The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1896-01-24

buy sOmethin that viii fill out his hand,
It will be blame sight better for the
boy" says 1. BILLY he don't take TO
books, and books don't mix with Billy,
aud 50 there you are. If you was rich,
and Billy was rich, and it was recorded
that you would both remain forever
rich, it mought sorter do to fool off pre-
cious time and chunk away good money
/ in your Jack-o'merlantern chase after
book learnin. But under the general
circumference Of the present surround
ins it is vanity-plrperfect vanity"
Then Dunk swelled up considerable
and lowed that Billy was as smart as
the common run of boys, and be must
have all the schoolin he would take.
But bless gracious, / thought in my
soul that Misses Strickland would Jump
on me right there in her own house.
She got foamin mad and flew of at the
handle and turned loose her personal
opinions in great gobs and red-hot
chunks. She would let me know that
her and Dunk could raise boy up in
the way for him to go as we'll as me or
any body else. And she would give me
to understand that Billy had learnt as
much as any boy could learn unless the
teacher would put him in moro books.
Hit amt natural" says she, ''for the
boy to learn very much when he amt
got nothin to study it out of but one
blue-back spellin book. ,
1t was then mighty good time of
year for me to lay low and say nothin.
So had to let Dunk and his wife have
their way in regards to their boy Billy
and his book learnin. As to that, they
can spend every dollar they can rake
and scrape and keep Billy goin to school
till he comes to be full-grown man,
but he will never need any more books.
There is more learnin in that one blue
back spellin book than the whole entire
human family ever could stuff into
Billy's head.
Too Many "Fancy TrimpIns."
The last time went over in the hill
country-on my return back home /
passed by little shanty down there
on the old Stage Road, where the Wild
der Buntin lives. She was Miss Mollie
Fannin before she married Sim Buntin,
which Sim he took and died two years
ago and left Mollie with a whole passle
of children to scramble through this
vain and fieetin world as best she can.
Whereas, when come by their shanty
that day 1 couldn't help from thinkin
about Mollie Fannin as she use to be
in them other days, and the widder
Buntin as she is now. Old man Lot
Fannin and his wife didn't have but
the one girl and that was Mollie. They
had some boys, but Mollie she was the
mainest member OF the family and the
general pet of all. Old man Lot and
his wife worked themselves and their
boys like SO many free niggers, and
spent all tho money they could make
and scrape on Mollie. They kept her
in school till they lowed she knowed
more than the teacher down at the Cross
Roads, and then they sent her off to
college. When finally at last she had
learnt it all and come back home, they
SKINNED the milk and fed her on the
cream, as it were. They lit in and
bought her a fine pianner and give her
big parties and dressed her finer than
in debt every year FOR fine parties and fine
higgins and general fancy trimmins
which they give to Mollie.
In the main time Miss Mollie, she
was human flesh and blood, you under
stand, and in the run of time she took
it into her head that she must go and
get married. So presently her and Sim
Buntin got ''hoobed up in double har-
ness" as Andy Lucas were won't to say,
and put in to hangin their clothes on
tho same peg. Now Sim he is dead and
gone, and in regards to that no didn't
stack up for very many while be was
livin. From what hear people say, it
took his level blamdest to keep out of
the poor house, and the widder and
children can do that much without him.
But honest now, wouldn't it be a
blame sight better for Mollie if old man
Lot had saved up some of that money
he spent in sendin her off to college
and giving her fine parties and buyin
silks and satins. and put it in land so
she would now have a home for her
children and herself?
Miss Mollie use to could read and
write and talk latin as free and easy as
can handle plain United States, and /
reckon she can till yet. But tell me,
patient and long-sufferin reader, what
good will that do the Widder Buntin
and her children six? She could like
wise knock the livin socks off of a
pianner, and maybe she mought do
that now if she had one. But that don't
put no meat in the smokehouse or meal
in the barrel. She has forgot more in
regards to books than the common run
of women will ever know, but at the
same time she is just simply the Widder
Buntin today, livin in that little shanty
down there on the old Stage Road,
worryin along as best she can workin
Sos days in the year-exceptin Sundays
to keep the wolf out of the front
door.
Remember now, it aint for me to say
a word out of the way concernin that
good woman. / used to think great
pile of Miss Mollie Fannin, and ruther
like the Widder Buntin. 1t amt none
of her fault that she is now poor
lone wilder, with a whole passle of
orphants to raise and nothin TO go on.
And she amt in no wise to blame for
the free and reckless way in which the
old folks spent their money on her in
her young days. But if old man Lot
Fannin could wake up today and peep
out of his grave and see his daughter
Mollie as the Widder Buntin, he mought
likewise also see wherein he played
the fool when he spent all his money