Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-06-26
PLANTATION STORIES.
Mrs. Pralrie.poa,s eoarders.

Mrs. Prairie-Dog's Boarders.
Texas is a nearby land to the dwell
| 1ers in the southern states. Many OF
the poorer white people go there to
mend their fortunes; and not few OF
them come back from it's plains, home
sick for the mountains, and with these
| fortunes unmended. Daddy Laban, the
half-breed, son of an Indian father ana
negro mother, who sometimes visit
ed Broadlands plantation, had been a
wanderer; and his travels had carried
him as far afield as the plains OF south
western Texas. The Randolph chill
dren liked, almost better than any 9TH
ers, the stories he brought home from
these extensive travels.
de prairie-dog mighty curious
somebody" he began one day. when
| they asked him for tale. Hit lives
| in de ground, more samer dan
grounding. But dey amt come out
for wood nor water; an some folks
thinks dey goes plumb down to de
springs what feed wells. has knowed
dem what say dey go fur enough down
to find place to warm dey hands
but dat amt de tale I'm telrin'.
"a long time ago, dey was prairie
og what was left a wilder, an she
had big family to keep up. oh,
landy!' she say to dem dat come to
visit her in her Fiction, what l gwine
do to feed my children?'
DE most O. de varmints tell MiZ.
Prairie-Dog dat de onliest way for her
to git along was to keep boarders.
You get good home, an you is a
good manager dey say; you bound
to do we'll wild boardin' house,
"Well, Miz. Prairie-Dog done sent
out de runners to run, de fiers to fly
de crawlers to crawl, an tell each an
every one dat she sot up a boardin.
house. She say she got room for one
crawler and one flier, an'rdat she could
take in whole passed. O runners.
"Well, now you knows tlier S a
bird-or hit mought be a. bat. Eff you
was lookin' for little folks, hit mought
be butterfly. Miz. Prairie-Dog amt
find no fiers what wants to live un
meath de ground. But crawlers-bugs
an worms an sich-like-dey mostly
does live un'neath de ground, anyhow
AN de fust pusson what come seekin
house-room with Miz. Prairie-Dog was
Brother Rattlesnake.
az dest been flooded out O. my own
house, Mr.. Rattlesnake say; an
like to look at your rooms an see Ell
dey suits me-
'T show you de rooms Miz. Prairie
Dog tell i'm. I bound you gwine like
EN- l got room for one crawler, an
you could be him; but
"Miz. Prairie-Dog look at her chill
lien She amt say no more-dest look
at dem praire-do5 gals an boys, an
say no more.
Mr. Rattlesnake amt like bein
called crawler SO very well; but he
looks at dem rooms, an low he i
take EN- Miz. Prairie-Dog got some
thin on her mind an fore de snake
git away dat somethin' come out. 9
shore an certain dat you an me car
git along she say, 'ef-ef-ef you vow
an promise not to bite my chillen
I'll have yo meals reg'lar so dat yol
won't be tempted
"Old Mr.. Rattlesnake, powerful high
tempered-yas law, he sho' mighty
quick somebody on de trigger Zip
he go off. dest like dat-zip! Br-r-r
Tempted he hiss at de prairie-dos
woman. He look at dem prairie-dos
boys an gals what been maxim muc
cakes all mornin' Can dest about a!
dirty as you-all is after you do d.
same). Tempted he say. 1 SHOULD
hope not
For, mind you, Brother Rattlesnakt
is gentleman, an belongs to de quail
ity He feels hisself heap too big
CITY to bite prairie-dogs. So dat turnet
out all right.
DE next what come to Miz. Prairie
Dog was hier."
| "a bird?" asked Patricia Randolph
Yes, little mistis,' returned the oil,
Indian. "one dese-hyer little, round