The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1881-08-25
AYILLAGE PROPHET.
"A Character Sketch OF Provincial Life
New ENGLAND.

"a Country Parson."
swell, Uncle Peleg. what kind Of weather
:o-day?"
Don't ye be in q hurry. Do We see that
streak Of yallow cloud all a-hanging rs il
Sal had been a chawing it with her
scissors; that's q weather breeder, sartin.
Forty year I tell We I've watched 'em; bat
the spiders webs are putty thick on
hat ere knoll; yer better wait and see.'
time was early morning. His jean pants
and calico shirt made up en- outfit some-
what neglige. The shirt unconfined about
The throat exposed the sun-burnedneck and
grizzled bosom, the hair was long, OF iron
gray, evidently inclined to curl away back
in the old mans youth. A provincial char
acter was Uncle Peleg; firmly planted on
great feet-innocent of shoes and stock
ings-a shrewd twinkle in his gray eye, he
was the embodiment Of q country wiseacre.
The people question him as o sort of occa-
sion for village humor, q set-oH to the dull,
heavy life of a secluded hamlet. Blu wlthal
he was wise now and then, his sixty-hye
years of observation Of nature and life had
become o kind of rude philosophy, and he
was fond of announcing its canons from
his own doorstep, at the blacksmith's shop,
md down to "Old Puts" who kept the
ancient hostelry. Have you heard the
news, Uncle Peleg29" well, what about
it," He never would acknowledge his ig-
norance, and in this he was not far removed
from some more p~retentious Swans. Why,
Cap'n Jim's son has bought the old place
and is going to farming"
''Of course, responded Uncle P, he's
a-going to rip up that old sod and manu-
facture new. I'm glad ont. This alays
was pesky poo sile; never had any brains
j it, do ye see?"
Uncle Peleg's house was one story, painted
dows with their seven by nine panes were
quite often nearly filled when q carriage
passed, tor children were plenty, and where
they slowed them all was an unsolved
mystery. The little squatty home stood
on a bluff. A river ran through the valley
and q far-of landscape greeted the eye
from the narrow doorway. The distant
horizon shot up dark and shadowy with its
crouching mountains. The interval was
broken by solitary houses, inviting uplands
and dense greeneries of trees. A bold hill,
little short of a mountain, a benignant sen
tinel, gave character to the wide distance.
Uncle Peleg loved that doorway and its
view. He was accustomed to say: Them
ERE foreign painters never could put that
in a picter. The Almighty knows they
can't"
Our village prophet was a blacksmith,t the
best blacksmith in the whole region. Talk
ter me about horses feet! ye don't know
nothin' about it. Der ye suppose I am a
fzle? One of them veteran doctors came
along here" Veterinary, you mean,
uncle" We'll, well; don't ye interrupt.
He had a picter of q horses foot and pre-
tended to tell me how to shoe o colt. had
the colonels mare. Ye know she's skit-
fish. I was a-fxin' her for'ard feet. She's
like a lamb with me. The old horse palav-
erer was jest the right distance. I gave her
the wink and she histed. Lor, how he top
pied over into a pile OF s%weepings. l guess
he understan DIS the power of a colts foot
now" and the old man ohuckled; lit jest
spilled his tall hat, for it fell off and he sot
right down on it..
Uncle Peleg had only ten acres, but he
farmed with his brains, and night and morn
ing he put in a good many strokes Of work,
and those boys were brought to
do their part. The saying went about that
there was not another ten acres in the town
ship that paid such big interest. His large
family were supplied and q good bit sold
every year, It did uncle good when that
ten acres lay in the maturity Of the harvest,
Yet for that matter he had a rotation OF
crops, and it was harvest from late spring
until autumn. The neighbors would hap:
pen along at early candle-ligh and admire
that green sass, = and Uncle Peleg would
expound his views on farming, "Some
seed into the sile and expec
mater to do the rest. Do they think her Q
fule? She's gott o be encouraged and tick.
led and fed, or she'll starve herself and We
too. Now look at Bill Hale; fifty acres Of
the best land in town; nearly starved las
winter, he did. Seems to owe a grudge
agin the Almighty because, after giving HIN
the lard, He don't plant and hoe for him
The Almighty amt a fule either, you bette,
believe; He won't breathe fora fellow aftel
He's a gin him a good pair of lungs.
But Bill has the asthma" demonstrated
the neighbor. "Asthma!'' grunted Uncl,
Peleg, $50 I've a lame leg" Peleg wa.
lame. But I manage to do a leetle strok'
of work. Most every horse is bunge.
somewhere"
But Uncle Pelegw was in his element whe1
at the bellows, and the old shoe was bein,
beaten to a red glow, a little group of idler
about him, the horse in the foreground
stamping now and then uneasily, Uncle
Peleg's bare arms, hairy and sinewy, ply,
ing the long handle, and then stopping t
declare his opinion: II tell ye, Tom Jones
this country is worth something. I gin m,
five boys in the last war. One lost an arm
and one is missin' the old mans voic,
choked alittie-.and I'd gone myself blu
the old woman made such a rumpus; I tel
ye,"--and the brawny arm came up-'Il
go now and my boys, if we are ever needle,
I'd rather shoe Sam Flint's kicking col
than look at q coward" The old man ha,
been nearly killed by that vicious horse
What do you think of Peter Lane
Uncle Peleg?" questioned a caller on
day. Peter Lane had got into bad com
pany. taken TO drinking and was about t
be sent to the county-house, unless som
friend appeared. He was the only son o
a widow, a bright lad but high strung
The old man pounded away, making tn
sparks fly. THE deacon is going to sen,
Peter Lare to thedevil; they'll meet tn
other side of Judgment. What's a few
chickens beside a mans soul. A dozen OF
the deacon's wouldn't make one of Peters
save the drinking" The young man had
been convicted Of robbing the deacon's
hennery, a tight fisted, hard -shelled pillar
of the local church. peter will wipe that
out, give him a chance. His mother is a
good soul, but she has nagged him to
death with her everlasting Worrying
Uncle Peleg interested himself in the
young man. His influence. rarely exerted,