News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1885-08-20
THE OLD SETTLER.
HE TELLS 4 TOUCHING STORY OF
STEEL TRAP.
an" Illustrates the Great Danger Expe.
rience In Setting Them.

an" Illustrates the Great Danger Expe.
rience In Setting Them.
The County Clerk put in an appear
ance. The County Clerk was agitated
He didn't wait to be asked what the
matter was, but told it right along.
They're after my chickens again, that's
what's the matterl" he said. "Half a
dozen Of my best ones were stole last
night; half dozen the night before,
and l suppose half dozen morell go
tonight, and then I won't have half
dozen lefti How do l know who stole
emf supposed when q certain dis
tlngulshed citizen of ours got an Office
from the Government, a week or two
ago, and went out of town, that my
chicken coop'd have a rest. I've a no.
ton TO have him arrested on suspicion,
any how, when he comes back. Ib'lieve
he knows something about it.
why don't you set steel trap in
the COOP" suggested the Sheriff.
Maybe you can find out something that
way"
'''Fore ye try trappin fur the thief"
said the Old Settler, ''let me tell little
remembrance that hez jist struck me,
brought up from back in the forties by
this chicken stealin' rumpus. Fore We
try the trap I'd like ye to hear that, an
then ye kin do ez ye durn please about |
it.
"'Long in 40, the firm of Waspasher
& Bunoutstop were dom a rattlin' bust
ness in shingle splittin' in Ramsey Hol-
Ter. Joe Waspasher were with nigh
onter thousan' dollars, an had the
pootiest darter O. any gal tn were for
twenty mile aroun' Sis Waspusher
want morn eighteen in them days, but
she could fill out caliker dress like
sugar-cake dough run inter a mould.
Joe's pardner were young Billy Bunout-
stop, tiptop strappin' youngster O.
twenty-five, who put his laber agin
oP Joe's capital. Billy were an orphint
on his mothers side, but his poor OF
to be a comfort to him. The OF
man lived on Billy and had the roomytiz
most o. the time, with 'caSional calls from !
plumbago in the back, an similar cheerin' |
reecryations. Abel were fine OF man,
but tn Mas them mean enough in them |
days to say that though Abel alluz were
sutferin' ter bic Whenever Billy were roun',
he were clipper enough wen Billy |
want roun', an could walk three |
mile to the tavern and 'bsorb more in
nard-cutter thin any bushwhacker tn |
were in that part O. the county. Yen |
find setch meddling folks in all destric's;
Billy never know'd o. their talk, though, |
an were allus talkin' bout his poor OF |
father, an feelin' sorry fur bout him,
an feered he want dom 'nough to
make him comf'table on his way to the
other shore.
''The groun' that Sis Waspasher
walked on were wurth so, 900 a square
inch to Billy, and the price-mark that
Sis put on Billy were SO high that the
Queen O. Shelby couldn't a planted down
tin enough to pay it. an so 'twere set
tied all over the deestric' th't them two
was gointer hitch. TIL were a good
deal o. boss stealin' an chicken stealin',
an sheep stealin' an SIGH pastimes ez
that, goin' ON bout Ramsey Holler
long in 40, an OF Joe an his darter
were dead set ag'in it. Sis Waspasher
often said to Billy that she wouldn't
think no more o. shootin' sheep thief :
than she would skunk, an that she got :
mad every time she thort o. one, an :
Billy said that so did he, an th't he :.
didn't want nothin' to do with no one ez .
b'longed to a sheep thief, an Sis said :
she didn't nuther, an th't she'd ez soon
latch pizen.
''Long in the spring of 40 Teller
come through the Holler deestric buyin'
up sheep. Billy Bunoutstop had some
fine stock, but he didn't want to sell
none. The Teller depitized Phil Linders,
at the tavern, to pick up all the mutton &
he could, an to ford it to him. Billy I
had allus lost more sheep thin any of
the Holler folks, an if tn were any {
chickens stole the'd centrally happen to 1
be BiIly's. AFTER the sheep buyer left the a
boiler Billy's sheep KEEP goin' Eastern t
ever Bine by he made up his mind that b. {
gosh he'd jist fix little job to find out
who it were th't were walkin' off with 8
his mutton, an he druv all his sheep in
ter a log cabin that he had, an tor his t
poor of father, who was sufferln' more'n |
usual that day with the roomytiz, an
couldn't scarcely git aroun', that he
guessed the sheep'd be safe enough thar.
The OF man said if they want that
Billy mawt jist ez well turn 'em loose
an let 'em run from Dan to Beersheby. !
Billy furst thought he'd set a steel trap ]
nigh the door, but, on second thought,
went over to the cabin; which were O 7
mile away from his clearin', an rugged
up dead-fall door that'd come down {
with bang an ketch on the bottom SOS I
it couldn't be opened from the inside, {
Just the minute the regular door o. the I
cabin were opened an the Teller that I
opened it stepped inter the cabin.
4" If ther z anybody tries to run off ,
any o. my sheep tonight, says Billy .
wen know who he is, anil make show |
o. him. ,
when Billy got back hum his suffer I
in OF dad had gone to bed, an Billy
didn't sturb him. Mex mornin' bright
an 'arly, Billy meandered over to the
cabin to see if any body'd ben sarcum-
vented in tryin' to walk off with sheep,
an sure enough, b'gosh, the deadfall !
door were down
" Hal har said Billy. I've got the
sheep stealin' cuss, hav ~
''He walks up to the door, yanks the !
the ketch open, an raises the deadfall
An who dye s'pose stepped out'n the {
cabin? Nobody but Billy's poor OF
father Now most fathers, arter being
treated that way, would BEN so on
aheld 'em. But sufferin' OF Able want
mad, He were simply hurt, with cruel
dart. TIL was tears in his eyes ez he
looked more in sorrer thin in anger at
his son, an said:
Billy said he, his voice quiverin',
I'd never a thunk it o. yarl An only
son, too, an trappin' his poor OF
father for sheep thief If We didn't
want me aroun' no longer, Billy, I'd a Y
gone fur, fur away, if y'd only limited F
of it. But, no matter. Ye needn't git
no warrant, Billy. I'll go give myself 5
up. I'VE cooked the evidence agin me v
SOS it'll count, an my gray hairs'n go G
down in sorrer to the county seat an v
rest in the Jug S
"Billy see at wunst wat a terrible (
wrong he had done his poor OF father. t
He tried to say that he didn't mean |
nothin' by it, an it wouldn't happen
agin, but his feelin's got too much fur
him, an he bellered like calf, to think ,
that his poor OF father'd think that sh'd
imagine fur a minute that he had any ,,
reason to s'pect him o. bein' sheep thief
The OF mans heart were cut an tore in
strings, but still he furgot the injury
that had been did to him in the thought t,
o. how it'd affect his onfortnit sons
futur happiness.
"''Tain't so much wat y've did to
me, Billy said he; but thar's Sis.
Wat il Sis say wen she finds out that
she's gointer tie to the son of sheep
Il 4 1