The Thibodaux sentinel. (Thibodaux, La.) 1905-1912, 1909-01-30
Ira Had His Good
Points.
BY KENNETH HARRIS.


Hes right clever old man whel
you get to know him." said the store
Keeper, as the sharp-nosed veteran
with the peaked cloth cap left tn,
store. Some folks don't like him an
say he's pretty mean, but there's mean
er than what he is
ga derned sight worse" supplement
ed Washington Hancock There's
some that don't pay their grocery bills
an there's others that haint got one
| red cent to rub against another. It's
s'prisin' the meanness that there is
in this yer world, an when you see q
shinin' light like Uncle Jimmie weth
$4,000 or more i nthe bank, cash
| money, an hull section of the best
farm land in the county, it makes you
think that all the white whiskered an
gels amt in heaven"
Il reckon there's suthin' in that" re-
marked Sol. Baker. ''Bein' tol'able
we'll fixed makes difference"
IF Uncle Jimmie wasn't piller O.
the Farmers National an if he done
his tradin' with Seth Bowker mebbe
Rufe wouldn't stick up for him the
way he does" insinuated Marvin Per-
sons.
Il hain't sayin' that mans virtues
is all hid when he's PORE" said Han
cock, 'sbut do say that Teller en- see
his good qualities right smart plain
er if he's well fixed. 1t reminds me Of
Ire Sibley over in Buchanan, that ulster
live neighbor to us when was knee
high to a grasshopper.
Il reckon the Lord never made IA
man weth boweder laigs than what
Ira had. When l met him a-comin'
down the road cd see the meth dist
church-all 'ceptin' the spire-the
blacksmith shop and Col. Barkers
brick reserdence atwixt Ira's laigs all
at one clip. Looked like picksher in
one O. these yer ovel round frames.
You've seen bow-laigged men, but you
never seen one like him. If they'd
been Strengthened out he would have
been erbout seven foot tall, but as it
wuz he wusn't more'n an inch or two
over five foot. Then he had red whis-
kers, which wusn't never combed out,
an bald haid an both eyes turned in
lords his nose, 'sif somebuddy had
tor him there wus smut on it. He
shorely wus powerful homely.
He wusn't not only homely, but he
was kind O. dumb. There wus some
who allowed that he didn't have
enough sense to run loose, but l reck-
on that wus on ercount of him bein'
the only Teller in the township to vote
the Republican ticket. He done that
right erlong. He wus jest contrary, to
my notion. He'd lie wussn't SOL there,
will, an there wus some who said he'd
steal, an he was SO plague-taked shift
less an ornery that nobuddy ever
wanted to go anigh him.
There was one OIL wilder woman
that wus some kin to the Bigbees an
worked for EN-. Her name was Trum-
BILE an when Iras house got too de-
spirit cluttered up he'd go to work on it
weth hoe an send for her to put on
the inishin' touches. He paid her for
it, though he was too pore to have
her often an too nomely to get him a
wife,
"You can't make me believe that"
observed Parsons, sagery.
You never seen him." said Han
cock. Whether or no, Mis- Tumble
earned all the money she got on them
cleanin' days, an bein' one O. these
yer cliketty wimmen an him not hay
~ much to say she started in an KEEP
a-goin' the hull enduring time she wus
vorkin' calm him all the hawgs an,
lawgs she cd lay her tongue to. Then
she'd go back to the Bigbees an lam
paste him to them. I've heard her
the time an never knew one
,uman cd have sech pore erpinyun
If another.
We'll, one time when she wus due to
clean up, eone O. the neighbors drop
led off letter for Ira. 1t seemed like II
me. of his kin in Arkansaw had died |
N lef him a heap O. money. | dis
emember how much it wus, but it was |
, consid able. He studied over it for
while an then he damned the letter
lown in his pocket as Mis- TrumbIe
ONE over the rise O. the hill, an went
o the well after water.
She opened out on his just as soon
s she got clcst enough for him to
ear. I don't see what brings me a.
ralpsln' over, she says. Pm a fool
. do it. If you had a lick O. decencv
bout you you'd clean up yourself once
week, anyway, but you'd rather
moke an guzzle two-thirds of the
me an snore the balance. Of all
re ornery, no-ercount, wuthless .loafin'
know the way woman talks
Yell, Mis- Trumble KEEP on thataway
u mornin' as she was swashin' the
alter around an thumpin' the mon.
a set IN the doorway smokin' an all
a itch to tell whut had happened.
lnly as Mis- Trumble come through
bring him bucket for more water
give her the letter an toll her to
ad it.
For massy's sakes." she says when
lie had spelled it through. Ire sib-