Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1888-09-22
Now. like all boys worthy the name,

WIS eagerly CNl)CEtcu ANU SlOrlouSly
spcnt.
Never can VIC forget the sacrifices OF
personal property, dear to our hearts, the
trades and articles and shifts Of all sorts
to which we rcsortcd i'll order to obtain
ammunition for these autumnal hunts.
nnc Friday afternoon, in the midst of
The pigeon season, when We could look
from the school house window and see
drove after drove OF birds Clarkcning The
sky, Charley came to ME with the .infor-
nation that hc had secured, by Il master
stroke OF enterprise, Il large amount of
powder, with shot in proportion, for the
next day, and we proceeded to map out
ali the details Of the hunt. The envy Of
every other boyin the School WAS excited
by our boasts Of what we proposed TO do
on the morrow. and in our anticipated
success we went back to past exploits,
many Of them magma v:
Thrice fought our battles DER again,
And thrice We slew the saiu.
Thc morrow came, but instead Of the
''sun of AuSterlitz," the heavens were
shroudcd il gloom, aud the rain flooded
the earth the long ,Ircary day. Moodily,
desperately, Charley and myself sat
gazing through the dripping windows.
asking each other o.cr and over the
savage questions: ''What shall we do?'
and "Why does it always rain on Satur-
day" We Were Just in that condition Of
MUD when Satan makes his appearance,
and in Il bland. respectable, gcntlemauly
way, as Goethe tells us, proposes some
internal scheme Of ruin en- that event
full day his Satanic majesty, true to his
aatcccdcnts, iu!rudcd hiuscf and
prompted Charley to suggest that we
slip oil and 80 hunting the next day,
sunday.
At first the proposition was received
with horror then we discussed it with
'baied BREATH" and finally we illus
trated the truth Of ,llat much liacIlncycd
quotation, ,icc is Il monster Of such
frightiul mien," ETC., by arranging all
the prelin:naries harley was To tlkc
charge Of the ordnance department and
lave guns and ammunition at II
certain secluded spot very early
tie next morning., and
was to be responsible for the Transports
ton, aud 20 meet him with an ancient
family chaiSc and "Old Put" That
night crept to bed with a feeling of
guilt and pretcrmttcd my usual prayers.
\ dozen times determined to abandon
the unholy enterprise, and even after |
fell into troubled sleep all sorts Of
spectral visions lleatcd around me- A
negro Doy, whom had suborncd for the
purpose, walked me up at an early
hour, and my courage having partially
returned, | managed 10 secure the chasc
with cold Put" aud met Charley at the
rendezvous. In safety, without being
seen by Il single person, we reached the
orcn country, and then, llinging TO the
winds all reflections as to consequences,
VIC proceeded to elevate our feet above the
dashboard Of the old chaise aud 10
smoke two very long but common cigars
the only luxury Of that kind our limited
cxchequer could afford. Suddenly, at
!. sharp turn in the road, we encountered
the ancestral family carriage Of Squire
Joe Roberts, containing tue Roberts
family, consisting Of the father
and three maiden daughters. on
their way to the church at
an utterly unprecedented hour i'll the
morning. Cid Pomp, Il gray haired
Ethiopian, sat in sober ma icsty on the
drivers seat, driving two family animals
us faithful himself. To the casual OBJ
server the vehicle and its attachments
we're cmincntly suggestive Of patriarchal
dignity and domestic propricty, but TO
me it suggested nothing but agony and
tears The Roberts family were stauncll
l'rcsbyterians and noted for their strict
observance Of the Sabbath, and l knew
that every orthodox Presbyterian felt
himself as much called upon before God
to inquire into the cause OF any child be-
ing at large on the Sabbath day and to
apprchend and deliver that child up to
its proper guardian us to assist Il neigh
Dor whose cattle lad broken out and
were straying from the proper inclosurc.
My first impulse wa; to hide that vii
lainous cigar, which l int.itiycly felt
gave me lawlcss and ruilianlY appear
ancc, and with the quickncss of thought
Thrust it down into the outside pocket
Of my coat. Charley aud myself were
side by side, and unfortunately my hand
with the burning cigar went into his
pocket and II on the tightly wrapped
paper OF powder.
At the same moment esquire Roberts
discovered the extraordinary turnour,
comprising "Old Putt and two children
of The church, loose on Sunday morning.
The Roberts vehicle step cd, and as
somp proceeded to dismouut from his
perch to open the carriage door there
was al OK p.osion. such as my nervous
system has never experienced since.
Charley and myself separated immcdiatc-
". lie wcnt over tie fence into a
meadow and passed clear over OR
through the Roberts carriage, have
never cen certain which. Amidst the
slrcIlS Of the Misses Roberts and the wells
of the squire aud old Pomp sprang to
my feet, burning and half dead, to be-
hold Il scene of utter ruin. Both vehi-
Giles were wrecked. l'omp was in the
midst of the debris and Squire Roberts
looked like the captain OF al exploded
steamboat, but the centra, figure WIS
that OF "Old Put" True to his military
title, that vcnerai animal stood his
ground. but terribly dcmoralizcd. lie
had been blown forward on his fore
quarters. while his tail stuck straight up,
bald and blackcncd like charrcd stump
after forest fire.
1t is hardly necessary to pursue the
subject further. Carried back in dis
grace en- that bright Sabbath morning,
we were swathed and bandaged with
cruel kindness for days afterwards.
Special prayers were made for II at
church and PRAYER meeting. All the
Sunday school scholars were brought to
see us as warning whilst the doctor
aud minister altcrnatcd i'll physicing
us bodily and spiritually.
But the disastrous consequences did
not end here. sold Put" from that day
was no longer the same horse. From
having been the kindest aud best and
safest animal in kentucky he became
"Satan's own" and at Christmas, when
the tirecracllers bsgan their annual fusil-
AIDE, he was perfectly restless.