Show HE HAD FREE BOARDm < II I I I Digging Potatoes and l Displaying Gallantry 9 VERY COSTLY HOSPITALITY The Delicate LoveJIaUnj of SisShe Could Handle a Hoc With Ease and Dexterity For THE SrjKHAY HEiiAH Copyrighted I had been sent out as a newspaper correspondent cor-respondent and was riding a lean horse through apoorconntry when ono blustery evening I came within sight of an old doublolog house that seemed to cling with a sortof toonail hold to the steep sido of a hill Almost a day bad passed since I had seen a human habitation The country had tho appearance of dangerous wildness and as a fearful night threatened to come up out of the dismal valley far below I decided to plead for the privilege of helping help-ing the old house cling to the hillside Approaching nearer and coming tea small duty inclosuro where a number of hogs I i0 LEAX1XG OVER THE FEXCE so poor that they appeared to exist only in outlines were presenting a squealing petition peti-tion for something to eat 1 saw a tall gaunt and grizzlebearded man standing with his bare arms resting on the top rail of the fence How are you I asked Wall ho answered surveying me a moment and then scratching his chin I I wuz wuss off just atter I had been snake I bit than I am now an agin I wuz better off jest atter shooting a feller that trifled i with the affections of my family than I Lat L-at tho present writin How is it with yourself I replied that my health was excellent but that I was unfortunate in being compelled com-pelled to travel during such weather ana I added you can do me a great favor by letting me slay over night at your house houseWall Wall it aint my habit to take in strangers stran-gers but if you will promise mo one thing you may light an put jour nag in the stable All right name the promise Oh no I dont want to name it Ruther youd do that I never wuz much of a ban to name things Wife she wanted me to name our last baby but I jest told her that sick wasnt in my line so she had to name it hersof I mean what is the promise J Oh Wall its jest this You musnt ax mo how much I charge an you musnt offer me no pay Your conditions are not only easy but are generous said I dismounting and I shall be grateful for your kindness Thats all right fur Im a man among men Youll meet many a feller awarin of a shirt that has been biled in cream L that will jolt yo pocket ever chance he gits an then agin you may come across a man that never had no shirt biled in nur thin that would ruther give you a dime than to take one away frum you The last named gentleman is me Jest lead ye boss I around thiser way please When the horse had been cared for we went into the house a tumbleddown affair and sat down to await tho coming as my host expressed it of mur and Sis I tool no particular notice of mur when she and Sis came It was Ss that took my eye She must have been six feet tall The smoke from the chimney tad made her eyes I bleary and the long green tobacco that she I constantly chewed had drawn her mouth to one side Sho wore an old boot and a brogan shoe also a sort of blouse made of cotton bagging When we had sat down to supper or rather when we had gathered about a board < Ion I-on which there were placed corn bread ana < I an-a dish pan holding a miniature sea of I grease which floated a fleet of bacon barges the host said Sis is the greatest cal in all this here country aint you Sis Now pap whut do you wanter tall thatcr way fur she replied sticking a great finger in her crooked mouth You know I aint never did nuthin Oh yes you have Sis Didnt you ketch Lem Sawyer by the back of the neck and the looseness of the britches an fling him through the winder thar I done that pap but that want much to do doWall Wall I calls it a good deal fur a youn an delicate critter An say Sis cant you milk old Red wuther she L I SEVER DID XOTHIS PJU wants to be milked or not Didnt yo a I ketch holt of her bin leg day befo yistid i an jest nachully skeer the milk right down HahYes i Yes sub I done that Wall thats whut I calls great Wy 1 know wimmin that couldnt hold a cat Look at her thar stranger Look > at her pints Dont you think shes immense as I inoieuer lowectr I certainly thought she was immense and I told my host that I heartily agreed with him at which ho appeared to bo de lighted A heavy rain fell during the night and the next morning my host informed mo that the creek down in the valley had been swelled to such an extent that to cross it woult be impossible Nov said he you must stay right hero with us Jt aint costin you a cent you understand under-stand I decided to remain until the creek should run lower Shortly after breakfast the landlord cams to me and said Now as i yo board aiat costin yo nuthin and as you peer to be a commerdatin feller would yo mind goin right up thor on the hill with Sis an helpin her dig the pota I toes I am monstrous anxious to get em dug today As he had been so kindas bo had give J me shelter without charge could not re fuse so accompanying Sis I went up the hilLslde j I 4I bet I kin dig fester than you sho said as S JQ stuck her tenpound hoe into tbe tmJ1tid I shouldnt be surprised I am not nujh of a digger Whut airyoubest aU 1 she asked t I dont know I bet you are a mighty nan to make love to the Igals No lam not much of a success in that line hh Jvlcbby you aint been tryin right hard Sho stood closer to me Come said I Ifet us get to work Sao kept close beside and talked ceaselessly cease-lessly of love Ef the right i sort of a man wuz to love mo right hard do you want to TmoW whutld doe she asked What wouldyou do Id call him lasses all tho time Wouldnt that be sweet Yes rather Whut would you do if a woman loved you right hard I dont know Youilcall her lasses wouldnt you might Wall Is Ilasses I suppose so I answered with a desire to pay her a compliment She smiled upon me and then hastily stopping to one side she slezed a hoc that had got into tho potato patch and tOssed hinrtver the fence Just then the dinner horn blew Now said the host when we had sat down to tho table hero is a biled rooster Weve had him a long time but fur a month or too lately I didnt think he wuzgoin to live He tuck i CALL ME I4S3E9 suthin the matter with his throat an you must have hearn him cough half a mile but vo doctored him up till he wuz about Ito I-to cat and then killed him I had nOt > appetile The girl after strip ping > the meat off the wishbone held up the horseshoe looking thing and taU me lo pull I pulled and Sis jumped up and left I the table but soon returned and took her ilace beside me After dinner my host I said that as the creek bad not run down I would greatly oblige him by continuing to iclpSis dig potatoes would come San S-an dig too be added but I have got a power > of fiddlin about to do 1 wanted to risk the creek and told him so but he would not hear to it Wy 1r bless yo life said be youd I Jlt drownded she Tomorrermornin will 1 be time enough an in the meantime lou will be doin of me a great favor b3 3r iclpin git the potatoes in Ricolleck that 1 dont charge you nothin fur stayin here nd bein a upright man you oughter return re-turn one favor for another How I did long for night to come The hard work was scarcely less wearying than tho sickening talk of the girL Once I 1 t told her that I should be compelled to gout b go-ut she shook her head gravely and said That would make pap awful mad I forgot for-got to tell you but you musnt make pap mad I have knowd him to oiler a man f ura week that had made him mad An he mighty nigh allus ketches up with the man he follers 11 was asleep by the time I touched tho bed that night and having been too tired to think just before lying down I dreamed of whata fool I had been in ac eptinc any terms offered by the old mann man-n the following day I announced my firmlyfixed intention of leaving The old man professed great astonishment What said he trifle with tho affec tions of my family an then leave us in the urch could only grasp in astonishment Wy you promised to mary Sis said he This staggered Promised to marry her 1 I exclaimed Yes fur right out thar in the tater patch you lowed that you wanted her I did not sir1 almost yelled Didnt soul Wall I reckon you did You lowed she wuz lasses an ef that aint axin in this country nobody dont know whut is an agin you pulled with t her the othe day pulled the wishbone of the old rooster that you mout at one tim I have hearn cough a half a mile An don t you ricollecl whoa she got frum the able Wall she put her piece of the bone up in the fork of a saplin an you walked under it an that put the i law on you Dont caper now son fur I dont want to hurt you An another thing my son dont try to run away an I leave us atter triflin with our affections LVO got a whole host of kinfolks nigh L here an they will be mightily pleased to know that Sis thar is goin to marry a feller that is sich a hand to dig taters I I I reckon yon better work along with me today to-day I Want to mark some hogs an then I want to dig stumps outen the new ground t Lets cat a snack now an go ahead fur 1 want to hump ourselves today I saw him tuck a pistol into his jean i trousers before wo went to work I saw more than that I saw that 1 should hare S to run for my life I know that argument would be without avail so with shrewd strategy I pretended to be reconciled What an awful days work I was almost dead when night came I went to bet I early and when the moon had risen I slipped slip-ped downstairs The old man was snoring snor-ing I would soon be free The stable was not far away i would soon bon a b-on my horse Shortly afterward I stood I in a cold perspiration The horse was gone A dog barked I ran down the hill toward I the valley through which flowed tho creek that had caused all my trouble The alley L al-ley was there but where was the creek 1 The old follow had lied to me I traveled all night and until noon the ncz day before coming to a house Wba I a thrill i I experienced when a rail 1 way station arose Into vicwx Whi 0 walking up and down the platform expect 1 I ing every moment to see my host and his many kinsmen I saw a man sitting on the end of a crosstie He got up on seeing me and advancing said I et1ve bad the boss experience of any fellow you ever saw er I came round hero several days ago to sell fruit trees but if I ever get out alive Ill 1 join a church and devote the rest of my life to charity The other day I stopped at a hillside houso war over yonder and the fellow wouldnt chargo me anything but he pretended that I couldnt get across th 0 creek and made mo work for him mid th 0 nrst thing I knew be said that I called his girl lasses and had to marry her He RO tt three days of mighty hard work out of m e but I reckon I better be shoving on into the woods I am afraid hell find me here 0U One P HEAD I |