The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1877-03-22
STAUNTON, VIRGINIA, MARCH %, 1877.

her; but his face was sort O. weakened up,
and the top Of his head gittin above the tim
Der line, and not so young and gay as his
woman might have wanted him, and that
gave the other women in the choir hold
but shant dwell; you know what they said.
Then the young fellcrs that was invited to
the Chewses got out with them that wasn't,
and all the folks took si1es-and there we
was agin. You see folks in those little towns
is SO neighborly. They stand by their friends
in fuss-you hear my racket.
''Then come plank road and them that
took stock put on airs, and them that ddn' It
cussed the whole thing for fraud. Them
was happy days. Then we used to sit around
the hot stove in Chew's store Of nights with
something fresh to talk about all the time
what with the ole man deaf as post, and
not hearin word we said about. the choir
and his women folks. But bimeby, Abraham
Miller, the Quaker, started what he called
free labor store, a nice new place, and no
whisky or tobacco about. and all the Chew
SEES and their friends was down on him, and
said these abolitionistss was ruinin' the coun-
try, and had ought to be rid outen it on a
rail. Then Misses June Davis and Misses
Wright they quarreled about a barrel O. ash
es left by a neighbor woman when she NOV
cd. and set all their friends to talkin and got
| up scandal case that split the Old School
Meetin' and there we was agin. As I said,
people in these little towns is real neighbor
| ly. But we KEEP out o'this, and dad and all
our folks stood in with the Chewses, and
drunk the ole mans liquor as sociablc as you
please.
swell, one day Joe Tucker, long, gaunt-
lin, mud mummy, was slungin' along the
street with long, lean, yaller dog that al
lers follered him everywhere, and come by
when farmer was unloadin' some wood, an
quicker'n wink the farmers big bulldog pitch
ed into Joe's and knocked him four rod, and
so scared Bob Stevenscs', the blacksmith's,
wife, that was a takin' her man his dinner.
that she yelled for all that was out and keel
ed over agin the wagon, and her old sun
bonnet a-hoppin' off and her a yellin' scar
ed the horses so they broke loose and lit out
down the street like the devil beatin' tan
bark, and run agin' a ladder, where John was
Baker a paintin' the up front of Abraham
Miller store and knocked down the ladder,
crippled poor John for life, ana upset the
wood into Burn stems oyster celier, KILN
one O. Burnstien's children stone dead, and
tbot 81, II
. pan O. hot oysters into the lap of custom
er and set him to swearin' and dancin' like
all possessed.
swell, I reckon if there was any one
thing Joe Tucker did love, it was That same
long, lean, yaller and spotted dog-they was
more like twins than Christians, and folks
did say they slept together in that little den
back O. Joe's gunshop. So as soon as he
conceitad what was up, he gathered dor
nick and was just drawin' back to send the
strange dog where they's no fieas, when the
stranger saw him and went one better. He
had fist like the hand OF Providence, and
wheu it landed behind Joe's ear, some folks
thought it was blast fresh down at the
say Joe doubled ON himself twice as he went
through Abraham Miller's big winder. Well,
Miller run out and first tried to stop the
dogs, when the stranger yells out
s'sIet 'em fight! My dog can whip any
dog in town, and can whip the owner
ssHe'd better not a said that last, for just
then Bob Stevens run up, rarin' mad about
his wife's scar, and just in time to hear
them words, and the next minute he let out
that blacksmith's right O. his'n and cut a
calf's nose on that strangers jaw. So they
went at it, fist and skull, and in about four
minutes you couldn't a told that strangers
face from map o. this territory, it was so
full o. rcd buttes and black deserts.
.ssFriend, perhaps thee is equally mistaken
as to thy dog" was all Abraham Miller said,
for he was real quiet man, but he did have
some pride about his town, SO he went into
the back yard and onloozed q regular old
English bull that he kept in the store nights,
and it was just beautiful to see that dog go
to the relief of fuckers, an between 'em
they soon put the strange dog to his trumps.
AS Abraham stood ove- 'em to see fair play
the new Methodist preacher came up, and
SEE he. 'Fie on you, men. citizens of Union
Flats, to get up dog fight right in the face
of day. and was raisin' his cane when Abra-
ham gave him gentle shove, and he yelled
out that he was struck-them Boston chaps
is SO tender.
''I struck thee not, friend, said Abraham.
"'You did, SIR
"'But thee draws wrong conclusions
sssSir, you mistake facts
'ssThee utters a mendacious assertion
ssYou tell an internal lie,' bawlel the
preacher, and they clinched. Well, of course,
thin Boston bran-bread chap had no show
agin' one o. our corn-fed men, and Abra-
ham was about to mash him, when, so most
of the men in town bein' there by this time,
the preachers congregation turned in to
help, when Abraham's clerks turned in to
back their boss, and in less time'n tell it in
they was six or eight on a side, fightin'
across toward the courthouse and leavin' a
red trail as they went. 1t was just beautiful
to see 'em peel we don't have any such fun
in Utah.
''But it happened the stranger with the
wood was Mason. an he had some friends
down at Chew's, am in three minutes after
he got away from Bob he had 'em out in line,
and along with 'e,n old Chew, drunk on his
| own whisky for wonder. brandishing q
green axe helve, and swearing by the great
horn spoon OF the Ancient Scottish Rites
that he could whip any Morgan man or
| Union Flats OF sixty miles round. He'd jest
got the words outen his mouth when one Of
! tine Batavy New Workers seq he, Il DOM
take that from no Morgan killer, and fetched
old Chew one that drapped him. Then they
did have it beautiful. 1 reckon they was
about twenty-five Masons in town, and they
Lit on the Yorker and his friends, and dru'
'em back into Miller's store, where they fort
ed and held their own, and they daresn'
an anti-Ma show hisself.
"But 'twant for long. In jist no tint
they came up heavy, and with 'em the folk
1 I, Il tbu