Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1885-12-10
BASIL BOYNFORD'S SUIT

Benjamin Thew was returning home,
ward with long heavy rifle on his
shoulder when he heard of Basil Boyn-
ford's attention to his daughter Keziah
He met Ezra Lewis in the road. which
was little more than mountain path
over the rugged eastern spurs of the AL
leghenYs. Ezra stopped in the road to
admire the large, fat buck thrown across
the saddle of the horse Thew was lead
ing.
You're famous shot, Uncle Ben,' be
said, "a famous shot Benjamin Thew
was very proud OF his skill as hunter
and of his daughter Keziah. He turned
his dust-cclored, wrinkIed face toward
the setting sun, and grim, seli-satisfed
smile gathered about the corners of his
thin lips. Then Ezra Lewis added. i
reckon there amt your ekal in this part
of Virginny, unless it be young Baz
Boynford.'
Yes Thew replied, 4 hear he can
shoot a leetle at a blazed tree, but l new
er knew Whig yit that had the narve
for rail shootin''
why, Uncle Ben, thought you an
Baz were great friends. I've been hear
ing he is to be half of a wedding at your
house, and your Kizzie the t'other 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 mustache, and he
replied: Him Baz Boynford; why, his
father in bis time, was the rankest old
Whig on the mountain. What an ideal
Who started that lie?
'Id'no, Uncle Ben. l heard it.
It's all moonshine, Ez. No balf-faced
whig can do any marrying with Ki2
whilst live, nor after. Red deer doA I
mate with gray squirrel
An hour later, after Benjamin Thew
had carefully rubbed his rifle, proted a
piece of buckskin into its nozzle. and
laid it on the pegs near the broad chimney
in his kitchen, he turned to KeZiah
and said: What's this l hear about Baz
Boynford?' 2
Keziah looked up from the browning
corn bread in the Dutch oven, the lid of
which she had just removed ,and replied,
L don't know, pap, 1 didn't carry your
ears
4 denied it, Kizzie, right fiat
Keziah bent lower over the oven and
said: Yes, pap. what did you hear?'
Il heerd that Baz Boynford had his
eyes set on you
Who told you that, pap?'
4 met Ez Lewis when was coming
down the mountain, and he told me-
Hearing no response from his daugh-
ter, Thew asked: What do you say to
that, Kizzie?'
'Oh, to that2 I'm sure 1 think if Ez
Lewis used his hands more and his
tongue less he would be much better off,
Yes, that may be so; he is rather a
shiftless critter, but you are not answer
ing about Baz Boynford's eyes on you
'Oh, that? Well, I'm sure that rhey
are not very bad eyes, pap; I've seen a
good many worse
Thew stood beside his daughter, laid
one of his long bony hands Oh her shoul-
der and said: Now, look here, KiZZie,
sence you have no mother nor sister mol
brother, I'm responsible for you
Keziah replied laughingly: of couree
you are papa, and I'm responsible fOr
you since you have no one else to care
for you, and you don't know how it wor-
ries me sometimes
Yes, of course, Kizzie, and my duty
is to keep you from going wrong
Keziah's face became very red at this
and she exclaimed hotly: Me going
wrong, pap; did Ezra Lewis dare say
that, and did you hear it without shoot
ing him?
He said there was talk of you and
Baz Boynford marrying
oh, that? Is that all p
What worse wrong can you dc than
that, KiZzie !?
why, that's nothing, pap
Nothing? That nothing? Why. Kiz-
z-i-e, how you talk. Nothing! Nothing
and him-a whig?
oh, indeed Is that so dreadful bad
'BadP Why, what in the world Cal
be worse?
What to be whig? exclaimed Ke
ziah, with a little laugh; and what are
you, pap?'
ME? me? Thank God ther amt Rary
drop of whig blood in my veins
Isn't there, papp didn't know Then
after little pause, Keziah added: 'Pu
sure my marrying Baz wouldn't add any
whig blood to your veins, would it pap ?
Keziah turned the smoking corn bread
out of the dutch oven and laid it on tn,
table while she was speaking. He
father, who was already seated, looked
across the table and said: 'Kizzie, In
responsible for you. There amt no on,
else, and I'm responsible. must do m!