Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1879-01-08
The Nail Boys Adventure.

Never did a boy have a more lonely
ride. II was the year after our family
moved up from NewburypOrt into Pen.
obscOt county. Me, TO begin lite anew
on backwoOds farm. My father had
taken a contract 20 carry the mail from
l.. the town next below MS, up tO
D.. eleven miles above Between
these Two points the mali was carried
twice "A week. The sum received for
the services was only Sll0. The dis
tance was upward of fifteen miles, and
l04 round trips of over thirty miles each
were made during the year. But my
father had counted on my doing the
carrying part on horseback. | was then
in my fourteenth year.
Every Tuesday and Saturday morning
| had to set of for l. at six O'Clock
with the mail bag, and tide over the
county road To D.. This road ran
through forest, and had not been long
built. There were but three clearings
and two watering troughs in the whole
distance. Woods. woods, woods bOr-
dered the road OF both sides. Often
did not meet a single team or person
'
till | reached D. | sometimes saw
the tracks of bears in the road, and
sometimes my horse would stop and
snort, as the scent Of some wild animal
WAS borne to him. Several times that
season had glimpseS of bears crossing
the road some distance in advance of
me. l commonly arrived at D-by
eleven o'clock. but | had to wait there
ill half-past two for the down mail, so
that when autumn came / WAS always
late home.
The adventure of which l am going
10 speak happened to me that summer.
Above D, in the woods on the river,
d numbering firm had for the two years
previous been getting out spruce and
pine. They employed large number
of men both summer and winter, and
did an extensive business. Their mail
came to D. and doubtless checks
and drafts for large sums were often
sent to them in letters and were placed
in nv mailbag. One afternoon, as |
was going to l.. and had left the
town of D-four or five miles behind
me, | overlook a woman dressed in
sOiled calico gown, with an old dirty
white cloud on her head. She limp
ed painfully. and had quite large bun
die tied up IN a calico apron.
knew she was a Province woman.
As l came up to pass her, she cast a
most pitiful look into my face. She
looked young. not more than eighteen
or twenty years OF age.
80 my good boy" says she. ''can't
Yer give me lift on ther horse:"
How far are you going?n l asked.
'DOon ter L" said she; ''and
from ther on to Barngour Bangor in
ter saayice.
.'Do Won expect to walk al the way"
so yeus, but | wouldn't mind that
at all, ef hadn't a trod on the stoob up
here. Ne shOon are thin-soled, an it
stock right inter the hollow of me foot,
an | think as it's in tber now. for it
hurts me that much | can hardly bear
a pound on it. Oh, this is hard
wnreld,'' and she concluded with
heart-moving sigh.
Ny sympathieS we're stirred, and |
felt that | ought to let her ride, for she
looked very tired, and had a wonderful
ly pleading pair Of dull black eyes. |
had no thought. however. of riding don
ble with her. 50 ! got off at the turn,
and leading my horse to stump be-
side the road. let ter get on his back
with her bundle Then unbuckling the
rein 10 make halter of it, threw the
mailbag over my shoulder and walked
along, leading the horse. My passen-
ger was quite talkative and very thank
ful. She told about the trials and hard
ships of servant-girl's life with flu
ency of expression that gave me little
opportunity 10 speak. Every few min
utes she would say that had better put
the ''barg on the hOorse, p" and not car
~ il myself.
No, told her. would carry it she
had her bundle to take care of. As she
talked and held her bundle, my atten-
tiOn was drawn to the thumb of her left
hand. Its nail was gone. 1t had APP
parently been iammed off, leaving pc
culiarIy fresh pink-red scar. In fact. |
the entire end of her thumb above the
Joint was red. and looked disfigured and |
peculiar Meanwhile she talked on, and
among other things told me that her
name was Beisey Ellen McNally. and |
that she was from Woodstock. When |
she had ridden a mile or two, my new |
acquaintance began TO complain that |
the saddle was ''harred osit." Couldn't |
| strap the '-barg" on the saddle. and |
let her throw her old shawl over it: and |
so, as she said, ''kill two burreds with |
one stone, ''-she would have the ''easy |
safe, - and the ''ho0Tse' would carry |
the ''barg."
Till that moment | had not had a
suspicion that Betsey Ellen was not
what she seemed to be; but the thought |
that something was wrong, caused by
the tone of her voice, came suddenly |
into my mind. Ina moment ] felt con-
scious of danger and of my responsible
ty, and that the sooner / could get rid
of my new acquaintance the better.
''All right" said !. '''il fix it."
We had just come IN sight of one of
the watering-trOughs. led the horse
up to it, and told Betsey Ellen to slide
of and sit down ON the end of tie trough