Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1893-04-27

1t is Monday. All day | watch an
holler, but nobody on'y de debil in de
rocks make answer. AS am on de
norf side of de canyon de sun almos'
roas' me all day, but l mus stay out on
de shelf. By dis time am pow'ful hun
cry, and so dry dat de soun OBJ de watah
jis' below in de canyon sets me almos'
crazy. Dat night ag'in curl up wifi
de baby bars. l am SO hungry an dry
dat don't sleep much. De babies
gittin hungry too. Dey wur a-suckin at
my fingers all de night. Dem babies
boder me mon little.
Tuesday mornin is come. Tuesday
pass bout de same like Monday, on'y I'ze
mo- hungry an so dry dat I am bout
'stracted. De babies am a-whinin a
heap. Dey miss de pore ole nanny
still de little fellers try to be cheerful,
Wen am settin in de sun on the shelf
dey come an play roun an cline ober
me. One is boy baby an de oder is a
girl. De boy is de biggest an fattest,
but de little girl pear like she got de
moas' cunnin ways wifi her, an she berry
affexenit wifi me. De babies kin stan
bein dry an hungry better dan 1 kin,
kaise it am de natur OBJ bar to hole up in
cabberns an not eat all winter.
Tuesday night don't sleep any but
foo little catnaps. hev pow'ful bad
dreams. All night l am wrastlin on de
aige OBJ de shelf wifi de mudder bar. She
comes up outer de watah. She is all
wet. She shake herself; den she hole
out de stumps den she begin for to cry,
but she comes at me all de same, an she
say, Jerry Hawk, eff you git my house
an babies you gotter wrastle wifi me for
dem~ Den she fro de stuinps bout my
neck, all bloody as dey is. Den we
wrastle. Awful, awful wrastlin! She
is pow'ful at wrastlin. She roll her eye
balls, pant in my face, an in spite OBJ me
she drag me to de aige OBJ de shelf. Den
ober we go! We fall, fall, fall! No
end to de fallin an de roarin OBJ de wa
tab. Inter de watah we goes. Den we
goes down, down, down fro de watah,
an she whisper in my ear dat she gwine
ter take me to de debil to git my hans
an feet chop off'n me.
Wednesday mornin. Dis day / woke
up pow'ful weak. go out on de shelf,
but l KANT holler none. am plumb
scouraged. De boys hain't foun de ole
bar and dey won't find me. "No, neb-
ber, nebber, nebber! De bones OBJ Jerry
Hawk mus lay in the bar cabbern till
Gabriel comes an blow de horn" say
dis an den l set down wifi my head on
my knees. De watah is roarin, an says
like wus in a dream, "Watah, watah;
oh, give me watahr' Pears jis' like l
am gwine ter fo'git myself an jumpright
down among all dat watah. I mus wet
my mouf wifi suffin.
Den de baby bars dey comes an plays
roun-de little boy an girl, as call dem.
As dey plays roun looks at dem-mo'
an mo- / looks at dem. looks mostly
at de little girl. Den I gifts out my
knife an feels de aige. De little girl
don't know de ugly bisiness dat's in my
mind. She come an she git up in my
lap to play. Den feels bout de neck
OBJ de baby for de right spot. "Swishl"
de blade is in de vein, an red stream
is pourin.
Dat ebenin skin de little one dat is
dead, make fire an roas' some of her.
De little boy cry for some, so | let him
suck down sebefal pieces OBJ fat. am
'spectin dat it's gwine ter be his turn
fore long. sleep well dat night, an so
do de little boy. De ole mudder don't
come up outer de watah to wrastle wifi
me.
Thursday mornin. am feelin pooty
strong today. | make smoke on de
shelf an holler good deal, but only
dem sebon debils in de rocks holler back.
While I am settin t'inkin If de Lord is
still seein me it all at once comes to me
to write whar / am an send de letter
down de canyon. l have a pencil an
sum Of de paper wat / use ter fix de notice
OBJ de claim. | kain't write much, but I
kin print it out. So fix de letter tellin
whar am. De mischief den wur to send
de letter. If tie it to piece OBJ de spruce
tree maybe de boys nebber notice it. At
las de ole wool hat come to my mind.
So l pin de letter good an strong inside
de hat. Den tie chunk stone fas' under
de bottom oh de hat for ballas' and two
sticks dry wood to de rim fer floats. !
fastens desc wifi strips off'n my shirt, an
when all is ready ! draps it off'n de
shelf inter de watah. 1t Ian right side
nm. az wen see it dart away say.