The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-02-19
These Were the Words
of Contrary Swayback

he went, but come up ag' in in time TO ketoh
log that was rushin' by. and away he
went down stream ag in. ridin the log.
Il was ketchin drift below there about a
mile when | seen Pete and the log comm ,
and | got my pike pole into the log and
begun 10 row ashore with it TO git Pete
safe. As I was tuggin away l mana ged
to holer to Pete:
This il the wust flood says /, that
has ever spread its waters over Lacka-
wack sence .he days o. NOAH says.
Pete bit of chaw from his plug as he
rid along on the log was town him in
on. and cha win off il while, he says
Danl. says he, I mowt think so II |
didn't know that this one amt the sarcum-
stance, even Of a millrace, to the one that
spluttered through here in the fall o 81.
Il didn't turn and tow old Contrary
Swayback out into the wust of it ag'in
and send him tumblin along on his log TO
fetch up wherever the food mowt pitch and
toss him, but seems to me | ought to done
H. And everybody said 80, too
That winter snow piled down onto US
that was jest more than discouragin'
1t come in blindin sheets and the wind
that was along with it tore by at more
than hundred miles an hour 1t seemed to
me, The snow banks was like young
mountains and the country was a sight.
"One night. when the gale was howlin'
its wust and was full o hyin snow me and
Joe Robson and Lie Poison was fghtin'
our way home along the turnpike, we
havin' been to the tavern to find out how
bad the storm really was. when we seen
somethn' queer stickin' up oait Of snow
drift jest ahead of us Investigatlp' we
found it was somebody's hand and part o.
his arm
We dug down into the drift and found
a man at the other end of the arm We
drug him out and then see that it was Pete
Swayback, he was stiff as saplin' and
white AZ the snow. He had been ketched
in the storm and kerflumniHed
We was all sorry, of course, for this
havn' befell poor old Pete, and we took him
up and started with him back to the tavern,
thinkin' maybe that we mowt fetch him to.
He was quite load. and as We stopped
to sort o. rest little, in the shelter Of a
high bank on one side Of the road, | says to
Joe and Lie
l guess Peter would agree with US to-
night all right that this was little the
toughest and all pervadin est scatterin OF
snow that ever kvered the land this side o.
the North Pole, If he only had the chance'
says
Before either OF en- could say any
thing, we seen Peters eyes come open
kind o. tired like, and we stopped down
quick to pick him up and hurry on TO the
tavern with HIM. As we stopped down we
see that he was sayin somethin so we
listened close. This was what we heerd
Why b-o-y-s saws Pete and we
IT, hav ha ,frI
gone, and he had 10 drawl il so; 't-h-i-s
ONE h-a-i-n-t no m-o-r-en BIB
b-l-o-s-s-o-m b-l-o-w-i-n' J-u-n-e z-e-p-h-
y-r 'l-o-n-g-s-i-d-e the ONE o. Feb
'u-a-r-y, e-i-g-h-t-e-e-n hundred n
f-o-r-t-y-f-i-v-er saws he.
We gethered him up. and even II we'd
a-hurried with him we'd intended TO il
wouldn't a-helped him any. for he must
a-passed away jest after satisfyin hissef
with that last contrairyness. But his
memory fingers back o Lackawack Wit.
40 when J see Uncle Jase's reoollectn'
works git;in ready to buzz tother day.
and they had already begun. | cut in on
him and SHIT MIN right of by sayn'
We amt settin' here, Uncle Jase' |
says TO listen TO no Contrary Swaybackin'l =
| says
Uncle Jase he sot and pondered awhile.
and then he says TO me;
Danl he says I shouldn't wonder
but what you're right says he, and bein'
az amt seen you fer the last 'coon's age
or two says he. I'm goin to ask you Ia
line me in n snifter o Solomons cider
saws he Come along. It's uncommon
proper cider says he. 'DinRed II it amt
most az good that squeezin' o. juice O.
mine hack in '58l' says he.
Uncle Jase was Contrary Swayhackin'
on me ag'in, but under tho circumstances
let it pass and j'ined him in the sniftrr
and I'm bound 10 say that II Uncle jase' :
squeezin' o. juice hack in 50 was anyway
nigh as good az that snifter o. solomon 5
was, don't blame him fer Svaybachnl'