Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1884-08-20

1
IL got an idce of what was the mat
ter, for Emeline told how she heerd old
Miss Gage a-sayin' one evenin' when
the want but them two to the tea
table, that Mr. Norton was great
catch, he was SD rich; and Miss Theo-
doshy she to sed her shiny head up,
Emeline said, just rs scornful, and
says, says shes THAT is the best
reason for refusing his acquaintance;
no decent girl would marry a man for
his money
"Shc got a old boss that had some
90, and she rid about the roads fur and
near; all alone, mind ye as bumptiou1
as bumble-b.e; and he'd SCI by and
watch her jHnfFeff, all rosy and fresh,
never lettin' nobody lift hand to help
her, but jest as capable as though there
want never n man made.
Snow accordin' to my idees this kind
of bold independence Is not just wom-
anly, nor accordin' to nature.
"Well, most things has an end when
they get to it. Twas gettin' well on
into September, and tho folks was goin'
off to milder chimes, as the hymn book
says. He and she and two old creturs
from down the country, one on 'em
stone-deaf-t was Mis- Blake-an'
t'other dead-lame-that was Mister
Blake--was all that was left. About
the tenth. there came. real ontimely, the
biggest frost l ever see; friz up the
roads just like iron, and it didn't thaw
skerce any in the sun. came down TO
Peddle's with an empty stage one day,
and 10 you! see every one ready to go,
them four that spoke about.
"Aliss Theodoshy she'd always ride
onto the top of the stage when she
| could, so now she come out, bundled up
in stout jacket and little warm bun
net, and fixed the board for her and
up she climbed, the old folks havin' got
inside; but she hadn't morc'n settled
herself before out come Norton, and up
he went by wheel an foot-Loard, for I'd
took the plank away.
"She looked jest rs cool as the
weather, l tell ye; but he didn't. care,
and didn't neither, so driv along.
al had n mighty team that day, and n
light load. How them horses did travi
We he'd to 60 through long piece OF
woods, about ten mile; they're pretty
well cut off now, and there's u railroad
alongside the old road for spell, but
then tho want house nor hut all the
| way.
"We'd got well along when | heered
something like hound way of; twas
one, l had reason TO suppose, for
knowcd there was a hound out on the
scout for himself Whereabouts, and had
been all summer.
Vel, didn't pay no great attention
to It, but all of suddin my leaders give
shy and faced round, the way / spoke
of; they sec or smelt somethin' d Din {,
and while was pursuadin' of 'em with
my whip there was n great crash in the
bushes Jest ahead, and down into the
road, full-tilt, came two of the biggest
black bears | ever sec.
"You'd ought to ha' seen them hosscs
rare up. The bears want after Ncn,
though; they'd heercd the hound "a
plain as had, and they didn't know
but what they was hunted, so they
pulled foot for their place o res dencc,
thot found spell after in n pile of
rocks five mile below; for YOU see | was
| always foul on bears, and il | see one,
had To go for il whether or no. so after
stagin' was over / hunted them two
out.
"But what TO do now, pestcred me a
little: hadn't no gun, and twas tee
totally impossible to turn round i'm that
narrer road with n four-hosS stage be-
twixt high bank, and deep brook
that run five feet Glow the road.
"And them bosses lid act! the bears
went on runnin'. but the bosses jumped,
an rared an sided, and see there
wasn't but one thing to do, and that
was 10 go ahead; SO / fell to with the
whip.
Il larfed right out out. | never
hunted bears that way before there
was the old woman inside a screamin
like three looms; seems she'd stuck her
head out in the first on I and zee the
bears; and the old man was usin con
siderable tongue himself in the way of
words, and knockin' on the roof with
his crutch !or TO call my attent on, but |
couldn't tend TO him, | had the hose
to tune
1--WE went along pretty well, | tell
we; them critters was about rs fraid of
my whip rs they was of the bears, and
fin lily they seemed to see that G. Z
beasts was runnin' away from EN-, and
they settled down to good run, and
the bears went lopin' along like calves,
up an down, down an up, making
good time though, for they ca,
run come to n level, pretty good
jog. ;,
was mortal still, AMI had TO keep my
eye on the bosses SO | hadn' looked
round, but when could stop laughin'
| did, and what do you thinkp That
girl had tainted dead away, and he was
watchin' over her.
"Secms she see the bears when they
come down the bank, and they was
comm right at us, and it skcert her TO
death, rs you may say.
II hadn't no time to say much, |
jest spoke up:
"'You keep tight holt, young Teller;
hunts most up, and then / larfcd, for
after all she want nothin' but wom-
an, and he see il, too.
IL tell you il done him good. he see
the tarnal principle o. things want
played out in her hand anyway; she'd
have TO give in now. that woman
cant always 90 it Alone specially a
| bear-huntin' with n stage an four
bosses! A mans good for somcthn' +,
and she'd owned it up onmcaningly, rs
you may say.
"Wcll, it seemed quite awhile, but 1t
want more'n fifteen or twenty minutes
before them bears struck OIL into q alder
swamp, the road havin' crossed the
brook just before, and we saw no moro
of en-; but il seemed rs though the
hosses never would stop in the created
world; they got a-goin', and we fetched
into Lower Bartlett way ahead of time;
but it took the cxtry hour to rub EN- of
and cool 'cm down, and to get her out
o. that faint, and rested up a bit.
But the upshot Of il all was that
them two come 10 Peddlc's agin next
sumner, married, if must say it, Jest
~ sure as you live; though didn't set
out to tell romance, but To show that
there are some idces of independence
that people sometimes praise in a Young
person that won't always stand and
! when I SOC him I kind of winked my