Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1883-12-20
A sHERIFFs CHRISTMAS STORY
And the Difficulties hc Encountered il
Telling it to the Boys--A Hunter
Whose Hair was Turned White in
Single Night.

as grey as q badger.
1t was IL o'clock p. III. The Crisis
man house was closed, and the lights
were turned out, but some of the boys
were lingering by the genial new base
burner stove, where they had been eX-
changing experiences during the even
ing. The stove was radiant Its beams
fell warmly On the form of the dog
Caesar on the floor. They lit the jovial
face of the county clerk as the early
sunbeams illumine the tin rooster on
the hotel barn, and kissed the nose of
the sheriff until its reflected light sur
rounded him with halo of glory.
They glowed on the decanters back of
the bar, with u soft intensity that en-
phasized the labels. and they even
climbed To the mo Trust" 81 IN, and
clothed it with so kindly CLEAN that
it appeared no longer stern reality,
and carried terror TO no one-not even
the foreman of the printing office, re-
clning on the coal box, back in the
shadows.
Eighty years agoN' unused the
sheriff. "E-i.g-h-t-y y-e-a-r-s- ago!
The poet says 'Oldage comes on apace,
but il seems 20 me as if be was bowling
along this way on gallop. Age may
be crown of glory, but | notice that
youth hangs up the most venison.
"Well, said the county clerk, ibid
age pounca down on Uncle Peleg I'm
derhill's grandfather all in one night
and turn him gray? What business
had he to be Uncle Paleg' grandfather,
or anybody elses grandfather, anyhow,
unless he was gray when he started in
on the grandfather business?"
But hold on! Hold on.' said the
sheriff, al haven'ttold you about it yet.
Uncle Peleg's grandfather was only %
years old when"
"Stop!" said the cX-poundmasler as
he got up and began to button his over
coat. "Stop, sheriff; that'll do! I've
heard you tell about cat fish climbing
trees and pickerel burrowing through
ten acre lots to get from one pond To
another, and have never for moment
doubted your truthfulncss. I've told
those stories to my children, and when
they have pulled down their under eye
lids and asked me If | saw anything
green, I've approached them for the
implied DOUBT, telling them that You
had seen those things, and they were
consequently true. But, sheriff. pre-
seuting me with man 22 years old as
a grandfather, you are asking too much
of me at my time of life. 1t won't soak
in. | now begin TO doubt even the
climbing catfish, and my faith in the
burrowing pickerel is wavering. Sher-
iff, it is sad thing when one friend
loses confidence in another. Good
night, boys. GO home a sadder, but a
wiser man.
sPoundmaster," said the sheriff.
"Im touched!' And the sheriff pressed
his band to his head. Then, thinking
the movement might be misconstrued
among the boys, he removed it quickly.
and laid it on his chest. ''How sharper
than a serpent's tooth it is to be called
lia- by a man one darSn't hit!' he
said, bitterly. "But stay. Uncle Peleg's
grandfather wasn't his grandfather
then. You sec"
"But You said he was his gran d.
father" urged the poundm tster. "Do
YOU take it back then, and admit you
were lying to usP"
you see," said the sheriff. not com.
hitting himself. "You see, he got to
be Uncle Peleg's grandfather finally
SeeP"
The poundmaster shook his head sad
ly, and sat down again.
Then that spoilN the whole blame
story" said the county clerk. "You
said Peleg's grandfather's hair turn q
gray in a single night. Now, that would
be something worth listening 10. Il
the old gentleman's hair turned gray
all at once, that goes to say that his
hair wasn't gray before, unless it was
dyed and he lost his hat in shower
Now. a grandfather without gray hail
was just an immense thing to com
mence Christina, story with. But i
turns out that there wasn't any grand
father mt all, and If there wasn't any
grandfather. where are you going u
get your fine work in on grandfather
storyp Sheriff. don't try To play 22
year-older off on us for the old man. '
TRY il the other way; sheriff." sug
gested the ex-district attorney. Can
you make it come out right bv telling
how your grandfather's Uncle Pele,
Underhill's hair turned gray in singh
night? Mebbe that'll fix it.
I'm tell you what to do" said tn
pound-mast.r, who dislikes dispute
.'Begin the story Once upon time,
&c. It'll straighten out as you GO.
EYES," said the district attorney
land if you could work in a couple q
ghosts right near the start, and XII
some one in dark deep hollow, We
like it"
The foreman of the printing oiiic
came out from among the shadows,an
took seat in the glow of the has
burner. He said it was too cold on tn
coal box.
But there amt any ghosts in thl
story" said the sheriff, land no on
gets murdered.
The foreman of the printing ofiic
went back to the shadows. He said
was too hot by the base burner.
II have an impression" continue
the sheriff. ''that there is the suspicio
of an inclination on the part of the CT
Gle this evening to infer that ! do not II
tend to lay this story out with the al
of straight edge. Gentlemen, al
deeply hurt. With what good reaso
let my witness be simple statement I
the facts in the case vf Uncle Peleg
grandfather. Poetic license, my dci
pound-master. Poetic licensed"
There was pause. A label on one
the decanters ceased to CLEAN in Il
fire light. There was silvery sound
of gurgling rill in a meadow. A gror
of earnest men stood silent in the glo
and shadow. Then presently the lab
blazed forth again in all its wonted vi
idness. The silent men sat down. III