Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1868-05-14
OSBORN'S PIPE.


Osborn's Pipe was not a tobacco-pipe
but playing pipe, or whistle At least SC
my grandmother said, for she said hcI
grandmother knew very old woman
down at the head of the lake who had
known Osborn and seen his pipe. But,
if you like. I'll tell you the story:
Once on a time there was a poor tenant
farmer who had to give up his farm to his
landlord; but if he had lost his farm, he
had three sons left, and their names were
Peter, Paul and Osborn Boots. They
stayed at homo and sauntered about, and
wouldn't do stroke of work that they
thought was the right thing to do. They
thought, too. they were too good for every
thing, and that nothing was good enough
for them. So. .if. II aH.s
At last Peter had got to hear how the
King would hive keeper to watch his
hares; so he said To his father that he
would be off thither theplace would just
suit him, for he would serve no lower man
than the King; that was what he said
The old father thought there might be
work for which he was better fitted than
that; for he that would keep the King s
hares must be light and lissom, and no
laZybOnes, and when the harcs began to
skip and frisk there would be quite another
dance than lettering about from house to
house. Well, it was no good. Peter
would 90, and must 60 SO he took his
scrip on his back and tOddled away down
the hill and when he had gone far, and
farther than far. he came to an old wife,
who stood there with her nose stuck fast
in a log of wood, and pulled and pulled at
1t; and as soon as he saw how she stood
dragging and pulling to get free, he burst
into loud fit of laughter 4ts al
Don't stand there and grin" said the old
wife, but come and help an old cripple
was to have split asunder a little fire.
wood, and / got my nose fast down here,
and So | have stood and tugged and
torn, and not tasted morsel of food for
hundreds of years" That was what she
sid
But for all that Peter laughed more and
more. He thought it all fine fun. All he
said was, as she had stood so for hundreds
OF years, she might hold out for hundreds
of years still.
When he got to the Kings grange they
took him for keeper at once II was not
bad serving there, and he was to have
good food and good pay, and maybe the
Princess into the bargain but if one of
the Kings hares got lost, they were to cut
three red stripes out of his back. and cast
him into pit of snakes
So long as Peter was in the byre and
hometield he kept all the hares in one
flock; but as the days wore on, and they
got up into the wood, all the hares began
To frisk, and skip, AMI scuttle away up and
down the hillocks. Peter ran after them
this way and that, and nearly burst him.
self with running, so long as he could
make out that he had one of them left, and
when The last was gone he was almost
brokenwinded, and after that he saw moth
ing more of them.
When it drew towards evening, he saun-
tered along on his way home, and stood
and called and called to them at each fence,
but no hares came and when he got home
To the Kings grange, there stood the King
all ready with his knife, and he took and
cut three red stripes out of Peters back,
and then rubbed pepper and salt into them,
and cast him into pit of snakes.
After a time Paul was for going to the
Kings grange to keep the Kings hares
The old gaffer said the same thing to him,
and even still more but he must and
would set off; there was no help for it,
and things went neither better nor worse
with him than with Peter The old wife
nose TO get it out of the log; he laughed.
and thought it fine fun, and left her stand
ing and hacking there He got the place
hoped and skipped away from him down
all the hillocks, while he rushed about till
he blew and painted like a coOley-dog in
the dog days. and when he got home at
night. To the King grange. without hare,
the King stood ready with his knife in the
porch, and took and cut three broad red
stripes out of his back, and rubbed pepper
and salt into them, and SD down he went
into the pit of snakes.
Now, when a little while had passed,
Osborn Boots was all for setting offto Keep
the Kings harcs and he told his mind 10
the gaffer. He thought it would be Just
the right work for him to go into the
woods and fields, and along the wild straw
berry brakes, and to drag flock of hares
with him, and between whites to lie and
sleep and warm himself on the sunny hill
sides.
The gaffer thought there might be work
which suited him better; if it didn't 90
worse, it was sure not to go better with
him than with his own brothers. The
man to keep the Kings hares must not
dawdle about like azybones with leaden
soles to his stockings or like a fly in a tar
pot; for when they fell to frisking and
skipping on the sunny slopes, it would be
quite another dance to catching heas with
gloves on No; he that would get rid OF
thai work with whole back had need TO
be more 1.-the and lissom and he must fly
about faster than a bladder on birds
wing. g. ..a.f.z..,s.. ..-fs..t - ...r
We'll, well, ii was all no good, however
bad it might be" said Osborn Boots. HI
would 90 to the Kings grange and serve
the King, for no lesser man would hi
serve, and he would soon keep the hares
They couldn'twll be worse than the goa
and the calf at home So Boots threw hi.
scrip on his shoulders, and down the hin h,
toddled
So when he had gone far. and farther
than far, and began to get right down hun
cry, he, too, came to the old wife, who
stood with her nose fast in the log, who
tugged and tore, and tried to get loose.
"GoOd-day, grandmother" said Boots
Are You standing there whetting YOU
nose, poor old cripple that you areg"
Now, not soul has called me mother
for hundreds of years." said the old wife
Do you come and help me to get free
and give ,ne something to live on; for
haven't had meat in my mouth all tina
time. See if don't do you a motherly
turn afterwards"
Yes, he thought she might well ask fol
bit Of food and drop of drink.
SO ne cleft the log for her, that sh'
might get her nose out of the split, ant
sat down to eat and drink with her; and
as the old wife had a good appetite, yos
may fancy she got the lions share of thu
meal. -. - ,iN :, -. ~ y. -. + I.
When they were done, she gave Boots
pipe, which was in this wise:s when N
blew into one end Of it, anything h
wished away ives scattered to the fou
winds, and when he blew into the other
all things gathered themselves togethe
ag4in: and IL the pipe were lost or takel