Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1912-04-25
MISS MINERVA q
go and SKA
'&SWWILLLAm GREEN HILL
Y Tn Ar~1c P0xzN Tsrxxoxn-
eByFRANCES BOYD CALHOUN
Copyright, by Reilly & Britton Coz

is" cried the other; you all time
want TO get US hooked up in Sarah
James corset and you all time can't
get nobody loose. What you want to
get US hooked up in this thing for?"
you done it yo'seIf," defended the
/ boy in front with rising passion
/ Squeeze in, Jimmy; We jes' boun' to
git outer this fore somebody finds
it out"
He backed the other child close to
/ the wall and pressed so hard against
him that Jimmy screamed aloud and
began to pound him on the head with
/ his chubby fists.
Billy would not submit tamely to
any such treatment. He reached his
hand behind him and gave the
smaller boys cheek a merciless pinch.
The fight was on. The two little boys,
laced up tightly as they were in a
stout pair of stays, pinched and
/ scratched, and kicked and jerked.
Suddenly Billy, leaning heavily against
Jimmy, threw him fat on his back
and fell on top of him.
Bennie Dick, sitting on the floor,
had up to this time watched the pro-
ceedings with an interested eye; now,
thinking murder was being commit
ted, he opened his big, red mouth and
emitted a howl that could be heard
half a mile. It Immediately brought
his mother to the open door. When
she saw the children squirming on
the floor in her only corset, her indIg-
nation knew no bounds.
You, Jimmy Garner, an you, too,
William Hill, yUh little imps O. Satan,
what you dOin' in my house? Didn't
yo' nanny tell you not to tamper
wild me no mo-? Git up an come here
an femme git my co'set off O. yuh."
| Angry as she was, she could not
heep from laughing at the sight they
| presented, as, with no gentle hand,
she unclasped the hooks and released
their imprisoned bodies.
Billy all time" began Jimmy.
Billy all time nothin'," said Sarah
Jane, faint no use fO' to try to lay
dis-here co'set business onto Billy;
| both o. yuh is ekally in it. An me
a-aimin' TO- to go to three fun'els dis
week an a baptizin on Sunday
S'pOse Y all d bruck one O. de splints,
how'd I look a-presidin' at a fun'el
'thout mare co'set on, an me shape
like what I is?"
Who's dead, Sarah Jane?" asked
Jimmy, hoping to stem the torrent of
| her wrath.
Sis Mary Enen's las husban.
Brudder Littlejohn-dat' a-who," she
replied, somewhat Modified at his in
| terest.
when did he die?"-Jimmy pursued
his advantage.
He got way f'om here bout moon
down las night" she replied, losing
| sight of her grievance in his fatter-
| ing inteTrogations. You know Sis
Littlejohn, she been married goin' on
/ five times. Dis-here III make TO- gen
/ tlemahs she done buriet an deg amt
| nobody can manage a fun'el like she
/ kin; pears like hit jes come matched
/ to her, She sho' is done a good part
| by eb'ry single husban' too. an she
s ffggerin to Guido all the yuthers
wild Brudder Littlejohn's co'pse. "
1 Sarah Jane almost forgot her little au-
/ dience in her intense absorption OF
I her subject. "She say to me dis morn
in, she say, 'Marri'ge am a Iott'ry, Sis
/ Eeddinfel, but l sho is drawed some
/ han'so prizes She got 'em all
! laid out side by side in de buryin'
/ groun' wild er little irige on ebry
grade; an Sis Mary Ellen, seem as
| she can't read de writin on de tomb
/ stones, she got a diff'unt little animal
a-settin' on eb'ry head res SOS she
| kin tell which husban' am which.
! Her fus husban' were all time a-hunt-
in, so she got little white marble
pa fridge a-restin' on he head, an hit
am mighty consolement to a po'
widda oman TO to know DAT she can
tell de very minute her eyes light on
er grade which husban' hit am Her
I secon' man he got er mighty kinky,
wOolly head an he highly meek, SO
she got a little white lamb a-settin' on
he grade; an de mex husban' he
did MT have n0thin' much TO to dis
gueese him fom de res 'cep'in he SO
slow an she might nigh rack her brain
off, twelI she happen to think bout
him bein' a HardsheH Baptis' an SO
powerful slow, so she jest got a little
tarTapin an sot it on him. Hit sho
am a pretty sight jes' to go in dat
bUryin' groun' an look at EN- all, side
by side; an now she got Brudder Lit
tlejohn to add to de res. He de onIf
est one what's got er patch O. whfs
+ kers so she gwine to put a little white
cat on he grade. Yes. Lord, eff any
think could pearten' a widda omar
hit would be jes' to know dat yuE
could go to de graveyard any time yut
want to an look at dat handsome
election an tell 'zactly which an
which"
Sarah Jane stopped for breath ant
Billy fastened to inquire:
who else is dead, Sarah Jane?"
'"Taint nobody else dead, yit, as
knows on, but my two cousins is tur
rible low; one s got . hemrage on d,
lung an de yuther s got a congestin
on de brain, an I lows dey II boft
drap off 'twix' now an sunup tomor
"a" Her eyes rolled around and hap
pened 10 light on her corset She a
once returned to her grievance.
An sposin' I had Mt 'av' came il
here when I did? I'd a had to wen
, to my own cousins fun'el 'thout mar