Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1895-11-06
ANNIE CARTER.

OOAOAASA
and was ruefully sizing up small pile
Of change, allowing it to trickle slowly
from one hand to the other. Then he
figured up the time that was due to
elapse before pay day. scratched the side
of his face refectively and remarked:
eft makes me feel like stack of
white checks when I think how hard 1
work now and what little compensation
I get and then look back to time when
I stood good chance of being one of
the wealthiest men in the southwest.
And it makes me tired when 1 realize
that my chance in that direction was
spoiled by such little thing as hard
rain. If it hadn' It been for downpour
from the heavens, I would have had
money to squander and would have
been the happy husband Of Annie Car
ter, the prettiest girl in Arkansas.
"When l was quite young man, l
went up the White river in Arkansas
one time on a hunting and fishing trip
in company with two shoemakers and a
Doctor We had a comfortable fatboat
of our own and took things nice and
easy. Finally we got up to Cow bayou,
long, wide swamp that ran parallel
with the river for 10 or 10 miles, We
concluded to go up the bayou and make
a camp, and were just starting in that
direction when we spied a little cabin
on the opposite side of the river. 1t was
a one story log house, with little lean
to built up against the back of it, and
little curl Of blue smoke foated lazily
from the wide chimney. The clearing
around the cabin was dotted with flower
beds and the front Of it, and the sides,
too, were covered with morning glory
vines. Tt was lovely spot, and as we
were out Of coffee, we decided to go over
and negotiate for some. Accordingly we
pulled for a landing we saw on the river
bank and were soon tied up to shore.
The doctor and walked up to the cabin,
leaving the shoemakers Oh the boat. We
had about half covered the distance be-
tween the landing and the cabin when
we heard "a call from off in the woods,
and in few minutes we were given our
first view of Annie Carter's father,
Zachary Carter, known to steamboat men
all over the southwest as 'Kunnel Kyah
tab.
''The kunnel was commanding fig
ure. Over feet TALL he was as straight
as an Indian and as handsome as god.
He had long hair and whiskers that re-
minded me Of a ripping mass of pure
white silk threads. He wore suit Of
buckskin and moccasins, a wide brim-
med white sombrero perched jauntily
on one side of his head and carried
long rife that was marked and dented
with age and hard service As he step
ped out Of the woods and stood in the
warm sunlight on the edge of the clear
ing, the wind toying with his long hair
and waving the fringe on his buckskin
suit, he looked like an apparition.
''His jolly, brown face fairly beamed
with good nature, and the doctor and
became stuck on him right away.
Make youahselves welcome, gen
tlemen, he cried cheerily as he came
toward u.s. I'm powerful glad to see
you all payin visit to me in my hum
BILE cabin. Ny name is Kyahtah, gentle
men-Kunnel Kyahtah, bohn in the
south and goin to die in the south. This
is my home, and youah welcome, a
thousan times. I own all this land for
three rife shoots in every. direction, and
if you all want any of it I'll give it up.
Most too much of it to handle for me.
Gas the old gentleman finished he
came to where we were standing, and l
don't think anybody ever gave me the
glad hand more pleasantly and heartily
than he did. My heart went out to him.
The sweep of his hand when he de-
Ecribed the boundaries of his land in
three rifle shoots was majestic and pro-
claimed him of stock that was better
than common. We explained to him our
project of pushing up the bayou, but he
wouldn't hear of it.
'Sho!' he said. You all is goin to
stay right in Kunnel Kyahtah's cabin
tell my Annie comes home. I can't al
low you gentlemen to get away now I've
got you. You see, my girl, Annie
finest creature in the whole world, sab,
is up to Little Rock, goin to school.
She's comm back to see her ole pa On
the next boat, and I'm sort of shamed
to meet her alone. Amt seen her but
once in four yeahs, when l went up to
Little Rock. So damned noisy up there,
| jest peared like I'd go crazy, and ! come
back Now, you all must stay to meet
my little girl shore know they amt
no gentleman would disappoint NE
now.
"The old mans tone was so wistful
and eager that we consented to stay.
Our host hurried into the cabin to pre-
pare for our reception, and while he
was gone the doc and confded in each
other that this was about the best thing
that had ever been handed up to us, and
we concluded to push it along. Both OF
as being young, we began to speculate
about Annie, and we decided that she
was probably an ordinary farmer girl
clad in sunbonnet and calico, but we
were anxious to see her just the same. l
made up my mind that if she was as
handsome as the old man said she was
would marry her and get claim on
that three rifle shoots of land. After
the play was all over, and doc and had
both quit without cashing in, he con-
fided to me that he had made up bis
mind to the same proposition.
j ffyuoJ1 xro ;rct coynnnd in the old