Democratic Sentinel, Volume 15, Number 4, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 13 February 1891 — HOW BILLY PLAYED MILKMAN. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

HOW BILLY PLAYED MILKMAN.

Two travelers had stopped at a small farm house in Southwestern Arkansas. While they waited for dinner the countryman entertained them. Pointing to a small, white-headed, sunburnt boy, he said: Yer see 'at leetle feller er pokin’ in ther ash-hopper ’ith er co’nstawk ? He’s ther funnies’ kid yer ever seed. He ain’ no mo’ ’n seben yeer ol’ an’ ’e’s inter ev’y devilment ’at comes up, an’ er monst’ous sight er times he fetches hit up hisse’f. He’s got er powerful sight er pride, au’ es ’e gits ther wust uv anything whut ’e

goes inter, hit mighty nigh breaks ’i& heart. Not long ergo ’e corned ter me an’ ’e asts me ter give ’im ’at vea’lin’ calf whut’s er standin’ over yan by ther trought en chawin’ uv hits cud. I says, s’l, “All right, Billy, yer kin claim hit.” S’s’e, “ ’At’s all I want, poppy.” Hit ’us er Sunday evenin’, er bout two hours by sun, ’at I seed ’im er gettin’ all ther child’n inter ther lot. I sneaked up er bine ther fence an’ heerd Billy er tellin’ uv ’em ’at they wuz er go’n’ter play er sellin’ uv milk. Him an’ er leetle nigger wuz er go’n’ter be ther milkmen an’ ther yethers wuz ter buy hit. Ther yea’lin’ wus kinder trained ter stop es yer ketched hits tail. Billy an’ ther leetle nig tuck atter ther yea’lin’. Tner nigger ketched hit by ther tail an’ hit stopped. Billy had er ol’ oyster can an’ jist squatted down side er ther yea’lin’ like ’e’d seed folks do whut wuz er milkin’. He says, s’s’e, “Saw, cow,” an’ ’e fetched er pull. Ther calf jist reached back ’ith both hin’ feet an’ hit ther leetle nig right whar er girt’ fits on er boss an’ laid ’im out. Hit skeered Billy when ther yea’lin’ kicked, an”e jumped back an’ fell down. Es ther calf corned for’a’d one huff ketched Billy in ther eye an’ ther yether went in ’is mouth. Whut er yellin’ an’ er howlin’ thar wuz! I laid erhin’ ther fence an’ lafft fit ter bus’ open twell wife she corned out an’ blowed me up ca’se I wuzn’t erfeared at some un wuz hurt. Then I shet up. Es yer air marri’d yer know how hit is. Now, es I wanter git shet er Billy, I jist say “Saw, cow,” au’ ’e slopes powerful quick.

HUGH BLAKE WILLIAMS.