The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1878-12-12
OUR STORY TELLER.
THE QUAGMIRE FIEND.

IL was right over tnere at tne size OF
the road, where it rises into bank like"
said the proprietor of the old tumble
down Weehawken Tavern, "that the
gentleman you speak of wandered into
the marsh and was sucked down to his
death. My woman and me heard him
scream, and then we saw the lanterns
flashing about. But they got to him tso
late. It's terrible place."
The old man shuddered as he said these
words to a Dispatch reporter, who had
been asking about the shocking death Of
a wealthy citizen a few weeks back.
The case was reported in full at the
time in the papers.
You see, he was out of his head"
the host went on, I" and always had the
quagmire in his thoughts. His wife's
been in the church-yard yonder these
out in the mash, being drawn down by
the red sand and mud, and that he
should 90 to her. Those that tried to
pole out to him with a hat-botJomed
scow that night say as how he was cali
ing her name and kept on calling it till
his head disappeared beneath the ooze
and the mud and the water. He's not
the first though"
"NoP'
alt was an accident along of his dy-
ing that way, but | know of murder
done by that quicksilver swamp"
"A murder!'
Just as much a murder as if the man
who did it had hit the murdered man on
the head with an ak, shot him with
gun, put knife in him, or poisoned his
apple-jack. Maybe you'd like to hear
about itP
"That / would. But first let's have
some of that apple without the poison"
1T was a good while ago." he began,
when l was big hulking lad about
there, and there used to be road-house
about three-quarters of a mile above,
and right on the edge of the mash,
called The Black Bottle. It's gone long
ago, and there's a carriage or some kind
of factory there now in its place. The
swamp, red and black and ugly, with
shiny pools all over, was directly under
the windows of the tavern.
"Zeke Philpin kept the place, and
he was just as dark and sullen and Shiny
as the swamp, and looked to me like the
black bottle that was painted on the
sign in front Of the door, He never had
good word for any one, and, although
he was rich, he was as close as coffin
screwed down with patent screws.
"There used to be fights over cards
in The Black Bottle, and I've heard my
mother say that many a man stopped
there who stayed over night for all
time. 1t was 80 easy to knock booZy
man on the head, or cut a sleeper's &
throat, and then toss the body to the
quag. Lord you'd never see it again
and if what I've heard tell is true
about geography, and us being opposite
other places, there's many a corpse
nurturing teaplants in China that drank
at The Black Bottles bar, and began its
trip through the swamp outside the
windows.
"Ugly as old Zeke was, he fell il
love, and, as those sarpents always do
with the prettiest girl in all this valley
Bessie Bramble. The Brambles still
live upon the side of the hill as you gC
toward Newark. She was a sunbeam
sort of girl, with eyes like that bit O
sky yonder, and hair like the tassel O
that corn. There was a young docto
who loved Bessie, too, and he had tn,
inside track of Zeke, poor as he was
because Bessie loved him. There wer
folks about that urged the pink ant
white lamb to go to the wolf on accoun
Of his money, but she stuck to youn
pills and sawbones straight through, al
though he had nothing but his diplom
in two dollar frame.
"Zeke pressed his suit, and helpe
Bessie's father with mortgage on hi
farm, hoping to get at the girl by fan
movement. 1t was no good. The doc
tor asked her to name the day, and sh
did. l was at the wedding, and so wa
Il 4 h. n
Bessie's schoolmates. The wee chit of
girl looked powerful pretty in her whit
dress, with the lace floating about hel
and the yaller flowers in her hair.
"Strangest of all, old Zeke was there
too, and mixed in with the people as
he were taking it all in good heart, an
had seen how foolish it was to try an
graft rosebud on such an old thorn g
be was. He was rare old fox, ths
Zeke; and when he asked to kiss tn
bride, no one saw that it was Juds
kiss. To show that he was in earnes
he had on a clean shirt-a little veal
ness he hadn't been guilty of befol
since his wife died, thirteen years ago
:" So, when the old rat crawled up
the doctor, and, after shaking hanC
with him Just as an honest man woul
asked him to bring his little wife ar
take a supper at The Black Bottle tt
next night, after the reception at Il
Bramble homestead, the young m;
never thought that Zeke Philpin mea
him harm. No bridegroom is able to s
such things. Their joy blinds thel
the same as a man is dazzled by the 81
when he steps into it suddenly. Z
heard of bridegroom giving bac
driver five dollars for driving thT