The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1905-04-29
The Words OF
Contrary swayback
T was the first day sence the snow
had come and holed us up back o

L was the DFSb a1y oeifCe t4ie '9tAo''
had come and holed us up back o
Tackawack like 'coons in a holler log.
said the man from the classic but some
what ambiguous division Of the PIX
county woods and ridges, that any on US
had dug himself out so as he could git
down to the tavern, and we was al1oWln'
among US pooty strong that no setch
weather as that had ever sot down on
to us before, when | see that Uncle Jase
was windin' up his recoliectln' WORKS
to set EN- goin', and it wasn't long be-
fore they begua to buzz.
~ see, says he that none Of you
don't recofnember the winter Of
aBut / cut. III and shet him off right
there BY saytn.:
we aint settin, here, Uncle Jase,' !
SAYS. to listen to no Contrary Sway
backin"' says,
@Wunst on time Pete Swayback was
our Oldest inhabitant, and he had setch
an uncompromisin way o. facln' us
down by rememberln' the time when
somethin' had happened that was
leetIe wuss than anything that was hap
PENN with us, partic'ly the weather,
that We used To call him old Contrary
SWaybacl1. and his memory is ldRgerin'
Wit in back y LaclEaWack.
I'VE used to have some toler' bic snug
and s'archin' weather there, takin' it
as the seasons come and went. and L
recomember one day in July when the
sun was jest a-siZzlin' things so that |
had to quit mowin, and pull for the
shade of tree over to the edge of the
field. and it was nigh about all | cd do
TO keep from cookin' fore got there.
When got to the tree who did find
lnllin' there but Contrary SWayback.
HE was pantin' Wuss than tiredout
churn dog and ketchin' for breath till
/ was afeard he was goin to die, while
the sweat rolled often him big as peas.
Peter. says ] as soon as I could git
sind enough to talk. this is leetle the
red hottest of any red hot weather that
was ever made, and I'll bet on it. l
says.
Peter mopped his face awhile and
betwi1t pants he says to me:
+" Danl,' he says, sthis'd De most like
the frosts III November, says he, long
side the July we had back i'll '48l
"A drought struck us one spring and
hung on to us for weeks. Everything
vas dryer than bone, and the cattle
was standin around with their tongues
hangin OUT poor critters, cause water
was so tremendous slieerce.
The wells was dry, and there WASH t
q spring in the hull district that had
water enough in it for a chippy bird to
bathe in | had to lug water in from the
pond, two miles from home, and the
pond was gittin 20 low that had to dip
the water out of it into my pail with i
pint dipper.
Zone day, at the height o this dry
aPell, l was comm home with a pail O.
water from the pond. and [ met Pete
sswayback in the road. His lips was
erackin' and h3 tongue was thick, he
wanted drink SO bad. but he never let
on that such was the case. and | says to
him:
Pete, / says, If there's been any
thing dryer'n this spell of our'n sence
the ashes o sodom and Gomorry. says,
'hist'ry's forgot to set it down.
Pete tried to get a little moistur'
on to his lips by Wipin' EN- with his
tongue, but there want none there, and,
without even lookin at the water, in
my pail, he says.
+" Dan'l' says he, this dry spell is
like sponge you could squeeze wetness
out of by the bari, says he. to the
drought that tackled us in the spring
Of AS
III guess it was the very next fall after
that when we had them tremendous
rains. They fell night and day for a
week, and the creeks was ragin' and
roarin' torrents, mile wide, most, in
some fat places, and on top O. one o
them r:ppin, floods what should come
ridin' and bobbin' down when they was
at their very wust but Pete Swaybaek's
cabin, and Pete straddlin' its peak like
circus man on a camel.
THE rollin waters sweep the cabin
under the oEerhangin limb of button
wood tree, and scraped Pete off into the
b'ilin' flood. kerplunk. Clean down out
o. sight he went but come up ag'in in
time to ketch a log that was rushin by
and away he went down stream az in,
ridin' the log.
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