Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1902-12-02
DAILY KENNEBEC JOURNAL. TUESDAY, DECEMBER 3 1902

h-Tii-T 80 7I-H
JOURNAL. TUESDAY
> years ago this winter that I left m
dianny--quite a ways out from Indian
apolisAan' come down to this countr,
an got a job feedin' cattle for Col
J Clarke. Yes. 1851, but gee. don't tn,
iyears slide along though? broueh
! that name with me when come. an
Bill Seymour, that come down tn,
same time, looked out after spreaflin
J the name an how got it over thu
J. country.
). my dad, you know, was a sort 81 q
wanderin' white man that picked up 4
il Cherokee wife in Georgia. an settled
II finally where was raised. out abOu,
twelve miles from Indianapolis, hall
way betwixt Friendship an Plainfield
They was the nearest railroad sta
tions. I drifted along with the rest OF
the family, in a sort of happy way.
cuttin' hoop poles maxim clapboards
an huntin' squirrels. till I got big
enough to do a good days work. Then
i dad says to me, he says: David
that's my regular name-'you're old
enough now to do somethin' to helm
support the family. l think kin git
you a job on Taylor's farm over be.
yond Plainfield this winter at $40 a
month an board, an, of course. NEXT
spring, when corn plantin' an wheat
harvest comes, your wages'll be raised.
An so think, David, you'd better go
over with me Monday to see about
it, .srs.5-r p: ,s a..tt-, 80
"Old man Taylor give me the job all
right. He had a northumberland acre
farm there, but part of It was in
| stumps an only fit for corn, an the
rest of it mighty good wheat land.
1T wasn't hard work that winter at
alNfertilizin' the weak spots on the
| farm when the ground was froze.
| chorin' round the barn, cuttin' stove-
wood for the next summer, shuckin'
out lot Of fodder an haulin' in the
corn. an things like that. / had lots
of fun, too, goin' to shuckin' bees, par
ties. an dances; an old man had two
good-looking girls. .--.f
Il suppose you've been. in love?-
nearly everybody has" Hammer stop
ped rather unexpectedly. Smiling at
the memory, he continued:
Gosh, but it takes fellow hard the
first time it strikes him! He's like a
regular sick kitten-losin' his taste for
grub. an layin' awake at night think
in up schemes to make a lot of money.
build big fine house, an marry an
live with the girl jest right on till
Gabriel blows his horn. 'Tain't such a
bad sort of a dream either; fellow
don't have many better ones when he
gets out to hustle for himself" As he
spoke the weight of Hammer thirty
three years showed heavy on his shoul-
ders. He had been knocked about with
merciless severity, accomplishing al
ways, and delivering his share of the
blows in return. Few pleasant dreams,
/ happened to know, had wedged them
selves into the mass of his experiences
since his Plainfield days. But there
are many like him in the drift that
lodges in this new country.
at was the Oldest girl that I got
stuck on" went on the puncher." Her
name was Hammer, an she was great
big, fine-lookin' girl, taller than I was
an nearly as strong. She had long
brown. sorter crinkly hair that looks SO
good when you see it all spread out on
a girls shoulders an fallin' down her
back. She was awful jolly. singin'
around the kitchen when she was dom
her work, an always ready to joke
with fellow when he come in carryin'
the wood or bringin' in the milk buck
cts.
II recollect one night that took her
to a dance five miles away, hitchin' up
the old mans sleigh to fine pair of
grays that stepped it off as lively as
you please. Cold! The air was a
poppin' with frost an the limbs on the
trees cracked when they blowed
around. But up there fellow don't
mind the cold so much, an not at all
when he's in my fix that night.
reckon she jest went with me because
/ happened to be the handiest, not
carin' for me in particular. All the
way over she kept singin' out loud an
laughin' like she was in crowd, SOS
to keep me from gettin' soft, I reckon.
But l didn't catch onto that till later.
l thought she was the jolliest, friend
Hest girl in the county. an told her SO
in spite of herself: but she only jest
laughed an dared me to drive the
sleigh runner over a little stump in
the road. . Jew. .-
when we got to the dance Hammer
give me the first set, like girls always
do to the fellow that brings 'em; but I
didn't get no more till my rightful last
time. for she was mighty popular
girl an a good dancer. An I wasn't
only kid. was sure in love with
her, though-more than I've ever been
since with any of the others. Coin
home she leant her head on my Shout
der. wrapped up till only her nose was
a stickin' out; but knowed she was
! jest tired an trusted me not to talk to
| her or bother. She went plumb to
sleep there an for two miles I had
a bigger fight to keep from putin my
arms around her an kissin' her than
ever did have before or since. 49,
| 1T was close to the end of the win
ter when the ground was thawin'
nearly ready for ploughin', an I'd gone
to a dozen dances with Hammer, that
was so far gone I'd come to think that
she thought a good deal Of me, an
swore to myself lots O. times that I'd
jest start in some day an tell her