Raftsman's journal. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1854-1948, 1862-06-18

mastered hlm, and he hid his face in his hands
ana soobed like child. His last words how
ever, gave me clue to the mystery and TAX.
ing up his carpet-bag, commenced hau 9
out shirts, vests and handkerchiefs, all thor.
oughly water soak ed, till at the bottom found
carefully rolled bundle
Mr.. Yankee had now controlled his grief
and stood near, with his hands on his knees,
bending over me in breathess suspense. I'm
rolling hickory shirt, [ found within large
brown paper parcel, and within that hand
kerchief, carefully pinned, and within it a
package done up in a newspaper. On open
| ing the newspaper | found what had expect
ed to find from the first, viz land warrant
Tor l6O acres OF government land, all snug
and dry.
1t is almost useless TO attempt to describe
the extrayagant joy of the Yankee The mo-
ment he that his land warrant was safe
and sound, be gave a perfe ct howl of delight.
ana snatching 1t from my fingers, he pressed
II TO his bosom, as he might have done Sarer
| ann, had she been present, and with tremen-
donS strides commenced pa cling back and forth
across the room. 1t seemed impossible for
him to be still an instant.
! ''GlOry to God,'' he cried : ssglorv to the
most highest Sarer Ann, all our savin' an
scrimin' aint in vain Go on with your tork
! plan an kalkerate Take little Jed on yer
knee an sing In the ev'nin' when you 90
out to milk, look to'rd where the sun is goin'
an think-thar I've happy home Yeour
Peleg's thare he'll hev the land we'll be
happy yit The steers is saved the shoats
is all right the halter an old Barney's bound
TO count Oh, fellers you see in your midst
happy head OF er famerly-you witness Joy
full human-''
elf you will excuse my interrupting you,
sir, and if it is fair question:" >" said [ ssbow
did you come into this sorry pickle ?''
'sEXcnSe the question Sarting, sarting.
Tell yer the hull story in er minit-give the
hull particklers-a full ackount. Jewdas
What narrer escape that quarter section did
hev.''
''Well. but let us have the storv''
''Iass, sarting, sarting. Well gents, my
name is Peleg Snodgrass, son cf Mr.. Snod-
grass, from down in Mane-''
"NeVer mind that-tell us how you got so
wet.''
:'Yass, sarting. Well, you see, back hur,
bout mile beyant NOckyernoscoff creek |
wur walkln' along as happy as lark, ookin'
about over the prairies, and thinkin' heow
beautiful the great All Benz had made the
world, an what a%ful taters this sle would
raise, when saw big drove o. cattle list one
side. l war adnfrin' heow fat an silk they
wur, an lookin' at their good pints, when an |
almighty great brindIe bull jumped out o. the |
tall grass an begin tew shake his ALFRED |
great curly head, an beler, an switch his |
tail. ana paw the sile over his back ] con- |
ciuded it best tew let on like as if | warn't |
afeared, an so begin tew whistle Rake her |
deown Sal, an other good chunes, thinkn' as
heow I'd slip past the old cusS !; but list as |
got oppeIzlt, he gin snort, and begin tew
walk lords me, stoppin once in while to
fetch rake in the sle with his fore feet I
put in few quick steps 'beout then but was
afeared tew run, cos | knowed eff | did he'd
feel encouraged. Putty soon he begin to
come on the trot, an then let in a kinder can
ter. Then he rize tew lope, an seein' it wur
no use waitin' for him to quit, list loosened
these ere legs of mine, an come deown to my
best time.
s'l looked about fur suthn' tew climb. but
there war in the cuSsed prairie, am not pea
suck tew ne seen nearer than mile ahead
meow dld want tew stop thar an cuss the
blasted praries. | gin a glance over my
shoulder an see the everlastin' cuss with his
nose down an his tail up, comm jist on the
dead lay deown, an l let my legs count an
other notch. The chase wur nip an tuck till
| got near the creek, when | see the bull wur
maxim leete gain the best time-he wur
only 'beout hundred yards behind me-
Lord, Jehossafat but l felt queerish when
wur sarting he wur gainn' it gave me such
4 skeer that my heart 'peared to dissolve in
tsh-water, an my legs kinder lost their feel
ngs so | couldn't run. But could see a;lot
1f trees ahead leetle way, an eff L could hold
1ut three minits longer I'd be to them.
ooked back, and, the sufferrin' Moses eff the
)ull warn't in twenty feet o. me, his eyes all
green, an his nostrils looked like ef | might
)ut my head in em, an as red as q bolt O. red
lannin'. | got almost to the creek, when |
ound the timber wur all on the operzt bank S
rom me, am the bull SO close | could almost !
eel his breath on my back. | thort o. my
amerly in that orful time sez FAREWELL 1
eetle jed, and yeou Sarer Ann, my genti |
ompanion y Jist at that instantI sec stump 8
N the bank o, the creek, am made a spring
or it, expectin' tew get on the top ont but it
appened tew be holler, an landed inside. d
jist had room tew squze down in it an get I
ny head below the top, an not darn bit tew I
oon wur in for as my topknot went deown. S
lr. BULBS head came up whack agin the stump t
i'll everything jingled. You'd better b'lieve
felt thankful | wur housed at last ; an the
Id cuSs of a BULL wasn't he disappointed C
ord, heow he did rave reound that stump, {
witch his tail, paw the sle, an beller | | g
eeped up at him, jist tew see how he wur n
ettin on, but | kalkerlate | peeped deown
gin orful suddent for | hadn't MORN got
~ head up when his horns came straddie % o
, an, his skull bit the stump like maui. Il
hat leetle lncerdent convinced me that the o
est thing could do was, in the langwidge of A
quire Wheeler, to 'lay low, watch black
ucks, an chaw poke root Jst as l made up
" mind not tew put my head up agin, felt d
le orfulest pain take me in the leg ever see, r
n at the same time somethin' commenced 10 ii
hiz, whiz, down in the bottom of the holler
ump. | tried tew look deown tew see what
q arth it could be, but the holler mar IL
n 1 couldn't get chance to look, an all at a =,
ace it popt into my head that there wur rat n
eshake in tie stump.
"When / thot of that made an orful plunge 9.
git oout o. the confounded den but the .,
lssed bull warn't MORN six feet off, an the a.
init he seed my head he come at me full
lisel. The fust L knowed had lodged back
ter the stump agin an hadn't morn touched ST