Tales of a Vanishing RiverReed, Earl H. (Earl Howell)
History
Tales of a Vanishing River
Reed, Earl H. (Earl Howell)
Illinois -- Social life and customs -- Fiction; Kankakee River (Ind. and Ill.) -- Fiction; Short stories, American
_Sept. 12th_—A sorel mare was stolen by 2 men & a buggy Tuesday nite
from Ed Baxter who had just bote the mare. They caught these men over 18
miles off on the Hickery Top Road & they are now locked in jale. He was
down at evening to see how I was & to get some eggs. The sherif & a
possy was what nabbed the theves. I hear from Ed that Henry Clay died
last June & that a chese facktory & brick kill are to be bilt neare West
Crick. I fore see a church next. This country is geting too much setled
up. Thares too dam meney pepil. It rained som today but cleared at noon.
Ed had a lot of noos. He went off home by bugg lite about 9. He kep me
up. I rite this on the 13th.
_Sept. 14_—A wolf has ben on this iland frequent & has ben after
chickins & eny thing he can get. I set a trapp & he turned it over & got
the bate evry time. Last nite I set it botom sid up & he turned it over
& I got that cuss. He did not kno the trapp was botom upwards & he was
astonished. You can not fool much with your uncle Josiah. Som drizzel in
the air tonite & som colder. It is geting into fall all rite. I kno
whare 2 bee trees are. Your uncle has them spotted. Thare will be honey
heare in about a week. You Bet.
_Sept. 17th_—The merkery took a sudden jump & it is hot as July &
August. I slep out on the grass last nite. A good mush mellin in the
shade is a fine thing now. Conkrite & Baxter com yesterdy when I was not
within & left a buckett they borowed Saturday to take down the river. I
must put a date on that for its the first thing they ever brought back.
_Sept. 20th_—I got a cubb bear that was 1–2 in & 1–2 out of a bee tree
after honey & got him home well chained with a colar. I got about 60 lbs
honey. This was yesterdy & the day befoar. The animil eats well & acts
tame but scared. I name him Jim Crow.
_Sept. 21st_—S. Conkrite & Ed Baxter & Wife com today to see how I was &
to see if I got eny honey yet. They are rite on skedule. Also they
wanted to borro som small shot & to get som fouls. Ed’s wife made beleve
she was scared of the bear. Probly so Ed would save her from it.
Conkrite says he got a wild catt over to the swamp that was 37 inches
tip to tip. I got one 40 inches last winter that I spoke nuthing of.
Mine was a feerce animil. Conkrite blows a good dele. The pupp I got
from Conkrite houls all the time & has et his hed off up to date. Jim
Crow got a peice of the pupp yesterdy when he got neare. The pupp tried
to bite Conkrite & I think this shows he was treated bad at home. I
asked Conkrite about pork for winter pikel but he semes to think my
place is whare money dripps off the roof & shakes out of the trees. At
killing time it will be diferent. Ed Baxter says he has dug a deeper
well. His other he says is full of mushrats that com for watter in dry
spell in July to qwench their thirst & now living thare. I tell him to
sett & fish for them with a pole. It is now 8 P.M. & your uncle is reddy
for his blankett.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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