The Van Buren press. [volume] (Van Buren, Ark.) 1859-1914, 1896-06-27
al o,n.EAsHIoNEp FAMILY.
of Father. Mother and rweh-
fv-Four Sons

cs,.ted of Father. Mother and l"eh'
ty-Four Sons
The venerable proprietor OF a veheI,
ot,le tavern in Otsego county haa toio
the guest from the east part OF ti,e s'aV
that he had raised family OIL sever,
,irIs and four boys, and the guest had
ooonnlimented him on the achievement.
"Yes." he said, sit wasn't SO pao.
prt talkin' about fine, big fam hes
don't believe anybody ever seen nhef
than the one that pat up at TINS mouse
me dav about 30 years ago. That fam y
flled four wagons that pulled up mere
about two hours before dnner-tlme,
and n strappin big fellow walked up to
me and 'nounced that his people iiao
to be fed.
"'How many ofm is they| SEE l.
srventv-six.' SEE he, and all
hungry a
"'Ail right seq I, we'll fix EN-, ana
7 runs out to the kitchen and tells my
wife. She and the gals begins to hustle
right away, and l goes back wonderin'
what kind of a gang | had to deal WIN
We'll. soon found out. The big Eel
ler-he told me, afterwards, that ne was
63 wears old, but he didn't look moro
than 50-he seq to me: 4 want to regis
fer their Names l give him an Old
count book shieh had some blank
leaves and some writin' material, and
he takes his pen i'll hand. The lust
name he puts down was Bartholomew
stryker.
"'That's me- he sez.
"Then he puts down Mrs. Bartholo'
new Stryker and sez: That's my wlfe,
And then under them he puts down Bar
tholomew do. Jr.' and John do and
William do. and Stephen do and
lot more front names o men with do
after 'em. They was "a of 'em, b'gosh.
81 know what do means now, but
didn't know it then, and when he
gets through l pints to 'em and SEE:
What does them "dos" meanP
"syYhat | have just wrote there, he
seq, means that Bartholomew Stryker
and his wife and their "a sons is putin
up at this tavern fur dinner
Whoo-e-el,' I hollers, and then
seq: Shake, you're the best man | ever
SEEM And we shook and he grins and
SEE, modest like: Yes, we've done
purity well, me and the old woman.
"'Any stepsons2' | SEE.
"'Nary a one sez he, GRIMM again.
"Well, when they heard the dinner
bell they came a-troopin' in like school
boys, though some of 'em wasn't no
| chickens. It was a sight worth seem
| The mother was tall and strong-loolin'
| and she was smilin' all the time, jest
| like she never had minute o worryin
The boys was all big and clean built,
and they all had honest faces. And you
ought to seen 'em eat. They bout
cleaned us out, but, Lord, how they did
enjoy 1t.
| "When dinner was over the old man
come up to me openin' a big wallet full
| of bills.
"'How mueh?' he SEE.
"'Not durn red cent SEE |.
'Whatter you talkin' aboutg SEE he
"I'm talkin' what I'm feelin',' SEE |
you and your wife and them fine boys
is my guests
"'They amt no sense he sez, Sin feed
in family just because it's big
"'Well, SEE |, it's done me good to see
'em and I'm goin' to do as please about
it. Put up that wallet seq |, and after
| callin' me durn fool he did it. Then We
had glass O. rum and he told me he wal
| from Canada and that he and the boys
had decided to pull up stakes and &c
west, believin' they could do better
farmin' in this country than they could
in Canada.
allow long you been married" SEE
"'Fortytwo years. he SEE.
"'Ain't none O. your boys married
seq l.
"'Oh, yes he seq, seven of 'em is, bu
when we made up our minds to strike
out we thought we'd better leave tn,
woman folks behind till we got kindeI
settled out there. Then the boys coult
Come back and get EN-
"'But your wife| SEE |.
"'Oh,' he seq, she wouldn't have moth
in to do with that kind of an arrange
ment. She jest SEE she's goin', and tina
settled it. She come
"Well, they drove away, and l nevei
seen nor heard of 'cm since. But YOU
can bet your boots that that family il
all right and prosperin'."- Y. Times