The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-02-17

gather watercresses would steal away
from their work to listen to Dugout
Jerry.
How did you get Stripey?" was
usually the first question of new boy,
and Jerry was always ready to answer.
Boys" he would say, 'Tll tell you
bout that little Teller. / never tried to
git him. j jest ketched flies an keD'
still ag'in the rock sill he got to know
me. 'Twant no time till he eat out o.
my hand. If I'd a-tuk him on the sud
din he'd been scarf. That stands to rea-
son. Is there more like him? No, there
amt another one on these here hills like
Stripey. The lizards round here is
ornery and darkish. / guess Stripey
come from some other country They
say there's place where lizards is all
coiors. an. some's got wings. And there's
another funny thing. they say lizards
will git blue on blue cloth and red on
a red cloth; an that if they see a snake
a-comin' they can switch off a tail or
leg for Mr.. Snake an git away, for they
can grow tails and legs any time they
want 'em. But / hain't never see
Stripey UP to them doin's; he's got sense
like human. Did you ever take notice
when I'm talkin' to him how he listens?
He's a big comfort to me; he listens with
his whole body
One Saturday Phil Hunter asked:
Where did you used to live, Jerry?
My mother says you talk awful funny"
WELL said Jerry, 1.-The first family
l.
up some of their lingo. After that
lived with mixed folks-(Sam, move your
hand back little or / might hit it
when I'm a-aimin' at the nail. If you
take hold O. one end O. the saw an
Jim the tother, 1 can set it better than
if you keep your hand in the middle)
But / calculate I'm most Yankee COS
I've got such a head for business. Git
ting this land and house shows 1t. Now
take them fellers over in Frisco goin'
xxrit 1raf ,t cfrr IN, a
pole an singin', We want work They
wanted me to go in with 'em. but / said.
Boys, just take $500 an go out some
where an git land. You'll hev work
enough a-buildin' your house an maxim
a garden There wouldn't be all this
fussn' if them fellers would do like
me-"
How did you get the money. Jerry?"
well, l kin tell that, too. You see
had four days work in the week most
of the time, and / got dollar day
and my board. My room was S. a
month, an my washing 81, and my
meals stood me 80 cents the days I was
loafin'-(you boys be countin' it up) an
lar or so for clothes. How much would
it leave? Three dollars month? Well.
you see. l KEEP putin that away an
in twenty years l he'd $500, an here 1
be. OF course it wouldn't hev TUX me
so long, but no man can work out in
all sorts O. weather an hev no sick
days"
All were working while Jerry talked
One was mailing two short boards to-
gether, another was saving off a knctty
end and the others sorting nails. These
young carpenters could saw boards and
drive nails as well as Jerry could. They
were help in other ways, too. When
they heard of a chance for Jerry to get
things for little or nothing they were
quick to tell him. One day four or five
of them came running to him and said
all together, "There'S a man tearing
down lot Of wire fencing, and any one
can have it for hauling it away"
Where is it?"
'Over to Gordons, that big white
house in the canyon beyond Joaquin
Millers. Hurry up, Jerry, it's awful
good fencing. We've got to go to school
or we'd help you
started home with two big bundles of
it. He cut his hands on the wire so
many times and fell so often that,
within a mile of home, he was obliged
to throw one bundle down.
The next morning it was gone. Jerry
talked it over with Stripey.
I'm sorry I give out, Stripey, but
don't you worry, little Teller; we can git
along without fencin' much. All I want
is to keep the COW, when / git her, off
the trees an vegetables when they're
planted An what I managed to lug
home ought to do that little Bit
One day as Jerry was on his way home
he saw drunken Tom Sanders wheeling
barrow of bricks for Colonel Plunkett's
new house, and every little while throw
ing off one to tighten the load. Jerry
took off his coat, and, tying it so as
to form sack. followed the wheelbar-
row, collecting the bricks as they fell.
This was something towards fireplace,
and was great relief to Jerry, for, as
he told Stripey:
Mary, if she does git mad an mock
the Judge a-clearin' his throat before
he speaks, she's got used to their airs,
an she'll want settin' room like the
Lawtons. with fireplace in it. 1 wish
you could hear her once-she's got such
a good laugh. Them three old rocks
o Ourn we cook on would jest make
her YELL l wonder what she's doin' /
expect things is goin' on bout the same
the Judge a-visitin' schools an old
Mrs. Lawton a-havin' her Mrs. Judge
days"
About month after. as Jerry was
passing Mrs. Mahoney's, he saw a
carved oaken door-a new one-lying in
the yard. Mrs. Mahoney told him they
were going to burn the door because,
after it was hung 'it fell with no hand
touchln it'-Sure Sign that the devil was
In 1T. Jerry asked for the door, and as
he went Juggling it away Mrs. Mahoney
called after him, Burn it, Jerry. for the
devils in it,
That night he was too tired to talk.
glide over the polished surface of the
door, and said to him:
Amt it smooth, Stripey? An T got
that jest through an old woman's no
ton. The devil amt in that door any
more than be, Stripey."
Once painter gave him half can
of green paint for only two hours work
That night he confessed to Stripey: 81
didn't say nothin' bout it, part, but |
wanted to paint the front door O. the
house burnin' bad. You see I didn't
want to shame that door,"
The next morning, on his way to work,
Jerry saw a humming-bird on her nest in
among the high, delicate leaves of a
eucalyptus. That evening he went home
early with a pretty story for Stripey:
Little Teller, you don't like birds, but
this was a hummer an wouldn't hurt
you. She wasn't on her nest, first, but
settin' on bush by it; an when she see
me she acted like she didn't live there
an went off to a willer, but she KEEP
her eye on me, an when I got close she
went on to another, still a-watchin'
Then / went back to where / see the
nest an she came an hung in the air
over me, an then / put my hand on the
tree. An then she gave up tryin' to
fool me an went into the nest. She
didn't make no noise, but jest watched
me. an 1 see fight in her eye an ]
bet if I'd tried to git them eggs. she'd