The Bedford gazette. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1805-current, 1862-04-04
NEW SERIES.

was Hc AIoh - w mere ulu ne ule!--Dll ne re-
ally build that tomb?-Can't you tell me all a.
bout it? were the questions asked in quick sue
cession.
Any one but yankee would have found it
impossible to answer all my interrogatories, but
he went about replying to them, as systemati-
cally as if there were but two, or as if an hun
half dozen.
"Wall, meow; young man, that's moren kin
tell you | never could larn who he WIS, nor
wharhe cum frumczackly. I've hcarn say that
he wus Frcncbman, and of high barth, an
had q fuss with his family an left 'cm. Some
folks talks beout his bein' Spanishcr, and be-
in in the wars. Some seq he was an old robber;
Others bland him for ben darn'd old pirate.
Some SEE one thing, some somethin' else, and
arter ell, reckon nobody dun't know nuthin
beout him t all, no more'n dew myself /
be. Reckon he was somethin big in his time.
He died 'bcout tew year ago, though he bit that
ar consarn, half dozen year aforc that. He
lived in that curious heouse on the hill yandcr,
this twenty ycar'n more. He wus as ill-naterd
to his wife as old Satan himself. She wus an
angel of a critter, though she hadn't no peace
with him, and artcr lcadin' a wus'n a dogs life,
she died of heart break. Nobody couldn't git
the hang on him; he wus rs cross-graned and
ugly as On old bull dog. They say he did die
in orfnl agony; shouldn't wonder eff he did,
though don't know nothin' 'beout it. Nobody
wunt live in his hcouse, case they say its hantcd;
shouldn't wonder if ii wus Wouldn't stay all
night by his grave for nuthin', the old critters
spefit might git riied, and then he wouldn't be
darn'd bit tcw good TO lite deown ON tew fell
Ter and gin him pcrtick'ler Jchosaphat"
Is that all You can tell me about him? asked
81 dun'no nothin more'n he wus an orful on
believer. He thought thar warn't no God, and
that thar wouldn't never be no judgment no
moren nuthin' I've hearn' say, he put all that
ar big pile o stun on top nv him. jest III smash
him, and keep him fron risin' at the judgment,
cf thar should happen tew be sich thing
Thar's no kpowin'; meb-be the pesky old sinner
did git lcete mite skccr'd arter all. Wall he'd
ought tcw be. tell you, young man, it'll take
mighty sight bigger stun pilen that to hide the
old cuss and keep him from comm when he's
sent fur. He amt the fiist old fool, nur young
fool neither, that's got sick NV his onbelief, when
he begun to feel the devil gittin' a hold few him,
| I l,a h, ln.t I 1,xyo favr, a
sight"
| Finding that could learn no more OF this ex-
traordinary character from the yankee, cx-
pressed my determination to find out all about
| him, soon as could.
81 ruther guess you'll be puzzled the darndest
to find eout more'n | tell you,' he replied, SCI
any body know'd, l ort to. I've been tryin' to
larn abcout lin this dozen yoarn more, and dun
no az much as did at fust. l tell you, young
man, YOU might jest as well gin it up"
Just then the coach stopped, and my compan,
ion alighted and I saw no more of him, MOI
heard again of the mysterious occupant of that
singular burial place (although visited it dur
ing the next autumn) until chance some time at
ter threw his history in my way.
II was carly in March of the ensuing year,
that had occasion to ride in the mail coach
from c. to S.. 1t was just such bleak,
clustering day as might be expected, early March
being the caterer There were some six, or sew
en- passengers in the coach. The curtains ai,d
windows were all closed, and each one selfishly
trying to hide from the cold, was buried in fur
thcst possible recess of robe, ovcrcoat or cloak
Little conversation was held among us as though
we were all afraid to speak for fear the least me-
tion should render us more vulnerable to tho
cold.
! Cpon the scat farthcat removed from me, sa
an aged, venerable looking, and well dressed in
divilual. apparently foreigner, if we might in
fer any thing from bis countenance and costume
OF his speech we could judge nothing, for if W.
talked little. he less; for as yet he had not spo
ken even word.
II was not until the middle of the afternoon
when we had been thawed before the hospitabl'
fire of s!mne host of q relay house, and hat
brought the Sinner man. under the cheering in
fiuencc of hearty dinner, fixed IN situ by '''
little fourth proof that any of us were dispo
sed at all toward conversation; and then for ;
while we chatted together with volubility tina
one who might have witnessed our taciturnity II
the morning, would hardly have supposed us ca
: pabc of II has passed into a provcrb, tha
''travelers by stage cannot long be strangers t.
each other," and we proved no exception to tn
general fact, for soon our anecdotes and jest
flew in rivalry with the speed of our wheels