Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1868-09-10
s'You want to come out and 20 peddin' round

Il
de country agiu eheatin' honest folks with pasted
soled shoes, and tin pans that won't stand one
bakin' ON de freF' "a s..-.@fssss8 a-a y sy":
ST don't know what in the mischief you mean, y
said the voice in amazement, that old Hannah
thought remarkably wslsmuhted, II peverc cheat
ed anybody with tin pans or shoes ip my life-duru
me if / havel" .yya
.uNo, nor never pedded anything at all, to lei
you tell It ~ rejoined the shousekeeper, swelling
with lust indignation. ~ ss-s rss5s-zs,s 81 -;
s'No ri never peddled anything IN my life bu,
whiskey and tobacco, and 80 far from cheating
folks I, in a manner, as you may say, give il al
away, and had to sell out wagon and homes to
square mp accounts. I had nothing left but . lo'
of internal due bills from Dick, Tom and Harry,
that wafn,t worth five cents on the dollar. Thats
how cheated peoples" said the voice with indig'
nant emphasis. tAs for your shoes and tin pans,
I never sold one in oil my born daysS =.
Mercy sakesl screamed old Hannah h;-'Iook
here, man; :'if was peddler, I'd try to tell the
truth-that I would. - .z... 50. (. /.
Look here, you old cuss, ;" responded the voice
quivering with rage-"if was on that side ofthe
door, I'd learn you how to talk to white man.
Your hide wouldn't hold grape shot. Open the
door, you old porpus, or III batter it down with
my musket" ...
'Ty it, if you want to, retorted old Hannah,
defantly and I'll see if there amt soldiers enough
up stairs to make a. riddle Of your hide"
''Now don't get into pet!" replied her captive,
suddenly quieting down and feeling the necessity
of using little diplomacy to effect his escape, be-
fore the soldiers threatenngy referred to, should
pounce upon him. There's no use, mauma, in
getting into pet and flying off at the handle.
You called me cheating peddler; well, 1 forgive
that-let it go Just be civil and III make it to
your interest. Dom talk too loud, but answer my
question. How many soldiers are in this house p
"You'H see that for yourself, without my tell
ing from me, ;" replied Hannah, composedly, as
she stepped across the passage and re-ighted her
pipe, which had gone out
"You don't intend to give me up to them, sure
ly?" asked the voice, in most appealing accents
tsyou wouldn't want to see my blood shed before
your face Look here, too, I've got some Confsd:
crate money that yours when you hear toreason. +"
SITS no use to try to get of now, replied Han
nah land if you count on buyin' me OF Califor'
ny amt got gold enough" a~3
"Well, that is pretty hard" said her prisoner,
in voice that, all at once, seemed to have regain
ed its composlre ''I IF I've got to be shot or lie
in prison and rot no use to make fuss about it.
It'll all come material, after awhile, I reckon" ..
The conversation here dropped for a while, and
old Hannah heard her prisoner moving about in
the closet, having made up his mind stoically to
endure his fate, whatever it might be. We must
do her the justice to say her heart reented little
when, instead Of resorting to dastardly supphca-
tons for his freedom her prisoner bore bus lot ike
man, spd even seemed to dismiss his probable
fate from his mind, as a foregone conclusion.
After moving about in silence in hisrarrow pris-
on for some minutes, old Hannah was startled by
an interrogatory from within, that caused her to
wish her prisoner in Jericho, or in the Red Sea,
rather than in his present place of duranee.
"Hallo old woman, what kind of stuff is in
these demUohns 2"
The question fell like bomb-shel in the enc
my's camp. 1t reminded her that instead OF hav-
ing her enemy like rat in trap, she had shut
him up with her most valuable and precious sup
plies. She did not like to tell lie, but the ques-
ton pressed her hard it touched her in most
tender and vital point and she felt that whatever
prevarication she might resortto to, was in manner
forced upon her by the stress ofcrcumstancss, and
was resorted to for an eminently good and praise
worthy purpose. "Any port in Storm" was
maxim which well applied in the presentcas She
dgeted in her seat and cast about in her mind for
some means of evading the lie direct The truth
was, these demijohns contained some Of the rarest
and most precious liquors in the Old Dominion,
that were put upon the side-board only upon the
rarest OCCASIONS such as national holidays or fami-
" anniversaries That peddler-and one who
had cheated her, too-should presume to makefree
with them, was an idea that almost overwhelmed
her. She thought it better to resort to pretty
strong fiction rather than to permit greater evil
to take place. Old Hannah-be it distinctly un-
derstood- as little given to prevarication, as
sober old family horse to hurdle racing; but the
fates were against her. She was in adesperate
strait She came up to the work before her with
the desperation of sober old roadster whom whip
and spur are urging on to some obstacle, that re-
ouires prodigious effort and desperate leap.
"In them demijohns?" asked old Hannah, col
ecting her faculties and taking time to survey the
ground over which she was going. '1f was
Mass Tom, I'd had them things emptied into the
ditch, twenty years ago. :.
"Why, what's the matter with them?' asked
the voice rom within the closet-"this one smells
like mighty good French brandy. hahn 'tsmeDed
such stuff since the war e..
"You amt got the thing uncorked?' almost
shrieked Hannah
There was no immediate response. Presently
was heard short putting and a slight cough, and
the sound Of the demohn as it was restored to Its
place. - 80. 49,.
"Halo! old woman, " sung out the voice within
the closet-''you thought you had me like rat in
trap, but I tell you feel more like rat in big
cheese? I've tried the stuff and tell you, in all
my born days, Inever swigged brandy half so good.
It's good enough for a Leftenant- General"
''Mercy on me!' cried old Hannah, in well
feigned alarm ''you amt no better than dead
man. There's snakes in all them demijohns. u
"Snakes2" echoed the voice, in real alarm.
eyes, tell you, snakes Mokkersin, Ground
Rattle, Big Rattle, Spreadin' Adders and Scorpe.
mons. The old dutch doctor that died here, when
was sucklin' my youngest chile, had all them
things put up in brandy and here they We staid un
til now Oh man, you'll be paid now for all
your cheatin'."
Lord have mercy upon me!' cried the voice,
in the extremity of terror. woman let me out
I say shall die if stay in here?
Don't drink any more" suggested Hannah,
n = l...k ~