Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1888-06-22

FRIEND? ? FIENDi HUMAN WOLF
In the summer of 1884 | took
charge Of the S0ndpump, q small
weekly newspaper published in one
OF Pennsylvania's invalid oil towns
which had not yet recovered from the
collapse of the extraordinary excite
ment which once followed the drill.
| soon became an adept in nay new
vocation, but | never acquired that
eel like proficiency which slides alo2g
tickling every body and offending no
one. This made nay newspaper life
all the spicier. Hardly on issue sp-
peared which did not offend some sen-
sitive mortal who made it bis busi-
ness to have beliigerent interview
with the editor, pay his subscription
and order his paper stopped. Yes,
the sanctum of the Sdadpump fFe-
quently presented animated scenes
from what | considered the most triv-
ial causes. About this period Of my life
cluster lnyriads Of "Reminiscences, of
which the one | am about to relate is
not the most romantic.
Seated iii my Office on a pleasant
December morning, which bore all
the charms of a pretty April morn. |
was chronicaling the momentuous
fact that the Star Grocery-which
ran two column ad. in our paper
had donned a new roof, when | was
accosted by an old German lady who
resided near the cemetery and sup
piled US with vegetables. | had
gratuitously "puffed" everything her
farm produced; had Landed her butter,
and published to the world that she
grew the largest beet ever raised in
Western Pennsylvania and deflantly
challenged my contemporaries to pro.
duce its equal. l also rendered her
the conventional Heartfelt thanks"
through the columns of the Sand
pump for the present of Thanks
giving turkey, which-blame the
luck-she subsequently made me de-
duct from her subscription AS she
approached me, I observed that the
complaisance and grandiloquence, SO
characteristic of your German huck-
ster women. were gone. Positive
that | was not in her debt-now don't
smile, please don't, for your country
editors have to scratch and scrape to
keep body and soul from dissolyiDg
partnership, and our thrifty German
citizens are not the most favorably in
clined to trust-positive, | say, that
| was not in her debt, | awaited with
reportorial stoicism what she was
about TO unburden. Without any
urbane preliminaries she began at
once to denounce the mysterious
character of the town, known as the
Man in Black. On arriving at the
hotel be had announced himself as
Benjamin Rush Legrand. Although
he had been a denizen OF the town six
weeks he had not spoken, beyond a
mere exchange of civilities, to half
dozen persons: nor couldthe shrewdest
inhabitant divine his business.
Hence the citizens viewed him ask
ance, with many misgivings. The
appellation, Man in Black, was not
inappropriate; for this gloomy char
acter, iu addition to his mysterious
conduct, was clad in sable attire. In
short, to curtail description and get
on with the narrative, he was a very
reticent and much suspicioned young
man whose acquaintance / had re-
Gently made; and that, too, one
which promised to grow into an
ardent friendship, despite my doubts
in regard to his character and in de-
fance of the odium which enveloped
him. The old lady, ignorant Of our
relationship, multiplied her vitupera'
tions as fast as her tongue would per
nit; all the while emphasizing with
her head and shoulders, and showing
special Indignation by stretching her
apron and lifting it into the air with
spasmodic jerks. | was amazed al
the charges. Woman" | said
"preposterous, it cannot be !"
"Yaw, it vas yust as | vas you
tell; yaw, it vas !yaw, yaw !" she vo
ciferated. Then, dropping her basket
she leaned over the desk and, bring
ing her mouth in closer communica
tion with my ear, wbispered-no
bissed-in a tone indicating vete
mence of passion: "Yust last mach
/ vas him seen-our house past go il
de graveyard-in de mi.mi-mitnacht
On, acb; you know vat ! mean: vel
der rooster crows; init lantern; al
shet nit de front hole in to let d'
! LIGHT ont lie takes dem dead beople