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Show . AMONG THE "CRACKE O.S." The iollowing amusing story is from an interesting article on the "Crackers," "Crack-ers," or poor whites of the South, in the November number of LippuicotC s Monthly. The writer was engaged in a survey for the United States government govern-ment through the State of Elorida. The "clearings"' that were rendered necessary brought the party in collision collis-ion with the "Cracker'1 natives. The writer says : Sometimes the avenue would shave a man's house, and the shade trees would have to be sacrificed. : Sometimes, Some-times, but rarely, an orchard would be ravaged. It is needless to say that for all damages thus done to property, the government unhesitatingly paid ; and paid as it does not often do in cah. This fact did not, however, seem to be known to our Cracker friends who sojourned so-journed in the county of Starke. One day it happened that the line struck a "deadenin' " belonging to an agriculturist agricul-turist of that fertile track, and went first through .his cornfield (the corn being about three feet high) and then through a large and thrifty patch of sweet potatoes. The avenue was fifty feet wide the trers fell on all sides. What with the trampliDg of the negroes ne-groes and the falling of the trees, it may readily be surmised that there were not many corn or potato plants left uninjured through the length and breadth of that garden. In the midst of the devastation the officer in charge (a stalwart Kentuck-lau, Kentuck-lau, now an able and eloquent clergyman), clergy-man), was sitting on the fence smoking and calmly surveying the havoc, when to him rode up a youth, bare as to the feet and legs, sunburnt as to the hair, but irate and determined as to the countenance. "See hyar, stranger," said he,"this hyar won't do 1" . "Won't it?" said Y , impertur ably. "Well, if it isn't straight, it's B 's fault, for he lined it." "I don't know nothin' 'bout lines, 'cept mam allers sez she be? hern; but this hyar cuttin' through folks's deadenin' dead-enin' an' smashin' tliarco'n an' taters hit:won't do, an we'ro agointu stop hit!" - "Who are?'' "Why, dad an' the neighbor?, an' an,J-an' mc," (here he fwelled out and looked important.) "Dad's gone tu raise the neighbors now, an' sent me over hyar to tell you men to make tracks 'fore wuss ooines of hit," While the boy was speaking quite a commotion was observed at the house, which stood about a quarter of a mile off, and several long, lean, sunburnt fellows, each with a rifle or double-barrelled gun across his horse, rode up to the porch. Soon one of them detached de-tached himself from the crowd and rode slowly and with dignity toward the scene of destruction.' As he came near, the youngster said "That's dad. Now, then, you'll see, stranger I " As soon as the horseman arrived within speaking distance he reined up his horse, and in a cool but earnest manner began his parley : "Sav. cap'n" "Well"?" from Y . "This thing mils' stop hit reely mus', stranger. Me an' the neighbors hez determined to stop hit, an' we mean tu do hit." "Why," said Y , "you don't mean to resist the United States government, gov-ernment, do you ? ')- the United States government, govern-ment, strantror!" said the indignant Cracker. "What do I kcer for the United States government when my co n an' tatcr-patch is consarned ? ile ain't nrj risht hit aint fur governments govern-ments tu cum thru our deadenin', a kiliin' of the crops an' a-Ioadin' of the Sold wif light'ud, an' a-givin' of us work for a month to com, and not pay-in' pay-in' us a durn cent. I'm peaceable man, cap'n, but right is rght, d iL" A light sndJenV illumina'cd the hitherto blank countenance of Y . In a surprised and indignant to.ie ot voice he inquired who had said that the United States government did not pav for d.iuK!:? done to crop". "Who? Why, Jim Parton." (a pot-houe politician of that neighborhood!, neighbor-hood!, '-an' an' . Why, cap't j vou don't mem to say you do ray?' queried the Cracker, quite confuted in his elocution. "Po? of course we do! And Jiu: Dart on's a liar; and you may tell him so. with my compl-ments." "Stringer." said the Cracker, rid.nc close up to Y and speaking in : on and iinpres-ive mann. r, "d r yoi teil-me 'hat you intend ray.u me for ray con an taters damaged by this hyar hoc?" "Certainly I do," "An' fur the labor hit'll be for me an' the brats to cut down an' roUthem trees omen the deadenin' ? " For answer, Y coolly . pointed to where the negroes, having finL-hed fyllin? in the two fields, were now cutting cut-ting the logs into cordwood lengths and piling them outide the fences ;our invariable in-variable cu-tom). "W -a-a'l !" muttered the Cracker "a-pilin' of 'em up for me ! An' you'll pay for the damatre ! " "Certainlv. I'll pay you now, if you'll set a price on it," said Y . "of course, if the price is reasonable." "Cap'n," said the Cracker dismount-ino, dismount-ino, "you're a man arter my own heart ! Give us your han', hoss 1 Caih down, eh?" c "Weil, now," said Y : , aaei the hand shaking had bean duly performed, per-formed, "what should you think the damage to your crop is worth?" "Dad" stroked his chin gravely. Apparently an idea found difficulty to come through the top dressirg of dirt, bristles and tobacco-juice on his unshaven un-shaven cheeks, for he transferred his attentions to his head. "WaT, now, cap'n," said he, reflectively, reflect-ively, "you see thar's a pow'ful heap o' damage done? Thar's hills o' corn an' rows o' taters no, I mean hills o' taters an' rows o' co'n completely mommoxed an' not worth a durn. Thar's the trouble of splittin' all that thar wood. Wa'al, it's bard to say." "Name your price," said Y . "Wa'al, now," hesitatingly, "don't be close-fiisted about it, cap'n. Say now should you think fifty cents was too muchV Had it been any one of the party except Y to whom this exorbitant charge was made, a roar of laughter, that would have ended in a fight with the irate Cracker, would unquestionably unquestiona-bly have followed this estimate of damages. dam-ages. Even the imperturable Y confessed to me in confidence, that he never before had been so tried. He kept his countenance, however,, and calmly replied : "Well, no ! I shouldn't think that a dollar was too much. But as we are anxious that the people should be satisfied, . I'll give you a couple of dollars dol-lars and call it square." So saying, he handed four half-dollars to the astonished man. , .. "By the! Lord, stranger 1" - said that worthy, when he had sati-fied himself that this munificence was reul, "you're a right bower a full of aces, by gum ! Cum down to the pen it's no ue I won't take no denial cum right down and take a drink of old wum juice wif me an' the neighbors. An'you, Jake, ride your critter down thar, and take mine wif you. Me'n "the stranger'll foot it." So duwn Y had to go, and then and there imbibed villainous new whisky, with some ten or a dozen of thin, sunburnt, tobacco-stained, reckless-looking fellows, who welcomed him most heartily alter hearing "dad's" story, and who would have as coolly shot him in two minutes if they had been satisfied in their minds that he intended in-tended to trample on their rights. As they parted, "dad" addressed Y . "Stranger," siil he, "every man in Starke county's yer friend; an' if you want help enny time let Benn Padgett know.. An' if enny man ever sez in my hearin' that the United States ain't the best of rulin's, that man's a-goin' tu git his head bruk, or my sinners (stretching out an arm where the muscles mus-cles looked like ropes, and I've no doubt felt like iron), have lost thar cuunin.' " |
