The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1881-09-02

the twelfth o. March? Likely none on
US won't never forget it. Wal, didn't
love Pelt Cressy then; l hated him; an
as I see him that day. full o. pascal
gers, goin' out o. Selborn, with his spry.
young team, [ didn't love him no bet
ter. I was cold and cross 1t was an
awful night, an it seemed to grow wuss
an wuss. My! How it tore round on
the top o. Selborn Mountain! An when
we come over SCOTS Bridge it seemed
'sif 'twould 90 down every minute.
"Wal, I started out considerable
ahead of Pelt from the Halfway; but I
turned up the Ox-Bow, to leave Edithy
Fuller, an when. come into the road
ag'in couldn't tell whether he'd a-gone
on or not. Twas all I could do to git
along 'thout stopping to look fur tracks.
l thought, goin' through the old field.
the HOSES would give out sure; but
they held out good, an pretty soon we
come onto the straight cut. 1t was a.
tearin' through here like 8 wildcat; but
I sorter thought heerd a cry, an l
pulled up mint. Sure enough, it Uas
cry, an l knew twas Pelt. l knew
he'd a-run off the bank in the dark an
the storm.
"Wal," continued honest Seth Punk
EFT, his voice growing husky as he came
to the hardest part Of his story, 81 knew
nobody inside o. my stage heerd it. I
knew that when we passed the last house
|-Thatcher's, you know-Iwas ahead o.
Pelt. Nobody could know that he got
ahead while l was up the Ox-Bow. They
wouldn't, or leastways live to tell it, !"
and his voice faltered, ''fsr l knew they
was most gone-the cry was drefful
weak; and I Gale lated they had fell full
| fifteen feet when the team run off the
road, an that was enough to a-killed
'em, let alone the storm. So, before l
could make up my mind to jump off, l
stopped q mint, l did," said Seth
Plunkett, looking shamefacedly around.
'sMay the Lord forgive me! An says |
to myself: III drive on. Nobody'n
never know it. It's their own fault.
Let 'em diet"
Here his voice broke, and he sat
down q moment. Then he rose and
went on:
You see, he was my enemy; but
thought over what I'd been a-hearin' in
these very meetin's about tlOvin' yel
enemies an then it come to me that
was a-goin' to do jest the same as to
murder them folks, leavin' 'em to die
; so. An twas all like q flash
you know; but seemed to sex
my Hettie, an she seemed to say 0'vt
} heerd her many times, so proud-ike)
NV father never did a mean thing in
his life,' an bless her! an, wal, 60
'em, an you know the rest" And Setf
Plunkett, whose trumpet-like 'swhOa!'
had often echoed the whole length o
the village street, sat down, his vas
. frame shaking with his sObs and hi
voice as soft and tremulous as WON
/ ans.
Seth Plunkett found "peace'' ate
this and lived noble and self-sacrific
ing life. And when, few years later
Pelt Cressy's parents died, and Pelt too
his Hettie and little Seth back to tn
. hill farm, Seth staid much with ther
and finally ended there his honest an
. honorable career.
The Clearpond stage has long been
! thing of the past. Locomotives viii
: to-day up and down the once quiet va
! lev, dragging their noisy trains; br
sometimes, when Hettie Cressy walk
q along the village street, the old settler
4 think of her father and of the soci'
= crowd at the post-office, with Banty b.
hind the counter and the Judge deliver
o ing his sage opinions at the front, an
: they heave a sigh of regret for ''tt
4 good old times. IN. Independent.