Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1896-10-15
PAP AND JIM.

to traveI in a No. light shoe; but she
wore something like No. cow hide
shoe on Sunday. Her education had
her original methods of grammatical
expression. But she was genuine, in
nocent, unpretentious, big, strong
healthy and happy country girl. May
be she has plenty of lovers, for she
ought to have; but there is only one
who is regarded as regular company"
He is a strapping big fellow about %
years old. and as unconventional as tn,
big bloodhound in the backyard. He
must be six feet four inches tall, and
his shoulders are large and we'll pro-
portioned. He is well-built from the
ground up, and they say he is the cham
pion runner and jumper of the county;
but he never went with any girl as
regular company" until this season.
Jane Fair is her name, and it would
be appropriate to call her Fair Jane,
for she is very pretty, very fair, and
with complexion that would make al
most any city girl on earth intensely
envious. I never heard his name, but
they called him "Jim," from which
the inference is drawn that his name
was James. lie called on Sunday morn
ing, sat in the front yard whiting and
saying nothing, until shortly after ten
o'clock the old man came out and Jim
accompanied him to the barn without
saying even good morning. Jim helped
hitch up the team, and when they came
back Mrs. Fair got into the wagon on
the front seat beside pap" and Jane
climbed into the back seat beside Jim,
and off they went to church. Jim came
back and had dinner with the family.
After dinner Jim and pap" sat under
the trees in the backyard and smoked
their pipes and talked about the wealth
er and other topics of interest at
Hepsidam. Mrs. Fair sat beside the
kitchen door knitting, while Jane took
a bacliless chair and sat near Jim.
The women said, but little during the
afternoon. That is the way Jim does
his counting. 1t is generally accepted
that they will soon be married. Jim
is accepted as regular company" the
old man likes him, the old lady has
no objections, Jane sits near him and
keeps quiet, and that settles it. They
don't do counting that way in the
cities. .........
There are no carpets on the floors of
Hepsidam. They have plenty of rag
carpets for the whole house, but they
only use them in winter. 1t would be
prodigal and improvident to tramp out
the carpets of Hepsidam in summer
time. They are all done up with cam
phor and tobacco to keep out the
moths. and they will be laid down some
time in November when the first f,cst
comes. Probably Jim will then be a
part of the family and assist in lay
ing the carpets and putting up the
stoves. There is only one stove ,un-
ming in Hepsidam during the summer,
and that is the cooking stove. They
built big fire out in the hack yard
for two days and boiled lot of ash
lye and fat refuse meat, and made
couple of barrels of soft soap. The
ashes were in barrel and were packed
down. Water was poured into the
barrel, and when it ran out below into
big pan, it was strong lye. They don't
waste anything at Hepsdam.
There are snakes about Hcpsidam,
but they are not serpents of the still
such rs some men see in the cities
These are big black and rattlesnakes.
They are not so plentiful as they used
TO be, for snakes are killed wherever
found. They can't kill hogs, hut he gs
have killed many snakes at Hepsidam.
They never come near tho
house, but sometimes venture
into the barn or barnyard. They
tempt fate in doing so. A city
chap killed a black snake ~ feet long
with shotgun right near the chicken
coop at Hepsidam. He will be found
Dragging about it for years among his
city friends.
SMITH d. FRY.
Prudent Youth.
G;1oc-nnaS hot friYI Of