The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1898-05-13

an e. IS his paws inter my knee SOS !.
wc,,.dn't jar off when I'd pound T..
NUS.
"An' then maybe in the mornin' tbs
widdcr woman 'ud come drivin' over be
hind ole mca'y nosed mule al poster
ne. as1in' whether she'd better plan!
log Gavin or sweet Gavin in the n Ia
land She was brcakin' UP On hcT f2:',-,
an she'd sit down here an talk an t1E>
round an declare to gracious an I'd
Sfidget 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 .zelnuts
an enjoy the quiet, cause t. rat didn't
make no noise.
Wei, things run along in that m
fer several weeks, the wIdGer gitt4n
more familiar an | more Oncasy, a.
the rat jes' stayin' where he is, ca JOS
in life an hazelnuts an prCvin
mighty consolation to me. FINALLY
long about the june rise in the liver, l
was haulin' up some driflNood from. the
river what | had ketched i'll the back
water, an the wagon pin broke IN 4
).y ,Tat.s sc ked sycamore log Iciic>.
off an threw rae down an hCtchCl ~
under it an broke my laig, besides skin
nm re up considerable. i he EC.S--
uors heard ne holler an came -.
roiicd the log often me an carried TIC
up here an sent fer the doctor, but
afOrc he got here that dadietcned wild
der woman came sailin' III. right in tie
middle of all the misery L was a-suf-
ferin' from.
THE wilder woman never left the
house after that at all, fer she sax,
I'd need some one to tend 10 nle, an sac
would be most ticllled to death feg i
90 it, an the doctor agreed with he.
an SO l couldn't do nothin' to stop ii,
Dcln' laid UP III bed thataway with my
leg stra ppcd 10 board.
Il Dunno whether tlat laig er the
widdeT disconnected NE fer the next
lew days." continued the Old man; ''bUt
| do know lhat this female was power
full irritatin' while | was tryin' To cure
it. She had brought neiahbor Sifl
over with hcr for company, an SEc'n
the girl ulster sleep i'll the room 'Jin1n
thiS one. where the Widder said she
could hear me if got thirsty dtrin' The
night an wanted a drink; but | ulster
stand the thirst ruther than have he
COME in Waylayin' me when cOulCn' I
run, an so L ulster keep quiet. From
the time she'd git up an make the fire
far hrao LIE ct chad e,cnII ho f,-
trackin' up me kitchen floor, an turn
the cat out fer the night, an SO to bed.
She'd pa.aver an talk an fuss round.
an Id squirm an kick the kivers round
with my well foot till the doctors saiu
if didn't keep still my laig would grow
as crooked as the Ness nigger's was,
what got broke by the niger fallin'
over a salt bar1 on a steamboat. lie
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' =,
wa-a this neighbor girl got to foolin'
roCnd an found a ole meal sack full
~ hazelnuts, an acourse she had fer
to fill her apron an cone in to show
Miss Sile what she had discovered.
Fer the lands salles Mandy ,whcre'd
YOU git emp says the widdcr, WI n
she sees UNI. Gracious Goshen. Lut
they is jes' what I want. l have hccrcd
many an Lazy a time that L@1elnCt lie
is jest the very best thing fer to make
things heal right up SEE she. I'll sit
right down here an crack 'unl, an il
the morning III make some lie fer Mr..
Barnes what'll fetch his limb all right
in jiffy,' SCI she. An she got iron
Often the shelf an Topped down in
chair an begun crackin' nuts an CAB
bin.
"She was a chatterin' along when l
notices the rat stick his head outen the
hole an look round. Hazel hecred he
crackin' ov the nuts, an he was shore
hungry fer some ov 'em an had come
out to investigate. ] lnCwed wh2t'd
happen, SO l jes stuffed o corner Of the
kivver in ny mouth to keep from laf-
i'm an watched the crittcr.
"The rat looked round a couple or
times like Ills appetite was affectin'
him, an then he took 4 run fer to cir
up en- Ole Mss Sile's knees, .;es' Ike
ulster On rcinc, ar | ducked under
sheets an listened. The rat mover tc
into account no female attire cvidcn
an that's where he missed it.
Il hecrcd q screech an q crash <
the wilder woman went backward cvc~
her chair, the hazelruts in her ar.
fallen like rain all round the roo.
When pcc-od out she was a-rettin' W
an she GrGJGe the iron an IaInr cd /,
at Hazel les as he was a-divin' in his
hole, an she turned on me where ! w2s
all doubled ~ in bed latin an she lam
basted me til 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' alone behind. An
then I picked the hazelnuts outer the
bed where they was a-gougin' me, an
had another fit laffin'.
81 liked to starved to death Ivin'
there alone afore anybody found me.
but put in the time jollifyin' an irwin
to coax the rat Outen the hole by tappin'
with my pipe, but he was too skeered to
come.
'Finally this Wess niger come over
to borrow fish trap an found me, an
he staid with me after that till I got
well, but it was many day afcre
I-aZc1 'ud come outen his hole, an whc7,
he did he was skeery. Even now. when
he hears a chair fall over, he pits I'D ar
dusts, jes like you seen him."-St.
Louis Republic.