Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1886-04-24

- ooa1t largely with the deacon OF the /
1on4es eUet1ement n the village OF Parker's
Eo11D, - salmon river. He had nost little
cof4 painted green, with boz Of cigars de-
ptcted on each side pauel, and an Indian
chlsf, holding pipe and . golden tobacco
sealk, On tho rear The peddier drove
smart little mare snd wsss young man OF
oxcel1ont character keen sf bargain, out
none the worse liked BY the Yankees who,
- hsvo hoard them say, would rather be
ehavod vim sharp razor than a dull one
Espoooally wss he beloved by the pretty girls
el0ns ~ Connecticut, whose favor he used /
70 Court b. presents Of the best smoking to-
hocCo In his stock knowing well that the
countsy 1asses Of New England are gener-
niIv grsut performers on pipes Moreover,
- viii b. seou In the course of my story. the
peddler was inquistive, aud something of
iattler, always itching to hear the news, aud
euxiOuB 70 tell u again.
Amer IN early breakfast at Morristown the
tobscCo-poddler, whose name was Domini- |
Gus Pike, had travelled seven miles through |
Z solitary piece OF woods, without speaking |
Z word to anybody but himself and his little |
gray mare. 1t being nearly seven o'clock, |
he was ~ eager to hold a morning gossip as
city sh0pkeeper TO read the morning pa
Per. An opportunity seemed att hand, when,
after lighting. cigar with sunglass, he
looked up and perceived a man coming over
the brow of the hill, at the foot of which the
peddler had stopped his green cart Domi-
nicus watched him as he descended, and no
ticed that he carried bundle over his shout
der on the end of stick, aud travelled with
weary, yet determined pace. He did not
look ss ifhe had started In the freshness OF
the morning, but had footed 1t all night, and
meant 70 do the same all day.
"Good morning, mister, said Domlnicus
when within speaking distance. =" You 90
pretty good Jog. What's the latest news at
Parker's Falls 20
The man pulled the broad hrim of a gray
hat over his eyes and answered, rather sui
lenly, that he did not come from Parker's
Falls, which, as being the limit OF his own
days Journey, the peddler had naturally
mentioned in his inquiry.
Well, then," rejoined Dominicus Pike,
/" let's have the latest news where you did
come from. Pm not particular about Par
ker's Falls. Any place will answer"
Being thus importuned. the traVeler-who
was an Unlocking fellow "a one would de-
sire to meet, In a solitary piece OF woods
appeared to hesitate little, rs If he was
either searching his memory for news or
weighing the expediency of telling it. At
last, mounting on the step of the cart, he
whispered in the ear OF Dominicus, though
he might have shouted aloud and no other
mortal would have heard him.
al do remember one little trifie OF news"
said he. "Old MIR. Higginbotham of KIM
ballton, was murdered in his orchard, at
eight O'Clock last night, by an Irishman and
u
OF a ST. Michael's pear tree, where nobody
would find him till the morning"
As soon as this horrible intelligence was
communicated the stranger betook himself
to his journey again, with more speed than
ever, not even turning his head when Domi-
nicus invited him to smoke a Spanish cigar
and relate all the particulars. The peddler
whistled to his mare anu went up the hill,
pondering on the dolehil fate of Mr.. Higgin-
B..l
trade, having sold him many bunch oflong
mines and a great deal of pigtaii, lady's twist
and fig tobacco. He was rather astouished
at the rapidity with which the news had
spread. Kimbsllton was nearly sixty miles
distant in a straight line the murder had
been perpetrated only at eight o'clock the
preceding night /; yet Dominicus had heard
OF it at seven in the morning, when. in all
probability, poor Mr. Higgnbotham's own
family had but Just discovered his CORPSE
hanging on the st. Michael's pear tree. The
stranger on foot must have worn seven
league boots to travel at such rate.
Ill news flies fast, they say" thought
Dominicus Pike +" but this beats railroads
The fellow ought to be hired to 20 expires,
with the presidents message"
The difficulty was solved, by supposiDl
that the narrator had made a mistake of on,
day in the date of the occurrence so tina
our friend did not hesitate to introduce th,
story at every tavern andcountry store alone
the road, expending a whole bunch of Span
ish wrappers among at least twenty horritieC
audiences. He found himself invariably tht
first bearer of the intelligence, and was 81
pestered with questions that he could moi
avoid filling up the outline till it became
quite respectable narrative. He met with
one piece OF CorroOoratiye evidence Mr..
Higgintotham was a trader and former
clerk OF his, to whom Dominicus related the
facts, testified that the old gentleman was ac-
customed To return home through the or.
chard about nightfail with the money and
valuable papers of the store in his poCke
The clerk manifested but little grief at Mr.,
Higginbotham's catastrophe, limiting, what
the peddler had discovered in his own deal
ings with him, that he was a crusty old fel.
low, as close as a wise. His property would
descend to pretty niece who WAS now keep.
ing school at kimballton.
What with telling the news for the public
good, and driving bargains for his own,
Dominicus was so much delayed on the road
that he chose TO put up at a tavern about five
miles short of Parker's Falls After supper
lighting one OF his prime cigars, he seated
himself III the bar-room and went through
the story OF the murder, which had grown So
fast that II took him half an hour to tell.
There were as many AS twenty people in the
room, nineteen of whom received il all for
gospel. But the twentieth was an elderly
farmer, who had arrived on horseback a
short time before and was now seated in "A
corner smoking his pipe. When the story
was concluded he rose up yery deliberately
a.id stared him full in the face, putting out
the vilest tobacco-smoke the peddler had
ever smelt
Will you make affidavit" demanded he
IN the tone OF a country justice taking an eN-
animation, :" that old Squire Higginbotham,
oil kimballton, was murdered in his orchard
The night before last, and found hanging on
his great.pear tree yesterday morning ?'
81 tell the story as / heard it, mister" an
swered Dominicus, dropping his slcburnt
cigar; :" don't say that i saw the thing
done. So can't take my oath that he was
murdered exactly in that way"
but can take mine," said the farmer
that If Squire Higginbothan was murdered
night before last l drank glass of biiters
with his ghost this morning. Being a
neighbor OF mine, he called me into his store,
az was riding by, and treated me, and then
asked me to do a little business for him on
the road. He didn't seem TO know any more
about his own murder than | did,
why, then it can't be fact ~ exclaimed
Dominicus Pike.
guess he'd have mentioned it. ii Il WAS ~
said the old farmer and he removed his
chair back TO the corner, leaving Domlnicus
quite down in the mouth.
III.
Here was sad resurrection of old Mr.
Higginbotham The peddler had no heart
10 mingle in the conversation any more, hut
comforted himself with glass OF rin-and-
water and went to bed, where, ali night long,
no dreamed OF hanging on the St Michael's |
pear uee. To avoid the old farmer (whom |
ho so detested that his suspension would |
vs lay paased HIM better than Mr.. Higgin-
botham's), Dominicus rose In the gray OF The
niorning, put the little mare into the green
saa, anu trotted swiftly away towards Par
kers Falls The fresh breeze the davry