The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1867-08-17

There's poor, poor Sarer Ann, leehn 81
proud, and talkin, to little Jed about
our fine, new home in the praries, just
like me an her us't often to do, an here,
o, Jewdas! a hull quarter section OF the
neatest land in Iowa gone to eternal
smashw
The poor fellows feelings here COM
pletely mastered him, and be hid his
face in his hands and sobbed like a
child. His last words, however, gave
clue to the mystery, and taking up his
carpet bag ] commenced hauling ont
shirts, vests and handkerchiefs-all
thoroughly water soaked, till at the
bottom l found carefullyirolled bun
die. ..#
Mr.. Yankee had now controlled his
grief, and stsod near, with his hands on
his knees, bending over me in breath
less suspense. Unrolling q hickory
shirt, / found within large brown pa
per parcel, and within that handker-
chief carefully pinned, and within IL
package done up in a newspaper; on
opening the newspaper l found what l
expected to find from the first, VIZ:
land warrant for 160 acres OF Govern
ment land, all snug and dry.
Il Ia almost useless to attempt to de-
scribe the extravagant joy of the Yam
kee. The moment he saw the land war
rant was safe and sound, he gave per
feet howl of delight, and snatchlng, 1t
from my fingers he pressed 1t to his
bosom rs he might have done Sarer Ann
had she been present, and with tremen-
dous strides commenced pacing back and
forth across the room. 1t seemed I'M
possible for him to be still an instant.
''Glory to Godw he cried, "glory to
the most highest! Sarer Ann, all our
savin' and skrimpin amt in vain 10
on with your talk-plan and kalkerlate !:
Take little Jed on yer knee and sing
In the evening, when yer go out to
milk, look to'rd where the sun is goln
and think, thare I've happy home
Your Peleg's thare; he'll have the land,
am we'll be happy yet! The steers are
saved! The shoats are al right. Inc
heifer amt gone in, and old Barney's
bound to count! Fellers! o, you see
in yer midst happy head of FER famerly
you witness joyful human"
''If you will excuse my interrupting
you, sir, and it is fair question:" said
l, chow did you come to get in this sor-
ry pickle p
"Excuse the question Sartling, sart-
ling! Tell yer the whole story in a
minute-give yer the whole partiklers
"A full account Jewdas! what mar
row escape that quarter section did
hevw
"Well, but let's have the story"
"Yaas, sarting, sarting! Well, gents,
my names Peleg Snodgrass, son of
Deacon Snodgrass, from down in Maine,
in the"
Never mind that; tell us how You
got so wet"
"Yes, sarting! Well you see back
here about a mile beyond the Nockyer-
noseoff Creek, wur walking along as
happy as lark, looking about over the
prairies end thinking heow beautiful
the All Seeing he'd made the world, and
what awful taters this sile would raise,
when l see big drove of cattle just one
side wur admiring at heow fat and
slick they were, an looking at their
good pints, when an almighty great
brindle bull jumped up out'n the tall
grass, and began to shake his ALFRED
big curly head, an beller and switch
his tail and paw the ground over his
back. l concluded it wur best to let
on likes if l warn't afraid, and so
l began to whistle Rake her
down, SAL an other good chunes,
as heow I'd slip past the
blasted old cuss but just as | got oppO-
site, he gin snort and began to walk
toward me, stoppin' ouct in while to
fetch a rake in the sile with his fore
feet. put in few quick steps 'bout
then, but was afeared to run, cos i
knowed if l did he'd feel encouraged.
Putty soon he begun to come on the
trot, an then let out in kind O. can
ter. Then he ris to lope, an seein' it
wus no use waitin' for him to quit, |
Jest loosened these ere legs o. mine and
come down to my best tune. | looked
'heout for something to climb, but thar
wur in the cussed prairer ar not aipca
stick to be seen higher than a mile
| did want to stop right
there an cuss the blasted prairies. l
gin a glance over my shoulder an see
the everlastin cuss, with his nose down
and his tail up, comm jest on the dead
lay down, an let my legs count anOth-
or notch. The chase went nip an tuck
till got near the creek, when | see that
the bull wur only bent hun
dred yards behind me. Lord JehOs-
syfati but l felt queerish when i
was sartain he wur gainin'; it
give me such skeer that my heart
seemed to dissolve in dish. water, an my
legs kinder lost their feelin' so l couldn't
run. But | could see a lot o trees
ahead little ways, an eff | held eout
three minits longer I'd be to 'em. i
looked back, an by the sufferin' Moses
eff the bull warn't witnin twenty feet O.
me, his eyes all green, an his nostrils
looked like l might put my head in
'em-an' as red as bolt of new flannel!
got almost to the creek, when found
the timber wur on the opposite side o
me, an the bull so close could almost
feel his breath on my cheek. thot o.
nv famerly in that offel time; says l.
Farewell, little Jed, an yon, Sarer Ann,
nay gentle companion Just at this in
slant see stump rite on the bank o. the
creek, an made spring for it, expetin'
to get on top ont, but it happened to
be boiler an landed inside. Just had
room to squeeze deown in it an get my
head below the top; an not darn bit
too soon wur in, for as my topknot
went down, Mr.. Bulls head came whack
agin the stump till every thing jingled.
"You better believe felt thankful |
wur housed at last and the old cuss of
a bull, wasn't he disappointed! Lord,
how he did rave around that otump,
switch his tail, paw the sile, and beller
/ peeped at him, jist to see how how he
were gettin' on, but l kalkerlate /
peebed deown offel suddint ! for hadn't
more'D got my head up till his horns
GENES q straddls ont, and his skull hit
the stump like maui. The little Incl
dent convinced me that the best thing l
could do was, in the ,langwidge of
Squire Wheeler, to lay low, watch for
black ducks and chaw poke root.
Jist as Pd made up my mind not to
put my head up again, felt the offulest
pain take me in the leg ! ever see, an
at the same time something commenced
to whiz, whiz, deoyn in the bottom Of
the hollow stump. tried to look down
to see what on airth it could be, but the
holler was so narrer J couldn't get q
chance to look, ANAL at once it popped
into my head that there ~as q rattle
snake in the stump. When ] thot O.