The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1882-01-19

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Unele--I should say the late Mr. feleg
underhill Pelcg didn't knew them from
personal recollection. either, ~ be hsdn /
fell heir to any grandfather at that time.
and wasn't ia tina, part Of the country
peleg's grandiaiher's name WAS Ezekiel
Merryweatber. At the age Of twenty
he ~as Young msa living over on the
head waters Of the Little Bushkill
He was q romantic sort Of duck. con.
tInuei the sherie. He seorned n life Of
toll, and chose the easy and luxurious eI.
istence that comes OF living in brush
cabin and chasing the heet.footed deni.
gems OF the dim.li, forest from ridge TO
ridge, and bringing home their hide and
tallow. He was an orginal.Pike county
hunter, and was known 10 clear AS high as
$50 some years with his gun and traps.
Nobody knew where be came from. He
liked drop Of the old stuff. and
tie was from Jersey. said the pound
m sst-r
He was extremely shy and modest, the
sheriff went on.
He wasn't from Jersey. said the county
olsrL.
He had very black hair. and WAS tall
and wiry, and all the girls IN the back
woods were stuck on him. The fellows
were jealous because he was rolling up
the wealth 30 rapidly, and because he cut
EN- up so at the stone frolics and husking
bees. A family named Jobson had found
their way from somewhere or other in Jer-
sey to that part OF the country, and settled
near the Monroe county border. There
was old Jobson had uncovered about an
acre OF earth on his tract, and built him a
house, barn, wagon shed, spring
house, an observatory fifty feet high, and
three miles OF four.foot wall with the
stone the acre yielded,
According to the late Peleg Underhill.
Melissa must have been sumner. She
was way up in all'the accomplishments OF
the district, which ranged from twirling q
flap jack to picking panther out
of a tree with the old mans Hintlock
rife. The pastimes and pleasures Of bud
ding Pike county maidenhood in those
days we're few, and it was great reward for
Melissa to get the promise from her
mother that if she would pile so much
stone wall while she was resting frem pull
ing turnips she could shuck the hide Off n
the next wolf that dad fotched in; or if
she cut and piled sufficient quantity Of
stove wood before she went to hoeing the
'taters, she might hold the pig at the next
Christmas KILN while dad stuck it.
1t WAS one day in the fall Of 1901 that
Ezekiel MerIoweather first struck the job
son clearing and met Melissa. She was
having holiday, and was enjoying it in
shucking wolves. The wolf crop was
good that season, and old Jobson's traps
were generally full. Whether it was the
way Melissa yanked the peel oil OF the
wolves, or whether it was her general
style that did the business. Ezkiel fell in
lore with her ut sight She fell IN love
with him, too, and he got TO taking in the
Jobson clearing pretty regular in his hunt.
ing expeditions Finally he asked Der to
marry him, and she said she would. He
laid the matter before her old man.
Wall, scarcely; you cant have NJ liss
said Jobson. No young squirt oi bush
whaker don't tie on to her if her dad
knows it, an her dads up to things what's
goin' on round here pooty ginner'ly
When Miss goes away from this paster
lot it'll bs with some gray-rooster as
knows what to treat her to. She don't
splice to nobody but a gray.haired man,
an ye mount jest MS well bait yer trap in
some other swamp. Zek'el.
Well, now, I'm blamed il l amt glad to
hear little something about some gray
hair, said the county clerk. was afraid
you'd forget all about that, and WAS getting
two stories mixed.
That was great blow to the young
people, continued the sheriff Ezekiel
struck into the woods and Melissa shuch.
ed wolves with II heavy heart. BY and by
Sim Smith of Pccouo met Melissa. He
was on the upper side of fifty, gray Us a
rat, and owned farm. When he asked
old Jobson Tor Melissa. Jouson "-:i.
Ye've draw'd the proper bead the fust
time, Sim. Ye've hit me plumb back O.
the fore. shoulder. The gals your'n.
Melissa hadn't anything to say in the
matter, aud the wedding was fixed for
Christmas eve On that night the popu-
la,ion of three townships was at Jabson's -
sixteen people in all. Old Squire Nor
aau was there to tie the knot. Ezekiel
Merryweather WAS the only absentee. II
was fine moonlight night and cold
as Greenland. The wedding was to come
of at nine o'clock. Every little while the
bowling OF wolves could be heard on all
sides OF the clearing. That was nothing
uncommon, though. aud nobody thought
anything Of 1t. About eight O'Clock the
bowling wss more than usually loud and
prolonged in one direction.
| Wolves il burned hungry, tonight, saic
old Jobson, They're closin in on tha
deer pooty reglar, / reckon.
The howling cams nearer and nearer
Cussed IT, don't think they're goin' 4
take that deer plumb through our tnrnil
patch said Jobson. Well, let 'em go
We've got other business besides csrein
for a passel o oruery wolves tonight; hay
Simy
The wolves came closer and closer