The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-11-06


of speed usual to a stern-wheel steam
boat, when they came and sat down
close to me-so close that it was i'm
possible not to hear their conversation.
Indeed, they must have known that
they were overheard, as the deck was
brightly Illuminated by the full moon
looking down over the flat-topped
bluffs.
7 s'pose things are jogging long
just about the same, round Poplar
Mound, hey?" said the younger of the
| two.
Just bout. Not much change Sarah
Ann Smead married Ike Patchleys son
last spring"
How is the old man?'
"Old Patchley? Clipper Give the
bride calf. Rather more than Sarah
Ann expected, reckon. She'd just
about been counting on that old rattle
trap buggy OF his'n, 1 think. Well, the
calf up n got a piece of pumpkin stuck
in it's throat week ago, and laid down
and just died, so she might better "a
got the buggy, if one hind wheel is
bigger n the other. The old man is
| just the same. Boun' to stand in with
everybody. Going to do the right thing
if it kills him. Dunno if he kept a
| fighting cock when you lived there or
not, but he has late years. That there
| rooster has been his only relaxation,
as you may say. The affection 'twixt
| the old man and that blame old long
legged red game cock was touching to
| see. They was like brothers, SO every
| body said. For years them two wasn't
! scarcely separated, 'cept nights, and l
| reckon if the old man could a-kept on
a. roost that he'd a flew up eV'ry even
ing alongside o. Central Jackson. That
was the name O. the critter-Gen'ral
Jackson. He just had the longest legs
and the reachenest neck. Clean-cut as
the ace of spades, and a temper like a
buzzsaw. And spurs-well, he just
walked wide-legged and revolved one
spur around the other spur. The old
man ISOLATED with the rooster so much
that he come to walk just like him.
Some folks thought they got so towards
the last that they kind o resembled
each other in their faces, and l reckon,
on the whole, that the gen'ral did ia
vor the old gent some. You didn't see
it in the features so much, but their
expressions was similar.
We'll, you know how it was with the
old man-boun' to do the right thing
and be up in soci'ty doings. He heard
one day that the new minister was
coming, an he Just says to his wife
that they'd have him to their house to
dinner the first Sunday, His idee was
to get ahead of old Johnson's folks.
They'd got ahead on the school teacher
and the congressman of the deestrick
when he was stumping it, and old
Patchley was bound they shouldn't
rope in the preacher, too. So when the
elder hoped off the stage Patchley
made an appointment with him for din
ner, come the very next Sunday.
Saturday morning the old man
shouldered his gun and went out after
game for the next days dinner. Well,
he didn't have no luck-come back
without thing. Come back late, tired
out, plum beat. Hadn't seen a coon
nor 'possum, nor even a woodchuck,
nor pa fridge, nor nothing. Hadn't
seen track of one,- nor a hide nor
hair nor a feather, nor heard one hol-
Ter, nor heard no echo of one holler-
ing way off somewheres. He sot his
gun down with a heavy heart when he
got home. But he want the man to
throw up his hands-not much. No.
sir He Travelled right down to old
Doosnike's market and struck the old
man for a roast-on credit-you know
old Patchley never was very forehand- |
ed. But old Doosnike shook his head. |
The old man offered to take a chunk |
of steak, or boiling piece, or a slice |
of ham, and finally he got down to |
liver, but DooSnike wouldn't hear of |
it-said the old man owed too much !
already. But Patchley didn't give up |
couldn't with that minister just |
hanging over his head, He went around |
and tackled all his neighbors for |
hunk of fresh meat, or a chicken or +!
something. But he owed 'em all, and |
he didn't get a thing-nOthing but cold |
shoulder. Then he went home and sot |
down on the end of thefleach and bust |
into tears. His wife come out with the |
lantern. 'Mariar,' says he, the wuss |
has come to the wust Them tears which |
has wet up the ground all round here |
are the fust have shed for 40 years
mebby more. Gimme the ak and that |
lantern-don't stand there like a craven |
statuter Then he took 'em and walk
ed away toward the henhouse. where
Central Jackson was a-roosting all !
alone in state, he being the only fowl |
the old man had ever took the trouble !
to keep.
when he came back to the house
he was more calm. The deed is done,
says he. I would it had been that
doggoned preachers neck instead He
was so worked UP that he kind of |
talked poetry. How old was he,
Josh?' asks his wife, beginning to roll
up her sleeves. He was nine answers
the old man. and never was licked in
him on tonight says the old lady; |
that there preachers jaws don't look
to me overly pow'ful
by and by she come back in where
the old man was, looking sort of be-
wildered like. 'Wot is it?' asks he.
The jints,' says she. I reckoned to
make a pot pie of him, but them jints
are like trunk hinges He was never
licked in fair fight for nine years.
he RI Of ho1 To
self. Cook him whole like a turkey,
stuffed, he goes on. He can lay on
his back, with his legs up-though he
never done it afore,' and the old gent
groaned. Yes, 1 might do that says
the old lady; only trouble is them legs
won't bend By and by the old man
looks into the kitchen, and sees the
gener' ais legs sticking up out of a pot
like young trees just set out. I thought
you was a-going to bake him, Marian?
says the old man. So / am answers
she; but I'm a-going to bile him three
or four hours fust. You go on to
bed.
when the old man got up in the
he found his wife still in the
kitchen feeding the fire, the gen'rals
legs sticking out a crack above the
oven door. I broiled him spell after
billing him says she. I reckon he's
to get tender in spots When
it was time to go to church the old
lady went, but old Patchley stayed at
home. to mind the fire. 1t was a sad
hour for the old gent, setting there in
the shadder of them legs. But he
chirped up when his wife got back, and
when the minister come he was as
clipper as ever. Welcome to our hum
BILE roof elder says he. You are just
in time Mrs. Patchley is even now
bringing in the dinner. Be seated,
elder and the old man showed the
preacher to his place with a great
flourish and sot down hisself at the
head of the table. Then he turns a
little and calls out in sort of melting