The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1906-05-10
PRAIRIE DOGS B0ARDERS
All About How Queer Folk Come to
Live in Ono House.

Texas Is a nearby land to the dwellcrs
in the Southern States. Many OF tho
poorer white people go there to mend thoir
fortunes, and not q few OF them come
hack from Its plains. homeslck for the
mountains. with these fortunes uumended.
Daddy Laban. the half-brecd, son of an
Indian father and q negro mothor, VINO
sometimes visited Broadlands plantation,
had been a wanderer; and his travels had
carried him as far atield as the plains OF
southwestern Texas. The Randolph chill
dren liked, almost better than any others.
the stories he brought home from these
extensive travels.
''De pralrie-dog a mighty, cur, Gus some,
body" he began one day. when they asked
him for tale. Hit lives In de ground,
more snmer dan a ground-hog, But dey
aIn't come out for wood nor water; an
dc springs what feeds wells l has
knowed dem what say dey go fur enough
down TO find place to warm dey hands
"a long time ago dey was prairie
dog what was left n widder. an she had
a big family TO keep up. oh, landyf
she say TO dem dat come 10 visit her IN
her Fiction, what l Gwine do TO feed
"De most O de varmints tell Miz
Prairie-Dog dat dc onliest way for her to
git along was TO keep boardcrs. You got
n good home, an you is good manager,
dey say; you bound to do well Wild a
boardin'-house
'sWell. Miz Prairic-Dog done sent out
de runners to run, dc fliers to fly, dc
crawlers TO crawl, an tell each an every
one dat she sot up boardin mouse. She
say she got room for one crawier ana
one fier. an dat she could take in a whole
passel o. runners
We'll now you knows fiicr's a bird
OF hit mought be a bat. Ef you was look
in for little folks, hit mought be a but
terfly Miz. Prairie-Dog amt find no fiers
what wants TO live un'neath de ground.
But crawlcrs-bugs an worms an sich,
dey mostly does 1.-Two un'neath de ground
an de tUSt DuSSOn what come
seekin' house room with Miz. Prairie-Dog
was Brother Rattesnake.
81 dest been flooded out o my own
house Mr. Rattlesnake say; an / Ike
to look a your rooms an see et dey suits
@I show YOU de rooms Miz Prairie
Dog tell i'm Il bound you gwine TO like
en- / got room for one craWler an you
could be him, but
''Mlz Prairie-Dog look at her ohillcn.
She aln't say no more-des look at dem
prairie dog gals an boys. an say no
more,
'Mr Rattlesnake amt like bcln' called
crawler so very we'll. but he looks at dem
rooms, an low he'll take en- Miz, Prairie
Dog got somethin' on her mind an fore
de snake get away dat somethin come
out rs shore an certain dat you an
VOW an promish not to bite my chillen,
I'll have yo' meals reg lar, so dat you
won't be tempted.
tempered-yas. law, he sho' a mighty
quick somebody on de trigger. Zip! he
go off. dest like dat-zip! Br-r-r, Tempt
look at dem prairie-dog boys and gals
what been maxim mud cakes all mornin'
can dcst about as dirty as you-all is aft
er you do de samc). Tempted he say.
L should hope not.
For. mind YOU Brother Rattlesnake is
a genterman. an belongs TO de quality.
pralrlc-dogs. SO dat turned out all right.
DE next what come to MlZ, Prairie
Dog was a fllcr.'
4 bird?' asked Patricia Randolph
Yes little mlstis,' returned the old In
dian "One dese-hyer little, round brown
squinch owls. what alters auakes and
quiyers in dey speech an walk I gets
trees de little brown owl say, as she
swivel an shake. An / wanted TO git me
a home down on de ground, so dat | could
fall But dey is dem dat say ef | was
down on de ground l might fall down a
hole. Dat makes me want to live In yo'
house. Hits down in de ground. amt It?
Ef ! git down in Yo' house dey hain't no
place for me TO fall of Of, an fall down
10, Is deyf she ax,
falln' downstairs all her life; dat dc
opiest way she ever go inter her house
she fling up her hands an laugh as YOU
pass her by an she draP back In de
dey ain't no place you could fall ef YOU
go to de bottom end o. her house. So.
what Wld Il fller an CTawler, an do
oldest prairle-dog boy workin' out, she
manage 10 make tongue and buckle meet
l ls went by a many Drairle-dog hole
an seen de owl nm de rattlesnake what
boards wild Miz. Prairie-Dog AT you was
TO so 10 Texas you'd sec dc same But
nobody In dat neck o. woods ever knowed
how desc folks come to live In one house"
Who told you. Daddy Laban2" asked
Pate Randolph.
My Injun gran nanny" returned the
old man She told me many a tale,
when | lived wild my daddys people on
de Cherokee Res'vatlon. Sometime I
what her daddy ketched for her when
she's a little gal But run home now
honey chllcns. OF yo' nanny done think
Daddy Laban stole you an carried you
st Nicholas.