Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1888-11-23

Afterwards l remembered to have /
passed an indefinite time in staring at
Buck As he deliberately cut up in rath- /
err large bits the chunk of boiled ham |
that he seemed to be making his dessert |
of, whilst in fact only saw him gen.
erall. and coniuSedly in q succession .
Of panoramic figures representing Mrs. +
Lcathcrwood and her daughter. and I
what people said Of them.
That they lived very retired life so
far as social intercourse in the way of
talking over the back fences with the
neighbor women was true. That they
went visiting misunderstanding the
little flying trips that Polly made to
my sister Elizabeth, or Liz, as most of
us called her-was also true. That
Bogus Lcatherwood was very jealous
of his wife had many apparent facts to
back it, and was true OF not true ac-
cording to the attitude of the individual
then considering the matter toward
Bogus. If he was jealous Of his wife
he was also very jealous of his daugh.
ter. For considering their different
relations to society. Miss Polly had abb
solutely less liberty than Mrs. Leatl-
erwood herself.
Some people had :old Of having
heard Bogus in towering rage and
making the ve-y earth tremble under
his leviathan tramplings up and down
the thick poplar planks Of 'thc up
stairs" They said that neither mother
nor daughter would be seen for days
after one of these earthquakes, and
Bogus himself carried their food to
them at such times and until his SEN
tence of solitary confinement had been
executed OF committed, rs the case
might be. In the boyish freedom Of
my intercourse with Buck Leather
wood had asked him bluntly if these
stories were true, and he had an
swered me very evasively that "people
allus made thcngs out blame sight
worse un they was" Which. in the
language of the itincrant bar of the
Sandtown circuit was a plea in tho
nature of confession and avoidance.
and, SO far as l was concerned, ended
the investigation.
But l must say in my own behalf
that in my daily and nightly goings
and comings about the Leatherwood
house. under the guidance of Buck.
had never seen nor heard any thing
harsher from Bogus Leatherwood
toward his wife or daughter than was
contained in the episode just recOuntcd.
Nevertheless in all fairness to the
reader must tell what had seen and
heard, aye! and felt. too. as having a
bearing upon this subject
1t was one day some three years be-
fore the era of which am now writ
ing that Buck Leatherwood. in a burst
of uncomfortable enthusiasm, took mo
up the box stairway and for the first
and last time-but onc-into his SIS
tcr's room to show me = marvellous
pistol that his pap" had given to his
sister only day or two before. 1t
was a queer. long, blue weapon with
bead sight. a concealed hammer and
an ivory handle absolutely glittering
with jewels. red, blue. yellow and
white, and it rcposed in an old rose
wood case lined with satin and stained
with some dark blotchcs.
1t was whilst we were uttering the
smothered ''uh-m-m-s!'' and ''uh-h-h's"
Of boyish astonishment and admira-
tion-not having regaincd that stage
of self-possession at which we would
have begun to ascertain whether it
were loaded, and if so. how far we
could hit tree out of the cast-window
that old Bogus Lcatherwood. COM
ing from the Lord knows where and
how, bounced upon us with simulta.
neous growl and scowl that l have
since mentally likened to nothing less
than the conjunction of the roar of a
lion with flash of sheet-lightning.
What he did to us neither knew. 1t
was quite certain that we were pitched
down the box stairway. bursting open
the thin batten door in our simultanc-
Gus descent, and sprawling upon the
dining-room floor. from whence VIC
arose and ran precipitately out through
the kitchen. across the lot into con-
venient jungle of luxuriant Unison.
weed, and so ON down to the river,
where we at once pulled OF our nam
keen pants and hickory shirts and
went in swimming. in order to cx-
change views, cody, upon the situa-
ton.
On this night 1 changed my views
about Bogus Leatherwood's treatment
OF the female members of his family.
What had formerly considered
beastly tyranny now viewed rs q
very proper assertion Of parental au-
thority over a maynard girl. and con.
jugal authority as to q weak and in
dulgent mother.
But at this stage Of the RETROSPECT
ton the quick and appreciative ear Of
Buck Leathsrwood caught the pre-
liminary, melodious drawl of q more
than usually sonoroas fiddle from the
sounding wooden wills Of the ample
bnr-room, and, with AN exclamation Of
delight we sprahg up and darted into
enc entry. ana then more composedly
proceeded into the baryoom. where.
In . haf-obscuring cloud OF tobacco
smoke, the court and bar and its for
eign clientele surrounded the 1.-the
figure Of Mr.. Martin. cutting the most
elegant and elaborate Of pigeon-wings
to the inspiring triads Of " Leather
Breeches," played by . skilled hand
and cunning fingers
ITO be Continued