The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1896-12-11
QUOTATIONS. PERILs.
Why the Old Mountaineer was Rath-
err Set Against Books.


"speakin' bout eddecashun," said
the old mountaineer, as we sat on log
at his door smoking our pipes, speak
in bout this yere eddecashun that yo'
git outer skules and books and papers,
I never could abide it,
Most people. believeein education" re-
piled the Detroit Free Press man.
Let EN- believe. That very bizness
OF book lernin' is the cause of my hev-
in second wife, this ole shackelty
cabin, an of my son Tom bein' the
Lord knows wharf"
Il would like to hear your story"
Wall, I shaint no objeckshuns to
teilin' 1T, and mebbe. it'll prove warn
in to yo' not to try to be too powerful
smart. 70 see,'I had son Tom. and
he was so cute that everybody said I
orter send him down to Knoxville to
be eddecated. / was jest fule huff to
do 1T, and things turned out as might
hey bin expected,
Did he go to the bad?'
No, not that, but he sent the rest of
US thar. AFTER he'd bin down thar
bout two Vars he comes home one
day on visit. We was livin' three
miles up the road then. had a mighty
good log house jest at the foot of what
we call Coon Mountain. Way up on
the top of the mountain was a thump-
in big rock, standin' thar all alone by
itself. Tom had seed that rock a dozen
times before this day I'm speaking OF.
but wasn't idiot huff to NEEDLE with
1t. Wall, when he cum home he begun
to talk about material science. material
philosophy, fulcrums, levers and all
SIGH, and bimeby he said he was eddie
Gated huff to tip that big rock over.
SEE | to him, seq I: Tom, don't be
a-crowin over your old dad. Eddeca-
shun can't tip over rocks no mo- than
1t kin raise con stalks twenty feet
high''
But it can" I said, as he shook his
head and sighed heavily.
Yes, l found out that she could.
Tom he talked till he got me riled no
and jest told him that if he could fin
that rock over with his own hands I'd
gin him a mewl colt He grins and
chuckles and says he'll 'stonish me. and
I'm free to say that he did The ornerv
critter toted his fulcrulns and levers
and material philosophy up the noun
tajns and went to work on that rock.
One AFTERNOON, when 1 was hoein' con
and cussin' the poor quality Of the sile
sunthin' happened
THE rock moved, I presume?"
She did, stranger-she didi Material
philosophy was too much fur her. and
she rolled over and took start. She
was jest in line with the house. but We
hadn't thought O ethat. 1 heard noise
llhS Lie ItSClS VI 1V,0UU IQ0WelS A-k1CKIn
on barn door toyonce, and looked IN
to see that f1fty-toner a-comin. The
ole woman was in the cabin a-singin
Happy Day and patchin my trousers
and she didn't hear me holler The
rock made a bee line fur the cabin.
smashin' and crtshin' and maxim, the
airth tremble, and when she struck it
was like the fall. Of fifty big trees at
once" 2aae
ssAnd your Wife-?,I
Never even found a piece of her!
Everything was carried across the road
into a ravine fifty feet deep, and /
could never be. exactly sartin of the
spot whar' the cabin stood
And what became of Tom?"
run away, and I've never sot eyes
on him sence. Dash face me arter
that. 1 reckon, though I got over my
madness arter q bit. I had to build
this yere cabin, git spliced to that ar
woman inside and lose my only son. all
on account of what they calls eddie
cashun, and yo' can't wonder I'm agln
it. Yes, I'm powerful down on eddie
cashun. Stranger, be you one of them
eddecated critters?',
II can't say that am
Then it's all right, and you kin hey
the best bed In the house and roast
chicken fur breakfast If yo' was ed
decated. however, I'd be bound to say
you'd better hitch up and move on