"Cracker Jim" [pp. 51-70]

62 "Cracker Jim." [July
over hedges of rose and cape jasmine, to mently, were other groups, conspicuously
catch a glimpse of the traveling merchant, destitute of badges. Not unfrequently the
whose big covered wagon held bushels of words of the disputants rose high enough to
fine apples. The black butler, in conven- be heard at a distance, and "secessionist"
tional white cap and apron, anticipating the and "base submissionist" fell upon the ear.
cider "Mistis" was likely to buy, stepped Small boys armed with bells would rush upout on the balcony or veranda to see the fa- on the badge-bedecked youths, and ring
miliar team. their shrieking weapons in the ears of the
"Fetch erlong yer kags," called Jim, enemy, when a scuffle would ensue, half in
"I'll take my persish jest er lee tIe beyant play, half in earnest, until some other atthe court house-ye'll find me thar in erbout traction called them apart. One urchin,
five shakes uv er sheep's tail." persistent in his claims for Bell and Everett,
A crowd grew with every turn of the hung bells to his pony's mane and tale, and
wagon, made up of children and negroes, rode him through a crowd of antagonistic
footmen and errand-boys, whose mistresses politicians. College students, with and
were too absorbed in shopping or visiting to without badges, argued at the corner of every
detect them in their enjoyment of this de- street with the earnestness of men. Chillicious vagrancy. dren, all unconscious of the magnitude of
"Come erlong, Prerfesser, fetch out yer the subjects, and little dreaming that they
cider jug; ye air needin on it ter fatten ye," were foreshadowing a great revolution, fought
said Jim to an adipose negro barber, who for union and secession on their playgrounds.
with arms akimbo, stood grinning in the The mighty events that were to come had
door of his shop. already cast their shadows before.
Peals of laughter from boys and college Jim Snyder stood for a while patiently
students followed this speech. "N\~al," surveying the scene. "I dew wonder ef
continued Jim, with a sly look at the stu- Tom Welsh war tellin' uv er true word-it
dents, "I thort ez every man in this hyar haint like him!"
town war er prerfesser. Come on with yer Leaving his team in the care of a bycash; I am prerfesser 0' the bestest cider in stander, he approached a group of men enole Ala ham'." gaged in conversation.
The team soon arrived at the favorite "What mought be the ailment? Air thar
stand near the court-house yard. Jim halted ter be er war betwixt the North'urd en
and looked around him with not a little South'urd fur true?"
amazement. The court-house and yard "`Air thar?"' answered one of the men
were all astir. Groups of men in earnest derisively. "Perhaps you can tell us. What
conversation stood on the colonnade and do they say about it at Big Mountain? Do
within the main hall of the building. Each they think that General Jackson is President
little assembly had its orator, who harangued yet? Do they believe Henry Clay is dead?"
until another took the same theme out of "We haint hyern erbout no war fur true,"
his mouth. Two words were so often re- answered Jim, unperturbed by his questionpeated that they seemed to Jini's bewildered er. "Bug Chitty en Big Mounting both on
mind to be floating in the air: "war" and`em went fur Bell en Averate, en I`lowed
"secession." Knots of half-grown youths ez they war erlected. I know ez Jedge
and boys, wearing badges of white and red Barrett voted fur`em."
ribbon on cap and lappel of coat, were argu- "Well, my friend, that didn't elect them.
ing as zealously as their sires. Standing Lincoln is elected, and the South is going
near and around them, and talking as veh~- to secede.