The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-02-03
His Seven Sons,

man." said Mr.. lockwood, refectively. as
! he shaved a keener edge on the wooden
! sword he was making and sighted along
| the blade with a discerning eye.
Old man Bolivar tilted his chair back
at a more reassuring angle and clasped
| his hands about his knees in an easy
attitude for listening. George Smith
| ceased the soft drawi which he had been
droning into the ears of the storekeep-
er, and Pendarvis brought in his buggy
| cushions and made himself comfortable
| on cracker box
We'll. what about ole man Freeman"
| asked George Smith at last in an exas-
perated way
cole man Freeman. he's back on the ole
place" the story-teIler finally began; IAN
that boy o. his'n. Jim. he's in the little
cabin on the Hi Waters place, that
cabin where the gal'rys done fall in
Il been a-knowin' ole man Freeman for
nigh onto a real long time" pursued Mr..
Teakwood meditatively; "an' it looks to
me like he could do q mighty good job
now if he could go back an bring up his
boys over again. It's a powerful pity, it
seems like to me, that a man can't have
but one chance to raise his children, an.
if they don't seem TO pan out right that
time there amt no more show for him.
reckon it was a mighty bad year when
ole man Freeman's boys began to grow
up"
They was a plenty of 'em, sech as
they was" remarked old man Bolivar
with quite unusual and unexpected can
dor.
THE old man had seven boys" Mr..
lockwood went on with dry inward
chuckle at some memory, AN if the ole
folks had a raised EN- right he could "a
set back in his easy cheer an never done
no more work as long as he lived. He
did try the easy cheer game. but it was
everlastingly too late. Them boys had
grew up TO think that the airth was
pretty much made SOS they could have
a good time an nothin' to do.
But I reckon he thought Jim was goin'
to be somethin'. Long last winter Jim
began to shine up to one OF them For
stall girls-the one with the turn-up nose
an it would "a made anybody plum
sick TO have saw the way the ole man
took on
g i tell you, they's outcome to that boy
o mine. that JIM he says to me, rubin
his hands together pleased as pie. " You
wouldn't a thought they was that much
spunk in jim, would ye?-an' there he is,
sparkin' up to that girl, an her granpa
was a member o. the Legislator! An
shore as We livin', Jiml be in the Legis-
nerve to try it
ut pears like come to know all about
this Freeman business kinder accidental
like. You see, long middhn' early las
spring, l rode over to ole F'reeman's for
to borTer his harrer.
when 1 got over there Squire Diggs
an some more men was jes' ridin' away.
I'm a-fixin' for a change, Life, says
he. Jims a-goin' to git married Sunday,
an me an the ole woman is jes' decided
this place, an him an his wife is a-goin
to take keer of us the balance of our
days. You don't know how happy It
makes me feel. I'm a-goin' 70 have a
big cheer an set out in the fur field. an
where the ole woman can listen to Jim S
wife potterin' round the house, you know,
an ! kin kinder oversee an tell him how
to do things, for Jim don't know so pesky
much about farmin
You'd better fol' on to that deed till
you die says 1 in a warm voice, an let
the takin' keer come first An, gra-
cious. the ole man was so mad he come
mighty nigh not lettin me have the har-
rer. /
"Well, shore enough Jim he married an
brung his wife home. an got his deed
safe an SCUM, an for a good while ever
thing was as nice as pie. Ever time /
passed there the ole man an ole woman
'ud be cettin' up in the gaPry in two big |
cheers, lookin' like they owned the earth
an good-sized chunk of the moon.
"'Stid O. fadfn' away an dyin'. as any,
body'd "a thought they'd "a done, the ole |
man an ole woman begin to pearten I'D
an fit fat. When 1 went over there along
in June for TO take the harrer home the
ole man said he b'lieved he was good for |
fifteen more years yet
Jim an his wife heerd It. an 'twasn't |
long after that before Jims wife begin |
10 fix for settlin' with them. So she got |
awful mad because the ole man chewed /
terbaccer, an she jes' couldn't stan it, |
nohow; an she couldn't eat at the table |
with either of 'em because they ct with |
their knives, an she made 'em move into |
one o. the back shed rooms because their
snorin disturbed her; an when, about |
q month ago, the ole woman got sick,
she jes' ripped an she snorted, Jims wife
did, an said they'd better hunt some 9TH
err quarters. for she was plum tired o.
watin' on 'em.
Jim. he heerd the row, an he come
a-tarin' in an says: Dad. can't stand
this no longer. You n mall halter git
OUT Awful backwoodsy Teller. Jim was.
Always seemed like he couldn't take no
polish.
We" yells the ole man, an before you
could more'n wink he jumps on to Jim
an throws him down. an recht up along
the wall for the Vaughn whip that was
hangin' up under the gun, 'lowin' to use
the handle on Jim.
'"The whip was out'n reach. but he
grabbed the tongs that was hangin' up
at the end O. the chimbley board, an
he give that boy sech a larrupin' with
I
in this part o. the moral heritage.
He beat Jim, the ole man did. till he
promised TO deed the place back, an then
he set on i'm an held i'm down while one
O. the hands went for Squire Digs an
some witnesses. an one Of 'em was me.
The minute the deed was made the ole
man says to jim: Now. bring the wag-
gin roun', an be quick about it, too. for
you're goin' to light out tonight. The ole
woman an mes gittin' middlin' anxious
to have the place to ourselves. Step i've
ly. now
"An' Jim he moved into that cabin on
the Hi Waters place"
1T pears to me like IL was all the
fault of Jim's wife" said old man Boil
var refectively. IF a man once begins
to allow his wife 10 boss, there amt no
help for him after that. jim never had
no sperrit, uohow."
1 mats the way u StrlkeS me, Ie9Oln-
ed Mr.. lockwood, medicatively. These
things has got to be done right in the
first place or you might as We'll let EN-
alone. Women's queer critters, the best
you can DO with 'em, an If you once let
EN- git the upper hand they're s-goin' to
keep Il, you hear me. II II had a been
me that married that wife o Jim's, 4
would "a stood Up before her the first
day an SAYS ]. Now, VsnEy5eeu'-thst'
the name she goes by-T'n within 70 be