be"
said Uncle Tom Knowlton, bracing one
of his broad shoulders against the cas-
ing of the kitchen door. "Ife used ter
live up Moose Aiedder way, an he never
knew when-ter-comc nor when-ter-go.
One orful rough Jannrwary night, full
onter Q o'clock, heard hell-upon-
airth of a gec-up an ree-whoa-in' right
out in my door-yard 6etched up er
candle an held it above my eyes an
opened the suth'ard door an peeked
out. When ther light he'd insinocated
its way thru' the mist o little, what
should see but Uncle Billy with three
yoke er cattle right ther in the chip
yard. Twas rainin' like swill, an er
freezin' es fast es it fell, but he stopped
his team out ther by the wei sumwhers,
an cum along up ter ther door.
Thought I'd dror in, es long es | was
down this way he sed, sez he, md
darsnt leave them burned critters in
the road for fear they'd cut n run n
go hum m leave me ter footit. My
follses wud be scairt ter death ter hev
ther team cum hum without me-
'''Cum in sez /, an he cum in.
Real, old-fashioned Jannerwary
thaw,' sez he, beginnin' ter take off two
or three top-a-most coats. Their wind
blows out or ther northermost corner er
sun-risin enough ter cutter man in tew',
an he sot down, an thor e sot m S0t.
"Thcre was a pitcher, an pepper an
cider a-brewin' on the hairth, an i told
i'm ter help hisself, n he help hisself
till the tears ran down his checks.
'Ama2in' warmin' ter thcr stomach
he'd say once in er while, an ther he
GOT IN the old clock struck ten. an
after considerable Of a spcll-'n hour cr
so-it struck 'leven. The cider wuz all
gone, n didn't offer ter git no more,
N my wife begun ter lSivcr the back
log, m he begun ter put on his top-a-
most coats-'n' the clock struck twelve
afore his hell-upon-airth Of a gee-up an
gcc-whoain' wuz over thcr hill an outer
hearin'--an' he three mild frum hum
then"
"Yis, he acu= "a master hand TO stay"
said Uncle Ben Dennis-who came in to
light his pipe with a coal from the open
Grc-"blt he couldn't come up ter Ly-
sander Hull. One time when I was
SCISSOR an the time wuz about up fur
'cm ter come ter swear ter their list,
some er the farmers that allus wait till
the old cat is near about dead afore
they come mp ter the scratch, come
draggin' along the very last arter-
noon and evcnin'. There was William
Hcnncry Crockcr an Linus Briggs an
little Tom Upton, an they all had
syvorc so-help-ruc-Gnd-so-fo an gone,
an my wife said: Well, it'snine o'clock,
an they must be the end ont Not by
long chalk snys T. 'Lysander Huh
allrs brings mp tho rear So she put
thc- bucltwheats a-Iigin' for breakfast
an went of ter bed, en- / tipped my
chair bacl. in Che corner n waited till
after ten. kept listcuin' an after a
spell | hccrd pair OF old cow-hide
boots comm along on the frozen
grouad-stomp clump, tromp, scsape-
an in come Lysand, and sot down and
began % tell tho news an | didn't say
nuthen', but Just watched tho clock.
Byme ~ Il struck 'lcven. an he
talked and talked an the long
hand cr.ylcd ald crawlcd. an
byne by / satu: It's cen n most tO-
morrer, an this Is the last hour, an the
last half, an the last quarter Of 10 ter
day. II you've got any partickerler
business afore the honorable board Of
SCISSORS for His year, its high time twas
tended tev. Ter be sure. Ter be
sure! thankcc, said Lysand, and he
Strengthened up-he was master tall
man, an held mp his right hand. an
when he got through he sot down agin,
he did, / swan, an the clock struck
twelve, IN he sot an he talked an the
clock struck one, and he kept on settin'
an kept talkin', an / swan tie old
ciock run doiCal You sec twas or one
day at time wooden rangemcnt, an
allus wound IL the last thing afore |
went ter bed, so ! rot mp and wound
the clock and kivered mp the fire an
lighted an extra candle an said Jest as
polite rs knew how: Mr. Huh, we
should be pleased ter have you spend
the night with us, an he riz up upon
that, un scz he: NO, ] thanlScc, much
obleeged, l must bc agoin, and off he
went, an | hecrd the old cow-hides
goin' scrape, tromp, clump, stomp over
the frozen ground | never heerd the
beater that, an IL Jabcz can beat it /
hope you'll let i'm jist fur the sake of
the story"
"Whcn / lived up ter thcr north part
CT thcr town wc was highest nabors,
quarter of mile or SO, 10 Cap'n Dick
Pearls, said l+ncle Nat Dimock, who
had been attracted ldtchcnward BY the
chorus OF laughter that followed the
ex-asscssor's story, ''an' he'd come over
on some arrant. airlv candle hghtin'.