Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1909-02-17

but you didn't. You must belong to
the church. What are ycn-Metho-
dist?"
I grinned. $50 you think ducking
like that would be apt to make man
swear, do your" says I.
"Yup, If he hadn't got religion. Pad
have cussed blue streak. You'd ought
to hear him when he has his nervous
dyspepsy spells. Did you say you was
a Methodist"
Moo, ! guess I didn't. Let's see.
Did you say your name was Dusen-
berry?"
She stopped and kind Of fixed, like
teakettle billing over. "Sakes alive"
she snaps. 81 hope not! Do l look as
if I was carting a name like that
around? My names Sparrow-Eureka
Florina Sparrow. What's the matter
-anything?"
mo. not Special. You kind of
fetched me up into the wind, striking
me head on so, unexpected. Just say
that again and say it slow. Eureka
Peruna-what was it,"
She switched around and stared at
me hard. ''Eureka-Florina-S
row." says she, slow and distinct.
Want me to spell it for you?"
mo, thanks. You might mix me up
some if you did. I had to leave school
early. Any more in your family?"
'Yup. Seven of us, counting me-
and pa makes eight"
whats their names?"
well, there's Lycurgus and Editha
and Ulysses and Napoleon and Mar
guerite and Dewey-he's the baby.
Great names, amt they? Pas do
ings, naming 'em that way was. Pa
says there's nothing like hitching a
grand name to young one; gives 'em
something to live up to, he says. His
own names Washington, but he amt
broke his back living up to it, fairs as
can see; and ma used to say the
same afore she died."
"O-o-h!" says l. 81 see." I knew
who she was now. I hadn't lived
around Wellmouth so very long, but
I'd heard of Washington Sparrow. He
lived in little slab shanty off in the
woods about mile from Scudder's, and
had the name of being the LATEST man
in town.
We'd reached the house by this time
and left Eureka Florina in the kitch-
en- and went to my room to change my
buds. When 1 come down the Twins
was in the kitchen, too, and 1 could
hear the Sparrow girls tongue going
like a house afire. Martin had just
paid her for the quahaugs and she
was telling how scarce they'd got to be
in the bay, and how her brother had
worked to get few bedded and how
he'd sold couple of quarts to the
Baptist minister's wife and what she
said about 'em and SO on. The Heav-
enlies seemed to be enjoying every
minute of it, judging by the way they
laughed.
Introduce us to the lady, skipper"
says Van, when come in.
1 done the honors. "She's one of
Washy Sparrow's tribe-I mean fami-
ly," says 1. "They live over in the
woods hereabouts."
Il guess tribe'1l do" says Eureka,
cutting in quick. There's pretty near
enough of us to make town, seems
sometimes. You'd think so if you had
to get the meals for 'em, same's do. "
"You!" says I. do you cook for all
that gang? How old are you?"
Seventeen last March. Cook for
DNy,o xl@N
things to cook, too; else we'd have to
live on salt air pudding with wind
sass. I take in washing, and Lycurgus
he goes fishing and claiming and
choring around, and Editha helps me
iron, and we all take watch and watch
looking out for the young ones.'
Hartley spoke then. Were looking
for cook" he says. Twill you come
and cook for us, and help about the
house here? Mr.. Pratt finds the job
too big for one man."
She bobbed her head. "Yup," says
she. dry as chip. Il should think he
might, judging by what I've seen. No,
I can't come. I've got to stay home
and look out for the folks"
why can't your father do that?"
asks Hartley.
"Who-pa? 1 guess you amt heard
about pa. He's sick. Got his never.
get-over, he says. Pas had most every
kind of symptom there is; phthisic
and influency and lumbago and pleu-
risy. Now he's settled dc wn to con-
sumption and nervous dyspepsy. Afore
ma died she used to try to cure him,
but the doctor and pa had row. The
doctor said pa didn't have consump-
ton nor nothing else; what he needed
was hard exercise, such as work. Pa
said the doc didn't know his business,
and the doc said maybe not, but he
knew pa. So pa told him never to
darken our door again, and he amt
except to come around once in while
and collect something from me on the
| bill"
WELL" says I, maybe you know