Author unknown.......
Well, I'm surely glad to be home, that I am. I tell you another
day
like this one and I'am good mind just to fill them papers out on memory
and
be done with it. Here, put these socks over there next to the fire
to dry
out, will you? Got down yonder this mornin' and everyone in
Household 451
through 486 was gone. Some big shindig goin' on down
there. Good thing the
folks in 441 could tell me who they all was. Here,
reckon you could go over
some of the writin' on this here page? Got smeared
a bit in the rain. I
think you can 'cipher most of it out.
Then
them folks down in the holler got suspicious over a census. Said, and
derned if they had a point, what difference did it make who they was? Was
them guvment folks up in Warshington going to come down here to say howdy
do?
So they finally let me write down they last name and first
initial, but I
think they wuz havin' a bit of fun with me when they listed
who lived in the
house. Saw some winkin' goin' on and I believe I got
the same house a
youngins in two or three places. It been a day,
woman. Honey, git that paper
out of Johnny's mouth, will ya? I worked
all day on that thing, and no call
to let him go chewin' it up.
Went
up the river a piece and tried to get that done 'fore it come a
downpour,
but run into trouble there, too. Ole Man Jenkins' cur dog run me
off and I
tell you, ain't no call to get eat up over such a thing as this.
They
ort to be a limit what a man does for his country. Was lucky a man down
the road mostly knew Jenkins was nigh on sixty years old and was living
there with his woman and five youngins from his first marriage plus a \npassel from \u003cbr\>the second. We give em good Christian names.\u003cbr\>\u003cbr\>Best be \ndoin' something 'bout this pen. It give out on me halfway\u003cbr\>through. See \nyou havin' trouble, too. Johnny! Hand that here, boy!\u003cbr\>\u003cbr\>And I \ntell you I would ruther fight grandpap's British than mess with that \u003cbr\>feller \nout on the ridge. He got out his shotgun soon as he seen me comin' \n\u003cbr\>and I went t'other direction. Had Jones tell me about him instead, and \nhe \u003cbr\>didn't rightly know the feller's first name. Said they called him \n"Squirrel", \u003cbr\>and it was ok just to put that cause wasn't nobody around here \nclaimin' him \u003cbr\>no how, and they for sure didn't want the guvment knowin' there \nwas any \u003cbr\>relationship. That coffee done?\u003cbr\>\u003cbr\>Then got over to \nSmiths, and ole Hoss was in a nervous fit so wasn't no \u003cbr\>getting information \nthere. His woman havin' another youngin and he looked \u003cbr\>like he could \nrun right through me when I went to askin' how many youngins \u003cbr\>he had \nnow. Hightailed it out of there, and Miz Hart helped me straighten \n\u003cbr\>that household out. Think we got most of the names straight, and as he has \n\u003cbr\>had a youngin a year for the last ten, ages purty close too. Now look what \n\u003cbr\>Johnny went and done!\u003cbr\>\u003cbr\>I tell you, next time this come around I ain't \ngonna be no where in\u003cbr\>sight. Farmin's a heap easier, and I figger \nthey're folks 'round here what \u003cbr\>can read and write and 'cipher and ain't no \ngood fer nothing else ...\u003c/div\>\u003c/font\>\u003cbr\>\u003cbr\>\u003c/div\>\u003cbr\>\n",0]
);
//-->
with his woman and five youngins from his first marriage plus a
passel from
the second. We give em good Christian names.
Best be
doin' something 'bout this pen. It give out on me halfway
through. See
you havin' trouble, too. Johnny! Hand that here, boy!
And I
tell you I would ruther fight grandpap's British than mess with that
feller
out on the ridge. He got out his shotgun soon as he seen me comin'
and I went t'other direction. Had Jones tell me about him instead, and
he
didn't rightly know the feller's first name. Said they called him
"Squirrel",
and it was ok just to put that cause wasn't nobody around here
claimin' him
no how, and they for sure didn't want the guvment knowin' there
was any
relationship. That coffee done?
Then got over to
Smiths, and ole Hoss was in a nervous fit so wasn't no
getting information
there. His woman havin' another youngin and he looked
like he could
run right through me when I went to askin' how many youngins
he had
now. Hightailed it out of there, and Miz Hart helped me straighten
that household out. Think we got most of the names straight, and as he has
had a youngin a year for the last ten, ages purty close too. Now look what
Johnny went and done!
I tell you, next time this come around I ain't
gonna be no where in
sight. Farmin's a heap easier, and I figger
they're folks 'round here what
can read and write and 'cipher and ain't no
good fer nothing else ...