Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1898-05-06


AN then maybe in the mornin' this
wilder woman I'D come qrivin' over be-
hind ole ncaly noscd mule an poster
me, askin' whether she'd better plant
hog Gavin cr sweet Gavin in the mcddcr
land she was brcGlin' up on her farm,
an she'd sit down here an talk an fuss
round an declare to gracious an I'd
fidgct tin she run out O talk an chat
ter an then I'd hitch up her ole mule
an she'd go driyin' home, an then I'd
call out the rat and feed him hazemuts
an enjoy the quiet, cause the rat didn't
make no noise.
"Ncll, things run along in that rut
fer several weeks, the widder gittin'
more familiar an l more Uneasy, an'
the rat jess stayin' where he Is, enjoy
in life an hazclnuts an proyn'
mighty consolation TO me. FINALLY
long about the june rise i'm thc river, /
was hauiin' up some driitWcod from. the
river what | had kctch-d I'm the bacK-
water, an The wagon pin broke an
big Natcr-soaEed sycamore log rolled
off an threw me down au' hCtcncd me
under it an broke my lag, besides skim
min nae up considerable. The neigh
bors heard mc Loler an came an
rolled the log often Iuc an carried me
UP here an sent fer the doctor, but
alore he got here chat dadictchcd wild
der WoIuaa came satin M, right in the
middle of ali tAc misery | was a-suf-
feriu from.
90 he wilder woman never left tho
house after that "a, all, Ter She said
I'd need some one - tend 10 mc, an she
would be most tiCti,u TO death fer to
do IT., an the doctor uerecd with her,
an 50 l couldn't do Hc,hin' TO stop it,
BEN laid up in BED tAataWay with my
leg strapped to board.
Il dunno whether that laig or the
Widder DISCONNECTED lac fer che next
few days." continued the old man; but
l do know that this female was power
ful irritatin' while | WAS tryin' to cure
it. She had brought neishbor girl
over with her Tor company, an she
the girl ulster sleep in the room jinin'
this one, where the Widder said she
could hear me if l got thirsty durin' the
night an wanted drink; but | ulster
stand the thirst ruther than have her
come in a waylayin' ne when couldn't
run, an 50 1 ulster keep quiet From
the time she'd git UP an make the fire
fer breakfast she'd scold the dogs fer
tracbn' up the kitchen floor, an turn
the cat out fer the night, an 20 TO bed.
Shed palaver an talk an fuss round,
an Id squirm an kick the kivers round
IL ia 4
if l didn't keep still my laig would grow
as crooked as the WEISS nieger's was,
what got broke by the niger fallin'
over a salt bar'l on a steamboat. He
ulster lean over the side Of the bed fer
TO play dice on the floor with the other
niggcrs who'd visit him.
zone night the wilder woman was
sittin' by the bed thar by ne an knit
tin socks fer winter, an a-clattorin',
when this ucighDor girl got to foolin'
round an found ole meal sack full
oy hazcjuuts, an acourse she had fer
To fin her apron an come i'm TO show
Miss Silc what she had dishiyered.
Fer the lands sallcs, Mandy, hcre'd
YOU git en- says the wilder when
She secs um. Gracious Goshen, but
they is jes' what | want. / have heercd
many an many time that hazelnut lie
is jest the very best thing fer to make
things heal right mp SCI She. I'll sit
right down here an crack 'um, an in
the morning I'll make some lie fer Mr..
Barnes whatll fetch mis- limb all right
in n jilry,' seq she. An she got a iron
offca the shelf an Topped down in
chair an begun crackin' nuts an CAB
bin.
"She was chattcrin' along when ]
notices the rat stick his head outcn the
hole an look round. Hazel heercd the
crackin' ov the nuts, an he was shore
hungry fer some ov 'em an had come
out 20 investigate. knowed what'd
happen, so I jcs stuffed a corner of the
i,ivNer in my mouth TO keep from laf-
fin an watched the crittcr.
"The rat looked round n couple ov
times like his appetite was afTectin'
him, an then he took n run fer TO climb
up on ole Miss Sile's knees, jes' like he
ulster on nine an | ducked under the
sheets an listened. The rat never took
into account no female attire evidently,
an that's where he missed it.
81 hccrcd n screech an a crash an
the wilder woman went backward over
her chair, the hazelnuts in her apron
fallen like rain all round the room.
When peeped out she was a-gcttin' up
an she grabbed the iron an damned it
at Hazel jes' as he was a-divin' in his
hole. an she turned on me where | was
all doubled up in bed latin an she lam
basted me till she got so het up she
couldn't talk no more, an then she
struck out afoot fer home, the neigh
Dor child a-trailin' along behind. An
then | picked the hazclnuts outer the
bed where they was a-gougin' me, an
had another fit latin.
81 liked TO starved to death lynn
there alone afore anybody found me,
but I put in the time iollifyin' an tryin'
to coax the rat outen the hole by tappin'
with my pipe, but he was too skeered TO
come