Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1905-05-19
WICkLYS WOODS.
By II. W. TAYLOR

By n. w. TAYLOR

again and winked at Lizzy Wickly, with
quiet, enjoyable humor.
| Yes, you'd do lots to uhbleege me-"
retorted his mother with great scorn, and
going on to cut and eat her fried ham
with great vigor.
In spite of a downpour of rain, cool
and even chilling in the mere suddenness
of its fall of temperature from ninety de-
grees to sixty-eight degrees, there was al
most a continuous procession of two
horse farm wagons along the Overcoat
road in the direction of Sandtown.
Little troops of horsemen went scurry-
ing round these wagons at every point,
going this way and that, and looking not
unpicturesque, and even cavalierly, drap-
ed as they were, in variously colored
horse blankets and linsey counterpanes,
whose variegated colors and cunningly
woven ornamentations are marvels of the
ancient housewifely skill in many In
diana homes. And very efficient water
proofs they were, too; the fine long
wool of which they were closely woven
shedding the water of an ordinary rain
and the coldest wind of any winter day
In a manner that secured the wearer
from tina hAss1<Deies of the weather
to vey satisfactory degree indeed
considering all things.
Directly after breakfast Columbus
Redden donned his own long over
coat, and with an umbrella in his hand
and his pantaloons turned up at the bot
toms until his neat fitting calfskin boots
showed to advantage, had gone cautious
ly out of the front yard into the side
lane, and stepping on punches of grass
and chunks of irewood and large chips
as a sort of disconnected pontoor, he
passed scatheless over the waters that
had spread about the level of the fields
of corn and the narrow lane-and so
Joined the procession of wayfarers going
to Sandtown.
Conrad Redden did not come home to
dinner, and supper was upon the table
and waiting at that, when he finally
made his appearance.
"Whut in the wurl's KEEP yuh this
way, Coonrod? Why, l lowed some-h'n
must a happened to yuh, relse you'd ben
home to dinner, shorely." Mrs. Redden
said as Coonrod hurriedly jerked his
chair up, and nodded to his two guests,
who were already seated in obedience
| to the urgent request of their kind-heart-
| ed hostess.
Il spose you give Lum a purity good
rake-yn, did yohY" he said, winking sly
ly at his two guests and beginning to pile
eatables upon his plate, and to hurry
the dishes around in way that indicated
the extreme pangs of hunger. "Hit don't
do no good, ole womern. Jis swell let
the boy lone. I'll git him a plaist en- the
bank when hits fixed so hit kin open
agin, ur when new un starts. He don't
wawnt to farm ut. Tn l don't blame
him. He's gut aige-cation soce he kin
meek livun without work. Un NV
course no feller's a go-un to work eff he
kin hep ut But I've gut to eat, un hurry
back to town tonight. I'm needed up
there"
| "Whut fur, Coonrod?" said his wife
pausing again with her arms extended
the points of knife and fork resting ON
inously upon her plate while her face
was turned with fixed scrutiny toward
that of the head of the house. "What
you needed up thar fur? You haint a
go-un step to town, eff they's go-un
| to be rukus up thar now"
| They haint gO-un to be no rukus up
town if l kin hep ut. l don't know
whurrer l ken or nut But I've kline
kept ut down all day. But they's lot
a the Dikeses un the Sparkses un the
Ellets un the Shipleys un l don't know
who offun Big Rattlesnake erik, jist
come en-, this evenun. I'm they're fur
hossun that feller Mason up. I'm he'll be
hosst up, too, eff l CANT keep up down"
"Is Mr.. Mason in town?" Lizzy asked.
She did not know what it was to be
''hosst up but she knew enough about
the impetuous people upon the Big Rat
tlesnake Creek to know that he was men
aced with real danger. And the very
uncertainty of its nature made it perhaps
more threatening-moret to be dreaded.
Il don't know jist whur he is at He's
some'rs up avn your Ian | thenk. Camp
ed up there, so l h-yearn. They's two
companies NV railroad fellers up thar
watchun one unuther, | low. You see
they both wawnt your lam Lie! Un this
feller Mason's gut some-h'n to do with
ut some-way urruther. I'm one com
pany's tryun to sk-year the othern off
un hits tryun to skyear than. I'm so
they have ut"