The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1883-09-05


them young uns on my hands to take
keer of, an me with only one arm, fur
my left shoulder wer' swelled ez big ez
mussmelon.
II wer' lookin' at them redskins,
fur they'd come out tn bushes by this
time, an wonderin' what I'd do; an,
boys, never felt so mean in my life,
when l felt q little hand on my should
er--th' well one. / turned round, an
thar wer' Polly standin'.
"'Jim,' says she, Il amt bit
skeered with YOU 1 looked n her eyes
for moment, an 1 got ez bold ez
brass. / bent down, putin my arm
round her, an kissed her, an eff you'll
b1ieve me Polly kissed me back"
"Now, Jim, you know that amt
true" said Aunt Polly, with a con-
scious smile, her cheek slightly redden-
ing as she spoke.
al begs your parding, my DEAR"
said Uncle Jim, with an elaborate wink
at the rest of us, intended to assure us
that he firmly held to his theory; 81
outer have 'membered you don't give
in & that ar. However, at any rate
you didn't object, did YEP"
"No, DEAR" said the old lady, with
a placid smile.
II looks at her for a moment, an 1
says:
Polly says /, 1 loves you, darlin.'
"Dog gone me eff she did't put her
head down on my shoulder an begin t.
cry. / didn't know what t. do.
"'Polly,' says I, is you skeered,
darlin'P'
"She lifted up her head an says,
soft-like, her head bent down:
al die willing, dear, to hear you
say that. I'm cryin' Jim, cause I'm
so happy
"Now wer' happy, too, happy as a
bar N honey tree, but / didn't feel
like cryin'. Not much, boys. I felt,
sore arm an all, ez tho 1 c'u'd lick all
the redskins this side of the Rockies.
1 never did feel so good ez did then.
l kissed Polly agin, an then prepared
for work. BY this time them Injuns
had made up their minds ez to
what they'd do, an a few on 'em
come up e tn house to break in.
They know'd tn old man wer' away, it
seems. I'm glad T. say ez how three
on 'em didn't go back, for Tom settled
one an 1 fetched two, restin' the rife
on tn logs an Polly loadin' fur me.
TIL rest, they got out. L s'pose it
wer' too hot fur 'em. Th' next thing
wer' flight of arrers agin' tn logs, but,
bless ye, we didn't care for them.
Then ther' wer' lull kinder for a
time, an at last l seen some fire arrers
fly out. They'd taken tufts of grass
wound 'em round the arrers, an shot
'em off blazing. at first they fell
short, an wharever 1 c'u'd see a red.
skin I'd fire, gener'ly hurtin' the chap
1 aimed at. But arter a while they
moseyed round tn clearin' tC
tn side nearest tn house, an
here they'd fire them arrers from be
hind trees, so 1 didn't see EN-
Bimebye one of 'em lit, an fust
thing knowed, tn roof were on fire
Now, 1 were considerable bothered
bout this, fur had no water to put
tn fire out, an eff had, 1 c'u'dn't
work much with one arm. 1 were
studyin' on it, an them reds were
yellin' outside, when all of a sudden
my eye fell on long pole in one
corner.
"That 'ar roof were made of shake:
-slabbed-out boards, you know-an
they was pinned to tn beams. Ipick:
up tn pole. an putin it agin tn
burnin shake, tn hull lot of us heaved
Bimebye tn shake give an slid off.
"Wall, were delighted l kissej
Polly an tn two gals, an shook hands
with Tom. I calculated that we'C
shove off a shake soon ez it got on fire
an knowed' tn logs w'u'dn't burn
i l told Polly to get mattrass, an ge
under it, so ez to be safe eff any arrer
fell through tn hole, but she put tn
young uns thar, an stayed out herself
Said she weren't goin' to let me be il
danger, a. she outer it. Pears to IN,
now ez this were kinder foolish, bu
then thought it were just like Polly
an in course what PollyS did wer
right"
"Td do thesame now, Jim," said tn
old lady.
at b'lieve you w'u'd, b'lieve yol
w'u'dl WAL, boys, time slipped on
an every chance Tom or got wei
fire, an somebody'd get hurt. 1 tol,
Tom an Polly an the gals to keep
sharp lookout, fur I were feared of
run-in by tn reds. Sure enuff. 'bou
10 o'clock they come. Fust thing
lnowed they were batterin' away a
tn door, an they got it down.
"Wall, it 'peared t. me ez tho
went crazy just then. 1 ketched hol
of an ak standin' thar an set mysel
in that doorway an eff youn bliev
me, ther wern't no Injun ez come il
My arm never thought bout m
arm at all till it wer' all over"
Jim stood up ther' in frunt of us,
broke in Aunt Polly, with kindlin
avas tan IL seamed IN me eZ if he 90