Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1885-11-26
KEzlAH Thew

DcuJdlnlu IHeW WAS returning 0OLUG-
ward with long, heavy rifle on his
shoulder when he heard of Basil
Bonyford's attentions to his daughter
Keziah. He met Ezra Lewis in the
road, which was little more than q
mountain path over the rugged eastern
spurs of the Alleghanys. Ezra stopped
in the road to admire the large, fat
buck thrown across the saddle of the
horse Thew was leading.L
you're famous shot, Uncle Ben"
he said, "a famous shot" Benjamin
Thew was very proud of his skill as a
hunter, and of his daughter Keziah
He turned his dust-colored, wrinkled
face toward the setting sun, and a
grim, self-satisfied smile gathered
about the corners of his thin lips.
Then Ezra Lewis added, IL reckon
there, amt your ekal in this part of
Virginny, onless it be young Baz Boyn-
ford"
YES" Thew replied, II hear he can
shoot leetle at a blazed tree, but /
never knew Wing yit that had narve
for ia ! shootin'."
.~.Why, Uncle Ben, / thought you an
nearing u6' 10 W DO llihll VI ~
at your house, and your Kizzie tother
half" -..
At this the point of Thew's high,
thin nose, which was curved like the
beak of an eagle, appeared to creep
down toward his short, struggling mus
tache, and he replied: "Him, Baz
Boynford, why his father in his time
was the rankest old Wing on the
mountain. What an ideal Who start
ed that lie?"
II d'no, Uncle Ben. heard it.
"Ifs all moonshine, Ez. No half
faced Wing can do any marrying with
Kiz whilst live, nor after; red deer
don't mate with gray squirrel.
An hour later, after Benjamin Thew
had carefully rubbed his rifle, probed
q piece of buckskin into its nozzle and
laid it on the pegs near the broad
chimney in his kitchen, he turned tc
X Keziah and said: "What's this 1 hear
about Baz Boynford
KAgiah looked ND from the browning
corn bread in the Dutch oven, the lid
of which she had just removed, and re.
Piled: Il don't know, pap, 1 didn.t
carry your ears"
Il denied il, Kizzie, right fiat"
Keziah bent lower over the oven and
said "Yes, pap, what did you hear ?"
"I heerd that Baz Boynford had his
eyes set on you"
"Who told you that, pap?"
az met Ez Lewis when was coming
down the mountain and he told me"
Hearing no response from his daught
er, Thew asked: "What do you say tc
that, KizzieP'
"Oh, to that? I'm sure I think if e,
| Lewis used his hands more and his
tongue less he would be much better
off" ev's -l -
"Yes, that may be so he is rather {
shiftless critter, but you are not an
swering about Baz Boynfords eyes OF
aOh, that? Well, I'm sure that
they are not very bad eyes, pap: I'v'
seen u good many worse.
Thew stood beside his daughter, lait
one of his long bony hands on hel
shoulder, and said "Now, look here
Kizzie, sence you have no mother no
sister nor brother, I'm responsible 70
you"
4 Keziah replied laughingly: 90
course you are, papa. and / am respon
sible for you since you have no one els
to care for you, and you don't knoy
how it worries me sometimes"
4 ayes, of course, Kizzie, and my duty
is to keep you from going wrong. 20
Keziah's face became very red at TIN
and she exclaimed hotly: "Me goini
wrong, pap; did Ezra Lewis dare -sa.
| that, and did You hear it withou
shooting himP" QNiNE 3
"He said there was talk OF you air
Baz Boynford marrying"
"Oh, that? Is that all? ..-.-.a----
What worse wrong can you do thaI
that, Lizzie9" q q ) y "
"Why, that's nothing, pap"
"Nothingl That nothing Why, Kiz
z-i-e, how you talk-Nothingl Moth
ing and him--a Whigp MIME
"Oh, indeed, is that so dreadful bad
"Badl Why, what in the world ca
be worse?"
what, TO be Whig2" -exclaime
i Keziah, with little laugh; "and wha
are you, pap?'
"MeP mel Thank God ther amt mar
drop of Whig blood in my veins"
isn't there, pap? / didn't know.
Then after little pause Keziah added
"Pm sure my marrying Baz wouldn
add any Wing blood to your veins
Would IL, papP"1 ~ 4vV -@s
Keziah turned the smoking cor
bread out of the Dutch oven and lai
it on the table while she was speaking