St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1895-11-23

| ouO oAvUE WucA pCVPsO NO leu AOou0u
to come to take up their notes. HI
looked at me with nervous, dont-you
take-it sort OF look that day when
Uncle Billy showed down with his Con
federate money. But could see some
further ahead than the end Of my nose
and SO the wink didn't work worth q
cent with me. 1 didn't 60 and forget
that lobe Crittenden was holdin my
note for $500, and I wanted to bring
that note home with me and put IL
away good before the whole country
broke away from Confederate money.
You can see how it was that couldn't
make the first break and save myself.
on After That Harvishell Note.
The very next day my note to lobe
Crittenden fell due, so bright and early
that mornin saddled up and mounted
my nag and started of after It. The
road to Tobe's place took me right by old
man jeremiah Jernigan's, and when
got along there the old man come out
and hailed me and wanted to know
where l was bound for. / told him
where was goin and what was goin
after.
"You would better let your horse
swap ends for home right here" says
the old man. ''Tobe Crittenden amt
goin to take your Confederate money"
swell, il he don't take it," says !, lit
will be because you have been down
there and put him up to refusin, and If
you want heap older than me I would
give you my plain, personal opinions OF
man that would play game like that
amongst his friends and neighbors. I
am on my way to lobe Crittenden's,
and am goin after that note"
"And I'll jest bet my mare mule Kit
agin the sorriest steer calf on your
place that you don't git it." says old
man jeremiah.
'I'll take that bet If I loose" says !.
/ shakin hands with him to clinch 1t.
''Good mornin. Uncle jerry"
When I hove in sight OF the Critten-
den place lobe he was walkin fast up
and down his front plaza, and smokin
and putin with his pipe like . steam en-
CINE.
Good mornin, Tobe." says I.
''Good mornin, sir" says he.
"You needn't too make out like you
don't know me-" says !. .cause l was
warmin up At his cold and highferlutin
talk"
Eyes, do know you" says he. THAT
is Rufus Sanders. Light and git down
and come in"
went in and let him know from the
jump that had come after that note.
You can git it," says he, ''providin
If you have come heeled with the right
sort of rocks, but let me tell you now. I
am not goin to take any of your durn
Confederate money"
"What was old man Jeremiah Jerni-
gan doin down here yesterday" says l.
HE was down here on business" says
lobe. ''but that amt got nothin to do
with your durn Confederate money. I
wouldn't touch it with . forty-foot
pole"
well and good, Mister Crittenden,"
says /, ''but you have got to sign q
paper refusin to take it. A man that
talks as big as you do ought to be
willin to put it in black and white"
lobe lowed he was willin to sign his
name. and we went in the house to fix
up the paper.
That 'Durn Dictionary Doeunsnt.''
Sorry spellin has always been one
OF my mainest weak pints. al
ways would spell . word accordin to the
way it sounds. My spellin is done
mostly by ear, IS it were, and il the
letters don't run along with the sound
of the word am more than probable to
make mess OF it.
Now lobe Crittenden was good and
kind-hearted, but At the same time he
was one Of these nervous, restless, sus-
picious sort Of men. He wouldn't be-
lieve his own dear daddy on . Bible
oath, and he wouldn't trust his best
friend as far as you could throw . camp
meetin BY the tail. And besides that
lobe was monstrous dull in books. Tho
school teachers use to say that the
onlyest way to put any learnin in Tobe's
head was to split the thing open, put
the book in it and sew the whole busi-
ness up.
1t was my job to write the paper, and
l didn't 60 so very far before I struck .
knot and called for dictionary. lobe
went and got the book and then wanted
to know what was goin to do with it.
81 have struck hard word to SPELL"
says !, "and l need tho book to pull me
through"
..Look a here. Rufe Sanders" says
he, don't you 60 and put nothin in that
paper which can't understand"
II will read it out when ! git through"
Gays to lobe, land make every word
as plain as a painted horse rack"
But at the same time ! saw right
where Tobe's weak pint come in, and
after that l would write few words
and then pull the dictionary on him.
He was walkin around in his nervous,
fretful way, and every time picked up
the book he would shake his fist and
foam at the mouth and tell me not to
put nothin in the paper that he couldn't
understand. ! told him over and over
to hold on till got through and then l
would read it out loud to him and mako
every thing clear as bell and plhm4at-
isfactional. But lobe he was .da4cin
around by this time Ikea man 9th
the seven years itch. PresenslN be
brought himself up quick and 1ud9ent
in front of me and said, says he:
Hold on right there. Rufe Sanders!
Blamed il 1 wouldn't ruther take your
durn Confederate money than your durn
document" Il
Henceforwards from that time on
have told mother that she hadn't ought
to take on SO about my bad spellin. 1t
is weak pint know, but you caa see
where it saved US 81 800 with that 'durn
document"
Now then, to cut the story short when |
I went to sleep that night the note
which lobe Crittenden had been holdin |
ON me was safe 1T the bottom OF tho |
family chest, whilst old man Jernieans