Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1858-04-14

remarks. There was but one thing that
could he done and that was for Cobe and
tother feller to 60 back home and get me
some soap and towels, and a new set Of
harness, while | amused myself where ]
was. So they started off with their bare
legs and feet spatting through the sand,
while ], not carin TO be wanderin' round
in the bushes like another Adam, lust
walked myself into the pond 1t was a
rather shallow piece Of water, so that !
must have got fifteen or twenty rods from
the shore before it was up to my chin, and
there ] stood Illuminating. The place was
full ofhood suckers and leeches, and !
expected nothing but what they would
tosten themselves all over me, as they had
done many times before, when | had been
in after lilies. Butsno; not a single suck
or came within yard of me. The mud
turtles too, that we're laying round in
drOves summing themselves on the rails
aud stumps,ran out their necks and looked
at me contemptuously for a minute, then
turned up theirnoses and slid off into the
water, couldn't find fault with the poor
critters for being disgusted with me for
two cents would have lain down and ha-
ted myself to death
1T might have been half an hour or so,
after the boys left me, that | heard some
body come down the hill toward the pond
and rs they clawed their way through the
bushes and came out upon the bank, saw
it was a teller and two or three gals from
the pic mic that was going on in the grove.
"NoU, thea, says to myself says |, if
! keep quiet Just whore | be. the chances
are they won t see me, or if they do, will
take my head for Il stump and | shant be
the first good icllcr that has been taken
for a wooden head So | stood stock still.
facing em. They played round a good
spell without taking any notice, and be-
gan to think they would go off without
seeing me, but all at once one of the gals
let just one of the awfulest squeals out of
her that ever you heard.
go, Lord, what's that, she screamed.
"Whats what? exclaimed all the 9th
crs looking in every place but the right
one
There, she whimpered, pointing at me
with a hand that shook like a poplar leaf.
Good gracious, its mans head. |
heard the fellow whisper, in a voice that
showed he was a good deal taken aback.
"Ineyer moved twig, and for several
minutes they stood gapin at me with eyes
as large as bung holes. Probably they
thought ! was some chap that had been
drowned, and come up to the surface
head foremost, or else that my head was
stuck ona pole Beginning to get rather
tired Mt being stared at so long for moth
ing, | went towork and, without moving
an inch from where | was, began crossing
my eyes running out my tongue, and
screwing up my face into the awfullest
condemned looking shapes that ever was
heard of. Mighty gracious. you should
have heard the yellS and howls those girls
let of, rs they tore up the side of that hill
with the feller after EN-, to take care of
'om, spose he said, but if that feller was
not a badly scared chap then his face
was a liar, that's all.
"Im well rid Of yourcompany, amy how,
said | to myself, and feeling kind o wa
ter soaked | waded out Of the pond and
having walked round bit to stretch my
legs, picked up fist full of pebbles, and
walked back to my old quarters, and be-
gan to pelt the green-Coated bull frogs
that were croaking at me from the bank.
While I was spanking away at 'em as bu-
sy as a bee, and thinking twas about time
for the boys to get back, heard tremen-
dous cackling and Cabling in the woods,
and the next minute two or three hun
drcd men and women, fellers and gals,
boys and little larlings the whole pic mic
party, in fact, came pouring down the hill
to the side of the pond. | hadn't calcu-
lated on tlis, and wasn't right sure what
to do, any way, so | did nothing at ALL but
just stand right where | was and look at
'em.
"There it is, there it is, don't you be-
lieve it now? bawl'd the feller that had
been frightened ,ay.
90, why, singular. remarkable aston
ishing! calculated everybody, crowding
up to the sideof the pond for good sight,
and there they stood, two or three hun
dred pair of eyes staring at my head, and
me staring back at them.
"It's alive, suddely screamed one of the
gals, pointing right square at me /; it's alive
i can sec it wink.
"Why, so it does said everybody else,
and all hands yelled out--what ye doin'
there?
"Now, I didn't consider that it was any
of their business what | was doing, and so
made no reply whatever,
"In my opinion its all humbug, said
one Of the fellers. I'll soon make him
speak, and taking gun he pointed it at
my head.
'Put that gun down, you bominable,
taring down fool; don't you know any
better than to be pointing guns at fellers
| shouted, for thought this was. coming it
ather strong.
"Well, what ye doing there he asked,
as pert as if he had right to know.
"None of your laundering business,
what Pm doing here, said l.
"All hands set up great laugh to think
how they had been sold, and looked ra.
ther sheepish than otherwise, especially
my first discoveries. / supposed they
would 90 off now, that they had found
out what was, but they kept lingering
round, wanting to see the end of the mat
ter.
"This didn't suit me pretty well, for
had been looked at just about as long as i
was pleasant, 50 ! sung out, says l, Lool