Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1898-04-08

an hc finally gifts so he comes over To
my chair an climbs up my brooches laig
an digs his paws inter my knee SOS he
wouldn't jar off when I'd pound the
nuts.
AN then maybe in the mornin' this
wilder woman 'ud come drivin' over be-
hind n ole mealy nosed mule an poster
me, askin' whether she'd better plant
hog Gavin er sweet Gavin in the mcdder
land she was breakin' up on her farm.
an she'd sit down here an talk an fuss
round an declare TO gracious an I'd
hdget till she run out o talk an chat
ter an then I'd hitch up her ole mule
an she'd go drivin' home, an then I'd
call out the rat and feed him hazelnuts
an enjoy the quiet, cause the rat didn't
make no noise.
...-Asl--llr ! .A4..
fer several weeks, the wIdder gittin'
more familiar an / more oneaAy, an
the rat jes' stayin' where he is, en- joy-
in life an hazelnuts an provin'
mighty consolation 10 me. Finally
long about the june rise in the river, !
was haulin' up some driftwood from the
river what / had ketched in the back
water, an the wagon pin broke an a
big Water-soaked sy camore log rolled
off an threw me down an ketchcd me
under it an broke my laig, besides skin
min me up considerable. The neigh
bors heard me holler an came an
rolled the log often Inc an carried me
up here an sent fer the doctor, but
afore he got here that dadfetched wild
der woman came sailin' IN, right in the
middle OF all the misery | was a-suf
ferin' from.
The wilder woman never left the
house after that at all, fer she said
I'd need some one 20 tend TO me, an she
would be most tickled to death fer to
do it, an the doctor agreed with her,
an SO | couldn't do nothin' to stop it,
BEN laid up in bed thataway with my
leg strapped TO board.
Il dunno whether that laig er the
wilder DISCONNECTED me fer the next
lew days" continued the old man; but
| 90 know that this female WAS power
Iul iIritdtin' while was tryin 10 cure
il. She had brought neighbor girl
over with her Tor company, an shc'n
tAc girl Ulster sleep in the room 'jiAin
lLis one, where the wilder said she
could hear ]uc il | got thirsty durin' the
night an wanted Il drink; but | ulster
stand the thirst ruther than have her
come ia "A Waylayin' me when couldn't
run, an 50 / ulster keep quiet. From
the time she'd git up an make the fire
fer breakfast she'd scold the dogs fer
trackm up the kitchen floor, an turn
the cat out fer the night, an 20 to bed.
she'd palayer an talk an fuss round,
an Id squirm AN kick the livers round
with my we'll foot till the doctors said
ii didn't keep still my laig would grow
as crooked as the Wess nigger's WAS,
what got broke hy the niger fallin'
over salt barl on steamboat. He
ulster lean over the side of the bed fer
TO play dice on the floor with the other
niggers who'd visit him.
'One night the wilder woman was
sittin' by the bed thar by me an knit
tin socks fer winter, an a-clatterin',
when this neighbor girl got 10 foolin'
round an found u ole meal sack full
ov hazelnuts, an acourse she had fer
To fill her apron an come in TO show
Miss Sile what she had diskivcred
Fer the lands salies, Mandy, where'd
YOU git 'e1n?' says the wilder, when
she sees um. Gracious Goshen! but
they is jes what | want | have heered
many an many "A time that hazelnut lie
is jest the very best thing fer to make
things heal right up sez she. III sit
right down here an crack 'un, an in
the morning I'll make some lie fer Mr.
Barnes what'll fetch mis- limb all right
in "a jiffy,' SEE she. An she got iron
often the shelf an Topped down in a
chair an begun crackin' nuts an a CAB
bin.
''She was chatterin' along when
notices the rat stick his head outen the
hole an look round. Hazel heered the
crackin' ov the nuts, an he was shore
hungry fer some ov 'em an had come
out 10 investigate. | knowed what'd
happen, so ! jes stuffed corner of the
kivver in my mouth TO keep from laf
fin an watched the crittcr.
The rat looked round n couple ov
times like his appetite was affectin'
him, an then he took run fer 20 climb
up on ole Miss Sile's knees, jes' like he
ulster on mine, an ducked under the
sheets an listened. The rat never took
into account no female attire evidently,
an that's where he missed it.
az heered scrcech an crash an
the wilder woman went backward over
her chair, the hazenuts in her apron
fallen like rain all round the room.
When | pceped out she was a-gettin' up
an she grabbed the iron an damned it
at Hazel les as he was a-divin' in his
hole, an she turned on me where | was
all doubled up in bed latin an she lam
bastcd Inc till she got 50 het up she
couldn't talk no more. an then she
struck out afoot fer home, the neigh
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