The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-04-03

II hacked and 1 hacked and after
while /. cut it in two. Now take the knife
and cut their tails apart / run around
and cut the string that held their tails
together and the steer got up. But right
tnere and then lost my pet names. From
that day until the day of his death |
never heard anything more of honey"
or darling" or sugar" but, when any
OF those old time beaux would see me
| they'd ask me how the steers were doing
Yes, he had seven children when I
merried him. for me to look after; / had
| seven more-fourteen in ALL / paid right
dearly for the privilege of being an old
mans darling, didn't 1? l have had
pretty hard time in my life. but I've had
| a sight of pleasure, too. i soon cut my
eve teeth and learned to take things as
! thcy came and, taking it all together
don't reckon I'd done any better II I'd
married one of those young fellows. I've
always had something to eat, though,
must admit that sometimes I could have
cat more if we had had it. We didn't
have 'peep-days" very often, but did
have them occasionally, and somebody
would come every time. Don't know
what I mean by ''peep-day"? l thought
everybody had a peepday, once in a
while. When you are out of everything
to eat except a corn-meal hoe-cake, or
few roasted potatoes, you are bound to
keep peep-day:-Just shut the doors and
keep some of the children peeping through
crack, or the key-hole, and If they see
any one coming, the alarm is given, and
| then you lie low and keep dark, to make
EN- think there's no one at home. One
| day one of the children on the look out
said: Nanny, 1 do believe the preach
ers coming, Yes, he's turned in; he's
getting out'n his buggy. Nanny. he's
giving his horse fodder, and he's coming
right in Yes, said l. and he's ex-
pectlng to get dinner here, and we've only
| got enc roasting OF potatoes. 1 peeped
through the crack, and saw he was
mighty nigh the door / linowed I'd have
| 70 let him in, for you can't fool preach
sr; so, 1 opened the door, and, in my
| iveliest and most cordial manner, said:
Brother Kicks I'm SO glad to see you.
| was just a thinking about you not
| moren minute ago. (That was the
truth; but I hadn't thought OF him in a
month until the children said he was
coming). Come right in, Brother Kicks, .
l said, "and let the children feed your
horse. I'm so glad to see you'll" mo.
SISTER, I've already fed my horse; and
I've got lunch with me, SO I'll set here
by your good fire and hear you talk
some (Thinks l, if taldngs all you
want | can do enough OF that TOR you.)
20, no. Brother Kicks" said r. You
mast not eat your lunch; that's cold.
lou must take dinner with me; you
haven't been here in such long time"
Just then the children opened the door
into the kitchen room and the scent OF
roasting potatoes came in. Don't l smell
potatoes, Sister," he asked. II expect
YOU do, Brother Kicks, for the children
are all the time roasting them. Chose
potatoes were our dinner, you know
They keep the house always smelling
like potatoes; i get so tired OF it I
cont know what to do" why, Sister"
said ne, IF you were as fond OF potatoes
as l am you'd like to smell them all the
time" The children heard that remark,
before had time to think
and one Of them came bring
/ ing an old ash pan piling full
OF them. Garry them right back" 1
said, haven't you got any better sense
than to bring potatoes to a preacher III
such a pan as that. Garry them back
and peel them and bring them in plate
Brother Ricks,'' I said, Il rather you'd
let me fix dinner for you mo, Sister
Shamlin, these potatoes make just as
good a dinner as 1 want" Of he had
known it he was eating my peep-day din
ner) When he started off, l followed him
out to his buggy, saying: Brother Kicks,
I'm so sorry you wouldn't let me fix
dinner for you"
"There was one thing MI. Shamlin would
not do; buy snuff for me. / thought he
might have done it, for / worked hard
enough for his first wife's seven children
and for our seven as WELL to have ali
the snuff / wanted. But he wouldn't
give me a dip, unless | paid him for it;
| though he kept 1t for sale IN pound blad-
ders. Sometimes I'd say, "Mr. Shamin,
Iplease let me have some snuff You
can have it for the money" he would
answer. He made mighty nice white
hickory AK helves for which he asked
Fifty cents. One day neighbor came
over and asked me if Mr.. Shamlin had
any of those nice white hickory helyes,
and said he'd like to see them After
looking at them awhile he said he beley-
ed he'd take one, and paid me fifty cents
for it. That night after supper l said.
Mr.. Shamlin, l wish you'd let me and
Mary (she was his first wife's daughter)
have a bladder of snuff You can
have it for the money! he replied
Here" said l. lis the money: now 90
and get the snuff, and cut the bladder
INTO two halves, one for me and one for
youI daughter Mary He brought it
out, took string and measured it. so
| as to get the middle and finally cut the
bladder, handing half of it to me and
hail to Mary. We sat there and dipped,
and looked at each other and laughed
What are you laughing about?" he ask
ed IN very surly tone of voice 1--WE
can't help laughing" l said, 1.-The snuff
tastes SO good, and we haven't had any
IN such long time" Presently he ask
cd again, What are you Laughing at2"
Mary and | got close to the door before
| answered: THAT fifty cents l paid you
Tor the snuff l got for an AK helve I
sold today" He rose like a thunder
cloud but. before he could turn around
we jumped out at the door and ran down
toward the spring, staying out till he'd
gone to bed. l never heard anything from
him about it aftcrward