Walker Lake bulletin. (Hawthorne, Nev.) 1883-1926, 1914-02-21
HIS PLAIN ACCOUNT
Story Written on Facts Known
to Writer in General and
Particular.
BY HAYDEN cARRUTH.

| says the 1eller 10 the OlneT lei
Ter: Can you play the violin? p
Il Dunno" says the other Teller, Il
never tried" Which is the same with
me. Can l write a story? l dunno;
never tried But I'm reasonably
sure l can slve a plain account of a
recent happening right here near
our town of Hawleyburgh, the facts
of the same being known to me In
general and particular, partly from
being there and partly from setting
in Pickelson's grocery and using a
pair of nat'ral gifts heaven bestow-
ed on me. l refer to my ears.
Well, you see, there is a mighty
likely girl lives near here as l could
name-in fact it won't do no harm
If do name her, though her name Is
mighty likely to change-but that's
another story, as third Teller said
Her name, then, Is Matilda Chollop
old Squire Chollop's daughter.
Pretty fine figure of girl. Good
many fellers been sweet on her. Had
my own inclinations that way. Don't
go round talking bout 'em though.
Not a word to say what she thinks
of me- May know, but shan't tell.
Will say this, however, that she
thinks less of a certain Teller named
Hanks than she did
! You see this here certain Teller
named Hanks came up here from the
city for his health, he said. He got
/ An
got through that ought to have give
his state of health a considerable
hist
You see old man Popdale, who
lives out four or five miles, give a
dance one night last fall to christen
a new barn Fine man, old Popdale
is, and everybody knew they'd have
a good time, with two fiddlers and
a barrel of cider. So everybody
lowed they'd go. OF course this
here Hanks he had to up and plan
to go too. Called it hop" Tar
nationest fool you ever see, Hanks
was-little slim Teller with red eyes.
Used to go round with his head up
like a balky COW, with a board over
her face. Course he thought he had
to take somebody to his pesky hop,
and he asked Matilda Chollop. And
somehow she said yes-out of pity
for the Teller, mebby. l went out
thinking I'd ask her to go with me,
but she said she'd promised Hanks
Some folks might a-thought from
her manner that she was sorry that
she'd been so fast, but l won't say
anything about what l thought. I'm
not saying everything I think. Any
how, I'll say that she wished So fore
she got through.
Well, went out to Old Popdale's
on the night of the dance, even il
Matilda had gone and made some
rash promises, and lots of other
folks were there too, all anxious to
start the new barn right and see
that the cider didn't spile. And just
as it was growing sort of dark up
drove that there Hanks, who was up
in the country for his health, and
Matilda Chollop, who wished, mebby.
that she'd come with me. Hanks
had borrowed the Wilder Camden
foot's one-hoss phaeton-one of
these here ve-hick-els which looks
like big basket and with powerful
big wheels behind and nightly little
wheels in front. Biggest wheels
behind and smallest wheels for'ard
you ever seen. that being the way
with phateons in genral and this one
specially particular. Well Hanks
tied his boss under a shed, and him
and Matilda went into the barn with
the others and the two fiddlers
struck up and soon we was all dane
ing right lively-tripping the light
bombastic toe, as Hanks said. 1t
was enough to make you sick to hear
that Teller talk
Well, we kept it up livelier and
liveler till along about midnight, the
hddlers saving away like all get out,
and the cider holding out uncommon,
1t being an extra large barrel and
extra full. reckoned mebby Ma
tilda would have got enough of
Hanks riding out with him, but she
didn't seem to of. and so she must
keep dancing with him right along,
bout every other time. But l didn't
find any fault-not mite. AS usual
was a-hearing and a-seeing, but 1
wasn't saying word
1t was just about the darkest night
you ever seen. No moon for six
weeks, and the stars behind 40 miles
of solid cloud. And 1t happened
along about midnight, or some after.
or thereabouts, that some blamed
rapscallion, or rapscallions, went out
of that barn and into the shed where
the bosses was hitched. And this
here Teller. or feilers, they walked
around while-prob'bly did - and
prob'ly they talked some, and they
seem to have entered into an unholy
and lowdown conspiracy to make
trouble for this here Hanks. And
what did these here scalawags do but
swap them phaeton wheels of