Rensselaer Republican, Volume 16, Number 6, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 18 October 1883 — Reckoned It Was. [ARTICLE]

Reckoned It Was.

A blaze in the babin of a resident of “Kaintuck” called out the engines, and after them came the Fire Marshal to investigate and report. “Do you know how it caught?” he asked of the householder. ' “Well, sah, I reckon it was what dem big folkses calls sponfus cqmbustibus.” “You mean spontaneous combustion." “Dat’s ’zactly what I means, sah. Yes, sah, I reckon it was dat.” “What makes you think so?” -7* Well, in de fust place, I sent de gal up in de garret to fin’ prfole bates. In denex’ place she took a candle. In de las’ place she upsot ,de candle ’mong a lot o* newsapers an’ cum shmnin’ down de ladder wid her eyes as big as tur-

nips an’ tole me dat de cabin was all afire. Yes, Bah, I reckon it was spontaneous combustion, an’ soon’s we gii de furnicher back in Ize gwine to lick'dal gal till she can’t holler! She ortef knowed dat spontaneous combustion was sunthin’ dat couldn’t be fooled wid.”— Detroit Free Press.