The Middlebury register and Addison County journal. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1883-1885, 1883-08-03
And Uncle Jim laughed until we

IhuhO Oiiy uo lOuuiJ % ohy OliC
"Wa'al," said the old man, wiping
his eyes, "I used to go t. tn Beck
mans ez much ez 1 c'u'd an L cot
toned up t. Polly monstrous strong,
but somehow l never c'u'd tell her
how L keered fur her. L wer' kinder
~scared-like, an l used to hope ez she'd
sorter make the fust move. Mind you,
Polly wer' lovin' me TIL hull time, but
she never let on, an l hadn't the
savez of a mewl in tn matter. I used
t. sit thar an talk bout tn weather,
an tn crops, an shootin', an then
go outside an blame myself fur a fool,
cause l hadn't said nothin' special t.
her. | used t make up talks fur t say !;
but bless we, when 1 got long of Polly
L aforementioned EN- totally.
"One day l wer' n the wood, long
with father, an tn two of us wer'
cuttin' trees. Fell.n' a small saplin',
it broke sudden, an fallin' hit me on
the shoulder. L wer' considerably
bruised-like, ez you may think, an 7
went to bed when 1 got home, an
stayed thar. 1t wer' my left shoulder
ez wer' hurt, an it swelled up mon
StrOus.
"The second day-I1l never forgit
that time as long ez l live--a man
came inter our house on his way t. tn
fort-oP Fort Benton. He told, arter
supper, bout rumors ez tn Blackfeet
wer' on tn war-path, an sad he
wer' goin' to warn tn people.
carter they all went to sleep 1 lay
thar, an L c'u'd'nt get tn story outer
my head. 1 s'pose it wer' tn pain of
my shoulder ez much ez anythin'. but
l didn't seem to sleep. Finally 1
dropped off, an l dreamed ez how tn
redskins wer' takin' Polly's cabin. |
woke up all of a start, an in a cold
sweat. That dream fixed me.
Il got up an stole out quiet, not
wakin' any one, to tn stable. Thar L
saddled my %critter, an rode out into
CHI moonlight. Ez you may think, 1
headed straight fur old Beekman's
place, an ez my boss wer' a good ,ne,
| did't spare spur rldin'. Now you
blieve that ar ride hurt my arm.
Why, boys, 1 declar l thought I'd faint
afore 1 got thar"
And Uncle Jim rubbed his shoulder.
When he put his hand down Aunt
Polly bent and kissed it.
When l reached tn house it wer'
bout 6 o'clock n tn morning, an
thar n tn front yard l seen Polly
feedin' chickens. Eff you'll b'lieve me,
when 1 got thar l got kinder 'shamed,
an eff l c'u'd have gone back l w'u'd.
ct seemed sorter foolish fur t. come
that way, an with a story that didn't
really mount to much ez it stood.
"S'pose Their weren't no raid, what
w'u'd 1 have said, frightenin' them
people into fits? However, Polly seen
me an hailed me, SO 1 c'u'dn't 90 back
then.
81 rode up an got off. The fust
thing | hearn wer' that tn old man an
his wife had gone to Brownville, leav-
in Polly an the four young uns t keep
house. l had some breakfast, an then
l sat down to smoke.
"Polly found out somehow bout my
arm, an she took on drefful; rally,
hearin' her, / didn't think it hurt half
so much. She sisted on my sittin'
still an lettin' Tom Beekman, her
brother-a slip bout ten-feed m
boss, which Tom, who had a kind of
admiration fur me, wer' willin' enough
to do.
81 didn't let on bout tn Blackfeet.
but | sorter warned Tom to keep nigh
the house, an 1 kept him by tellin'
stories.
"Ez the day wore on, 1 got mo- an
mo- narvous, till bout 4 o'clock 1 up
an telled Polly the hull story. She
got kinder white bout tn cheeks
didn't ye, oil lady?-an' her eyes got
big like.
But she didn't finch, not a mite.
l reckon l loved her better then nor l
did before. She asked what to d., an
l told her honest Their wer' nothin' t.
do 'cept wait, an mebbe the reds
wu'dn't come, IN mebbe her dad 'ud
get back.
1.-The house wer' a l~og-cabin, fust
rate fur fightin' in, cause old Beekman
wer' too old a borderman not to make
his house a regler fort. That night
Polly an the young uns went to bed,
an 1 sat up.
"Now, mind we, / hadn't said a
word to Polly yet, but things wer'
gettin' kinder easier, ez it wer'. l
went to sleep bout three, leavin' Tom
on watch. 1 guess it wer' most 8
o'clock when he walked me up an
said
"Jim, thar's somethin' movin'
long tn edge of tn clearin' p
AZ got up an looked out, an, sure
enuff, / seen a head. with a feather on
it, just over a bush. In course l
knowed tn Injuns had come, an eff
you'll blieve me, my heart sorter sank
down. | lever felt skeered afore,
'cept of course with Polly, ez l knows
on but l wer' right down frightened
then.
Its a monstrous mean feeling, that
same skeer. Let alone Polly, | had
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
a mussmelon.
81 wer' lookin' at them redskins.