The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1897-09-01
A MATTAH Nv HONaH.
Uncle Reuben Tells About q
Tennessee Duel He Saw.
Mistah Sam Baxter, the Doctor and
Miss Bell, the Fair Coquette VINO
Showed No Preference
Uncle Reuben was mixing the salad.

Uncle Reuben was mixing the salad.
These gemmen crost thu big watah
done had trouble, amt theys 1t sho'
looks LAX ole times tub see a couple Nv
gemmen stan up an fight it out that way.
amt hearn tell Nv real duel sence
lef' Ten See
Ibid you ever see a duel, Uncle Reu-
benz"
No, sub, kahn say as evan saw
real ahaiah nv honah, sub, hat was
presen' wen pair NV gemmen give a
pow 'ful good imitation nv fight. Didn't
nevyah tell yuh bout that time?
.'Yuh hearn me talk bout Mistah Sam
Baxter? He's not our family exac'ly, but
he's q cousin Nv u.s. An than was thu
doctuh. Thu doctuh was a mighty popu-
lar man bout home an much thought Nv
by thu community. He come outten a
fghtin family. His brother was a navy
man on ship, an they used tub call him
'Fightin Bob Thu doctah was much
that way hissef, but that ain sayin that
Mistah Sam is wantin nothin. He is
sumpin Nv nan in a trouble hissef
Somehow thu two gemmen didn' lax
each othah- They was good frien's onct,
but Miss Bell-yuh knows her-she got
wanted Miss Bell, an wanted her pow'ful
bad. Miss Bell she didn' tell nobody whut
she thought bout it. She jes' lay low an
smile wait faw her min tub get fixed.
That's mighty disheartenin tub gemman
whut's pinin faw lady. an bofe these
gemmen was sho' dom that
Thu trouble happen ore night when
we had a dance al our house. Miss Bell
was thu prize waltzah Nv thu county.
Than cum a waltz, an somehow thu two
gemmen got mixed bout who owned that
dance. Mist1h Sam he say it his'n, an
thu doctah he say it his'n- Miss Bell she
wouldn' say no way, an than was some
words in thu parlah.
''Co'se they couldn' say much whah thu
ladies was, but bimeby, when they's gittin
on they bosses tub go home, they was
some hot talkin, an thu othah gemmen
had tub use 'suasion tub keep 'em fun
havin trouble right thah in thu boss lot.
''Thah oughtn' tub been any mo- tub it,
but mex day thu gemmen got ta1kin bout
it in town, an so they fix up challenge
FUN thu doctah tub Mistah Sam an one
fun Mistah Sam tub thu doctab. Bofe
sides accepted Nv co Sc, u thu seconds was
named Thu majah an Mistah Sans
brothah was on one side an Mistah Fo'd
an Colonel Lawson was on thu othah- Wv
co'se they all knows it's joke, but Mistah
Sam an thu doctah, they dom know, an
theys sho' worried.
Miss Bell. yuh know, she's stayin az
our house. Mistsh Sam was thu fust tub
come. He was ridin mighty slow, wiz his
head hung down an doin sum thinkin,
q
an mus q said q heap, cause Miss Bell
was lookin sorryful an white when she
come outen thu parIah, an Mistah Sam
was kindah peaked
"Mistah Sam ain no mon gone when
up rides thu doctah He's kindah CAV
like, but yuh could see he ain feelin like
jag bird He stay till thu sun go down,
an he mus a had lot tub talk bout, an
Miss Bell look lax a ole woman when she
walk down tub thu gate wiy him. Now
notice she des come tub thu do wiz Mis-
tab Sam, an she walk down tub thu front
gate wiv thu doctuh, an I say tub masef,
'Thah's thu gemmen whut gifts dis lady
W EN- she git ready tub say sumpin.'
when thu Insjah come home, he tell
me tub have thu bosses hitched tub thu
carryan neS' lnawnin at daylight That's
all he say tub me, but done hearn tell
bout thu duel, an 1 know I'm gwine tub
be thah- I git thu bosses ready, thu
mex nawnin des as days breakin I'm at
thu big gate wiy thu carryaH
Il didn' know bout that, but Mistah
Sam he sleep at our house that night.
Bimeby out come thu maiah an Mistah
Sam brothah an Mistah Sam, an they all
git in. Mistah Sam look kindah funny,
lax he ain sleepin hissef tub def Thu
najah an Misrah Sam brothah, they is des
quiet an ain got nothin tub say. Thu
majah he tell me tub drive oyah tub Cot
tonwcod pint on thu rivah. Tha's bout
mile away an it dom take me long tub git
than.
Thu rivah is all covered wiv smoke, an
yuh kin heah it talkin tub itse'f down un-
der thu willows. Thu cy press an thu cot
tonwood is all hangin still an mou 'nful,
an it sho ain 1ookin lax a barbecue
Bimeby up druv anothah kerridge, an out
git Mistah Fo'd an Colonel Lawson an thu
doctuh an anothah doctuh FUN town.
Eva body speak low 'cept Mistah Sam an
thu doctuh- They amt got nothin tub say.
Thu genmen have some talk, an then
they come roun benin thu carryall an load
thu pistols. two big navy skies. They load
evan barrel. 1t begin tub look lax some
body dom go home that day, an I'm sho
gittin troubled in ma mind an dom think
des right bout Miss Bell, who's maxim
all this trouble hearn thu gemmen talk
bout how they gyyine do it, Mistah Sam
an thu doctuh mus stan back tub back.
Then they walk way fun each othah ten
steps apiece. Then they turn roun, an
when thu majah he say fab they begin
shootin n walkin todes each othah. When
any body fall, they they stop shooEin. That
sho' sound mighty bloody, wiz them big
navy SKIES lookin at yuh-
Then thu gemnen took they places,
standin back tub back. an bofe nv 'em
straight as string Thu majah he say
Forward" An they commence steppin.
One. two, three, four, five, six, seven,
eight
I'm mos falIin outen thu earryan
when ten, an bofe gemmen wheel, an
then 1 shut eyes. Bangl I look tub
see which geInmen, bofe is standin.
Bangi Bofe gemmen steppin forwards.
Bangi Bofe gemmen is standin agin.
Bang Befe tax two, three steps, an bangi
They is SO close now that they kin see
each othah's eyebrows. Bofe Nv 'em stop
an wait second They is too close tub
miss now. Somebody mus drap this time
They stan still LAX two tall trees, an then
they raise thu pistols, an say. 'Goodby,
Mistah Saml Goodby, doetuhr an then,
bangl
ssI1m fretnbIin all oyah when I look