Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1901-04-10

0O blCA IL IlluS US WIIIs
"Get lost"
"Me git lost! Your Uncle Jonathan
Turner git lost! Waal, that's q good
I'm shore. Say, did you ever hear tell
of groun' hog gittin lost?"
II don't know that ever did"
"Waal, when you do hear of SIGH n
thing you may then begin to figger out
that it's jest barely possible that JON
athan Turner mought some day lose
hisself in the woods"
do you think 1t impossible for you
to lose your way in strange wood?"
mo, don't think nothin bout 1t.
l jest know it's impossible"
"How would you keep from losing
your way?"
Jest like I'd roll often log. I'd
Jest do It,"
Suppose you were in strange
place, and, coming to two roads, you
didn't know which one to take. Then
what?
"oh. I'd know all right which one to
take"
"How would you knowf''
Jest have sense enough to know.
as the Teller says"
would you? Well, all right. am
anxious Just now to learn whether or
not you can give me shelter for the
nighty
II guess that's SO. Rid a right smart
piece today, reckonY'
Eyes, quite way"
"Jedgin from appearances, I'd take
you to be stranger in these parts?''
II am"
"waal. whar mought you hail from,
IL I may make SO bold as to ask?"
"Tm from the north"
"From the north, ell? WAL, that's q
right smart big spread out sort of a
place, as l understand it, an Teller
mought come from thar an still not
come from nowhar In particular. Reck-
on you amt no reason for not tellin
Jest what Identical spot In the north
you mought hail fromY'
"None In the world. I'm from Chi
cago."
"Are. Ell? I've hearn tell of that
place. Constable little town, I ledger"
"Yes."
More account than Becketts Mill
likely?"
II think so.'
"Reckoned from what I'd hearn tell
of 1t that it shorely must be. S'pose,
now. you have business In these
parts?"
Eyes. some"
Guess you amt one Of them preach
in fellers come down yere sorter fig-
germ on holdin some meetin's over at
the Coon Run meetin house?"
mo"
Never preach none. eh7"
II never have"
.Uh. huh! Jest plain everyday
common cussin man. l reckonY
IL haven't ever made 1t a practice to
do much 'cussin,' as you say, put I've
almost been tempted today to wish 1
was an expert In that line. But, say.
how about stopping with you tonight?
I've got to find lodging some place. and
It's about time was knowing where"
'.That's so. stranger; yes, stree. Jest
0IOuk SAnkO yOu was OuS WA0A
yes, Sir. Reckon you amt sorter fig
germ on tryin to git to teach our school.
are your
mo, I'm no schoolteacher."
GIANT chr Guess mebby you
mought. be kinder lookin round with q
notion Of buyin farm in these parts?"
"No. All I'm looking around for now
L. ,>lon.. -, n,,n,,.1 xY,n ,,tr1,k
"Edzackly. Naturally you'd. be more
interested in that than anything else
Jest now
Eyes. and l asked II could stop
with YOU"
"Fhat's fact. stranger. You shore
done that very Identical thing. amt
a-pretendin to say you didn't"
But you haven't answered me-"
mo. guess amt. I'm glad you
logged my memory. stranger, cause l
| got my mind to runnin on them other
things, nn clean forgot all about 1t.
You know how SIGH things are some
times"
Eyes. but are you going to answer
meT
why, to be shore am. What rea-
son under the sun could have for not
answcrin you. I'd like to know? Yes,
stree. low you hain't none Of them
peddler fcllrrs what comes around sell
in Of pills. are you. strangerY'
~ am not"
''1teckored most shore you couldn't
be. lngen'rally. them pill peddlers is
right smart. peart lookln fellers. Guess
now more likely you mought be one OF
them doctor chaps huntin a place to SET
up In businessi"
"No, I'm nothing Of the kind. But
see here. are you going to compel me ia
spend the night out here in the road?'
"Why, I reckon not. hain't no right
to compel you to do nothin the way
figger 1t, MS the Teller says. You're
your own boss. s'pose. an low you
go or stay Jest whar you please"
Sometimes do"
"Guess you're a-goln Jest whar you
please now. Amt your"
Perhaps"
amt blamed bit Of my business whal
you're a-goin nor what you're a-goir
FORT"
~ rather suspect you are about cor
rect there, Mr.. Turner"
\ Jest 30, an guess mebby you're
plumb right too. At the same time
low you can't be a part of the wal
come down to try to lick we uns?''
Certainly not"
n knowed you couldn't hardly be