The Van Buren press., 1896-10-24

three good 1rOSts 10 DrlEg this cOuHiS
around on her feet onct more. But it
will come. We must live in hopes il
we die in the crazy Sloan
"Pure Meanness and Pizen stinginess."
The onlyest plain and Itglar spell OF
crazy that has come to pass here lately
was Jude Collins. which Jude he lives
down in the old Panther Creek country,
and politics and free silver didn't have
anything to do with the case.
"From what they tell me, RUFF, and
from all the general appointments, l
think it was pure meanness and pizen
stinginess that made Jude's headgear-
ms jump cog" said Ben Chris Weaver
in givin out the mainest facts to me.
"0f course you are bound to reeolleet
the Collinses, which lived over there on
the ridge and on youder side of what
We use to call Stinkin branch. Well,
after the old folks died off Jude he
turned out to be the mainest man in the
family for business. The other boys
was all wild and hayward, haFum-
searum youngsters, but Jude he was
reglar and steady as rale old man be-
fore he got good grown. If the rest of
the family made Twin Jude was dead
shot to make some money, and if there
vas anything in the way of money
from shin pasters to free silyer-foatin
around the Collins place it was more
than probable to land in Jude's flank
pockets.
"Whereas naturally of course in the
run of time it come to pass that the
old Collins place belonged to Jude,
and the other boys didn't have blame
thing to do but to pack up few old
clothes and move. Then | reckon it
was somethin better than year ago
some time in the fall of the year, at any
rates-when a stranger from the city
come bruisin around through the set.
tlement and took up a notion all OF
student that he would love to own
the old. Collins place. The stranger
had plenty of money on him-whieh
as everybody knows, Jude loves that
stuff better than a town hog loves
slops-and it didn't take him long to
make a deal and close up the trade.
He paid Jude 5000 smooth and even
for the whole entire place.
"Well, Jude never did git married
he was too rotten mean and stingy
for that-and, consequently, he didn't
have no big store accounts and feed
bills to pay off. With what money he
had saved up and what the old place
brung in he had a gracious plenty
to make any one man feel easy in re-
CARDS to this worlds goods.
"But durin the winter the stranger
which had bought the old place sold
out TO big company for SO, 900, and all
on account of that big spring up there
at the head of Stinkin branch. You re-
member that big spring, Rufe, and you
are bound to recollect how bad it smelt.
We use to think somebody must of
broke a hamper basket full of spilled
eggs into it about the first settlement
of the country. Now, bless goodness,
they say that water is out of sight for
sick and sufferin humanity. They say
it is choclS full of soda and alum and iron
and sulphur, and the Lord knows what
not. And they are now buildin fine
hotel over there and boomin the old
Collins place as the best place in the
world for the sick and the sufferin to
go and drink that water-which the
old spring runs as free and smells as
bad as cver-and git well.
And that's what's the matter with
any money, but jest to think of how he
dropped the jug and split his molasses,
whilst them town fellows come along
and sopped it up. 1t is pure meanness
and pizen stinginess, Rufe. But
reckon Jude is worth as much TO the
country ravin crazy, or ever dead, as he
would be liyin and in his right mind"