The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-11-20
COurtShip Of HOd and Jason.

1t was probably the biggest lie extant
at Hawleyburg, the home of many ex--
perienced and intrepid liars. It is doubt
full if the Hawleyburgers themselves be
lieved it all, though of great capacity in
this line. But the Widow Gilbert GER
tainly did exist, though now married in
accordance with the tale; she also had
Farm, on which was likely hollow
where the chief occurrence might have
taken place. Perhaps it was the simple
truth, after all. Truth is stranger than
nctiOn-at HaWleyburg II was very
much more of a stranger.
There were several versions Of the leg
end known: let US take that of Ola
Dad" Highbottle. who maintained sa-
loon at Bohnger's grocery store.
When the Wilder Gilbert was a
running her farm" Old Dad would say.
as he munched dried apple ana locked
at the newcomer with j uabby eye,
''she used to have to kee0 Il couple O
hired men. that there boy D hern rot
being able 10 do mucn work beyond
hooking my watermelons and raising the
Old Harry generally. The wilder Was
pretty likely looking woman, femme tell
Eou-bloo eyes and fetching way. Abe
Irotter and Jim Buck was going to
hight a duel about her but they COM
promised on Dizening each others dog
and sowing puSley seed in each otherSeS
garden. Used to think in them days
that the wilder put sort of soft
appearing eye on yours trooly but M
shy
This summer the widder had her
usual two hired men. One was Hod
Buckley and the other Jason DObba.
Wen. now. you know how it is with
hired men-always lazy as all get-out,
or more so. Bound to soldier on you
no matter what you do. The only way
70 get anything out of 'em is to work
right alongside of 'em and prod EN-
along. Leave one of 'em working alone
and he'll just naturally lay right down
and never wiggle A wiggle till he sees
you coming. And these year men, Hold
and Jason. was Just the old great-grand-
fathers of all lazy hired men. Go to
sleep right in their tracks standing up,
with their hoes h'isted into the air ready
TO hit a weed. They'd both worked for
me, and the only way I ever could get
anything out of either of EN- was to use
'em for scarecrows: and, finally, it even
got so the crows would roost on EN-
and the fowls of the air roasted on its
Branches as the good book says about
the ginger seed.
but what do you thfnk-both of these
year shittless galoots fell dead in love
with the Wilder And it had the queerest
effect on EN-. Hod braced up and went
to work like a steam engine. Work? Wy,
he just set up nights to work. Worked in
season and OFT O. season, rain shine
Done the work of three men if he done
a stroke. Thought he'd sure catch the
Wilder with his pesky industry, you see.
But it had just the opposite effect on
that there Jason. Seemed to just sort O.
petrify him. Couldn't seem TO move if
he tried Managed to stir about a little
If the Wilder was watching him. but al
other times just elapsed The Wilder
had a pertater patch down back of the
barn in little holler where she kept
Jason a-hoeing the main part of the time
But all the hoeing he done you couI1 a
put in your eye. Didn't work enough to
keep his hoe bright. Just as soon as the
Widders back was turned. Jason would
get up on the fence and set down and 20
n fir7er he q
rail and his elbows on his knees and his
face in his hands. Always regular, all
day long, there Jason sot, snoring steady. /
I tell you Satan never found no work
for them idle hands to do, cause he
wouldn't work at nothing. The reason
that Jason got on the fence was that the
ground down there in the boiler was sort
o. wet and sudgy and he was afeerd of
rheumatic
well. it made Hold mad to see hisself
doing all the work and Jason all the rest
ing, even though he was sure he would
catch the Wilder by it. He didn't like
1t cause the Wilder wouldn't discharge
Jason, and he sot about bringing ridercule
onto his head. First he knocked down the
rail fence and left Jason without his nat
ural means of support. But he knowed
this wouldn't do, with old Deacon Thorp's
cows ranging about seeking WOt they
might devour. he put up a wire fence
not barbed wire. cause it wasn't invented
yet, but old-fashioned smooth-fence wire
strung up fre wires from post to post
down long the side of the pertater patch
and crost the holler where Jason was
'customed to roost. There says Hod. I
reckon that will fetch him. Leastways
he'll have to lay down on the sudgy
ground now and get the chills, and I'll
get rid of him, anyhow But did it fetch
him? Not much. Jason just put his coat
on the top wire. climb up, sot down. hook
ed his heels on the second wire and went
plumb to sleep soon as the Wilder wasn't
looking. In fact. I think he slep' better
cause he swayed a little in the breeze
and it sort O rocked him and made him
dream he was a child again in his moth
er's cradle.
AT first Hold was dead beat. He's too
many for me, says Hod. The wilder
might just as well put a spring bed out
there and let him reglarly turn in and
sleep till meal time But Hold got a
thinking, and one day hit on another
plan.
1T was about the middle of a warm
afternoon, and Jason was a-sleeping quiet
~ on his wire at the bottom of the holer
This holler, you know, is. mebby 40 feet
below the tops of the little knobs eacn
side of it. Well, Hold went down along
7