jack-knife, and swapped Jim Lawson a plug of tobacker
fer a muskrat hide, he sed: "How's things over your way, Si?" Si
remarked: "things wuz 'bout as usual, only the water had bin most
uncommon high, White Fork had busted loose and overflowed everything,
Sprosby's mill wuz washed out, and Lige Willits's paster wuz all under
water, which made it purty hard on the cows, and Lige had to strain the
milk two or three times to git the minnews out of it. Whitaker's young
'uns wuz all havin' measles to onct, and thar wuz a revival goin' on
at the Red Top Baptist church, and most every one had got religion, and
things wuz a runnin' 'long 'bout as usual."

Deacon Witherspoon sed: "Did you git religion, Si?" Si sed: "No, Deacon;
I got baptized, but it didn't take--calculated I might as well have it
done while thar wuz plenty of water."

"Thought I'd cum over today, Ezra; I've got some brooms I'd like to sell
ye." Ezra sed: "Bring 'em in, Si, spring house cleanin' is comin' on and
I'll most likely need right smart of brooms, so jist bring 'em in." Si
sed: "Wall, Ezra, don't see as thar's any need to crowd the mourners,
can't we dicker on it a little bit; I want cash fer these brooms, Ezra,
I don't want any store trade fer 'em." Ezra sed: "Wall, I don't know
'bout that, Si; seems to me that's a gray hoss of another color, I
always gin ye store trade fer your eggs, don't I?" Si sed: "Y-a-s--, and
that's a gray hoss of another color; ye never seen a hen lay brooms,
did ye? Brooms is sort of article of commerce, Ezra, and I want cash fer
'em." Wall, Ezra, he looked 'round the store and thot fer a spell, and
then he sed: "Tell ye what I'll do, Si; I'll gin ye half cash and the
other half trade, how'll that be?" Si sed: "Guess that'll be all right,
Ezra. Whar will I put the brooms?" Ezra sed: "Put them in the back end
of the store, Si, and stack 'em up good; I hadn't got much room, and
I've got a lot of things comin' in from Boston and New York." Wall,
after Si had the brooms all in, he sed: "Wall, thar they be, five dozen
on 'em." Ezra sed: "Sure thar's five dozen?" Si sed: "Yas; counted 'em
on the wagon, counted 'em off agin, and counted 'em when I made 'em." So
Ezra sed: "Wall, here's your money; now what do you want in trade?"
Si looked 'round fer a spell and sed: "I don't know, Ezra; don't see
anything any of our folks pertickerly stand in need on. If it's all the
same to you, Ezra, I'll take BROOMS?"

Wall, Jim Lawson fell off'n