Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1885-04-24

''Pearson hadn't lived in them dig
gins more n six months, and we neigh
bors didn't know a great deal about
him; but our wimmen folks they'd q
spied out the land little, as wimmen
will, and they lowed that Pearson was
a-living in the shanty all alone, 'cept-
| ing fur this little seven-year-old gal, and
they swore up and down that he didn't
treat her right. They knew he was a
rascal the first time they seed him, and
once or twice he was seen q whippin'
her with luther strap. We men didn't
take much stock in their talk; but we
: laid low and lowed that the first time
we kctched him red handed a-whippin'
any gal with a luther strap 'ud be a
mighty unhealthy time for Pearson.
"Well, sir, boys, he wus doing that
very thing when lit down on him
with the buckle end, too, mind you;
and if hadn't beer law. and order abid
ing citizen, swan I'd a shot him then. But
l lowed it wuz best to have witnesses,
and eff I'd killed him 'thout no one by
to see fair play, it might have caused
talk. So jest TUX the strap frum him,
and kinder scared him into decency with
! a touch or two on his own shoulders,
and then TUX him to one side and guv
him the knickknacks.
"F You put them in the kids stocking
tonight so she will find 'em when she
wakes up in the morning. sez I. It's
Christmas morning, and we are all
Christians up yer in these diggins, sez |,
and if you don't l swear I'll smash your
head
"He snarled and showed his teeth,
like bull dog that wants to bite but is
afraid to, and swan to man, gentlemen,
wuz downright put out that we'd let
that little gal live all alone so long with
sech human hyena. But, as said be-
fore, didn't like to take the law into
my own hands all alone, so waltzed off
and hunted up some of the neighbours,
and told them jest how the land lay, and
asked their advice. They all said the
same thing.
"'We'lI go down and talk to him,
right off, sez they.
:" Bring the little gal up to our ranch,
after you get through with him, sez my
old lady; she kin have a home with us
81 lOuS ttS SIG plceScS'
'"Thet druv the nail home and clinched
her on the other side. The wimmen wuz
with us. So we TUX along stout luther
lariat, with running moose in one end,
kinder handy fur talking to seech car
rion ez Pearson, and jest as night wuz
beginning to sot in we got under way
toward his ranch. They wuz six of US
Hank Fletcher, Gale Bledsoe, Stumpy
Bluebaker, old man Bassett, Injun Pete
and me-jest enough to be judge, jury
and executioner.n
cap paused mere 10 IIgIfG a fresh cigar,
but before the flame of the match had
taken held on the tobacco he tossed the
burning match aside.
"Jest excuse me fur about two Sec
onds, gentlemen, whilst l waltz in and
see ef my little gal is ahankerin' for any
thing that kin get her."
The girl was contentedly cuddled up
in a corner of the green plush-covered
seat, fast asleep with her head resting
on soft black and white plaid shawl.
With her delicate features and beautiful
yellow hair she would have been consid-
cred lovely anywhere, and after seeing
her it was easy to understand the look of
tenderness which lighted up the old
ranchman's face whenever he mentioned
his "littlc gal"
"Well, sirs," he continued upon gain
ing his seat in the smoker-and by this
time every man in the car was listener,
- -''well sirs, we didn't say much, becuz
our heads had powerful sight of think
ing in 'em and our feet wuz busy climb
ing over the rock toward Pearson's. 1t
wuz long time sense we'd ben engaged
in sich business; but we knowed Pear
son deserved it, and we meant to give
him sich talking to as he wouldn't have
no chance to forgit.
';But the cards wuz packed agin us.
In the centre of the road, jest where we
meant to leave it, to climb down toward
Pearson's, an old greasly bar wuz camped
as cool as you please, diggin among the
rocks fur worms. l hadn't seen no bar
in those diggins fur years, and begun
to think that things wuz happening pow
erful brisk all at once, and thet it never
rains fun but it pores, when clip went
old man Bassett's rifle and clip went
Pete's and the greasly started down the
hill toward Pearson's, with bullet in
his forehead and another in his chist.
"You remember told you that could
almost look down Pearson's chimbly
from the road Well, that's what the
bar did, an more. He jest natchelly
tumbled down the side of the mountain
and gave one big bound jest above the
shanty and went kerplump onto the roof,
smashing in the rafters like they were
straw and knocking the mud chimbly
seven ways for Sunday.
"When we got there the little gal wuz
in her night dress, standing in the mid
die of the floor and rubbing her eyes.
"'Is it Christmas2' she sez, and is St.
Nicholas Gomez And what woke me
, upP
II ketched her up in my arms and
wrapped my coat all around her, so she
couldn't see what had walked her up, and
| sez, sez 1:
"It amt quite Christmas, yit, honey,
, seq but st. Nicholas is come, sure,
and he's got a whole raft of things fur
| you, up to my ranch.
/ " Il want my stocking shesez, kinder
: struggling to git away from me. Father
} don't know l hung itup, but L did, and
t / want it. f't .."s .s.'.'
t '"Well, sirs, jest to quiet her, I found
: out where she'd hung her stocking, way
/ up the chimbly, where her father
couldn't see it, becuz she knew powerful
Q well he wouldn't hev no sech foolish
. ness, and | got one of the boys to kinder
t hunt around fur it, jest to quiet"her.
t "Well, sirs, gentlemen, that thar little
| stocking--with more holes and patches
, and placesswhere she had cobbled it her
l self with cotton string than stocking