Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1888-09-28

shy, an eZ she'd ketch my eye her n q
drop ez bashful ez you ever see.
"Wull, ez l begun to feel safe, l
got hungry. Th'wa'n't nothin' in the
painters larder, an thort to IN self
th't the painter nowt iist as well ha
chawed NE up ez to let me set thar
an starve to death. Vile were ras-
lin with my stomick, the painter riz
up an went boundin' away toard
Lost Grow Barren. She were gone
fer couple hours, an then she kim
boundin' back ag'n an fetched with
her a nice fat lamb.
"Haint this painter actin leetle
queer" | says. "Or is this the way
they do wen they hev company?
Il didn't stop TO argy, but in less
time then l kin tell it, Squire, them,
woods was bein' scented with their
fust sniff O roast lamb. The paint er
KEEP glancin at me outen a corner
of her eye She stayed by Inc all day,
an fore night she'd got over her bash
fulness. an were sittin' right long side
O. me, lookin' inter my face ez gentle
ez a fawn, an purrin' like a cat on
the h'arth, only twenty times louder.
ITO cut this contribution to nat'ral
hist'ry short, Squire, afore night the
mex day the 'stoundin' truth busted
in on me, an felt like tearin' my
hair and thumpin' my head agin the
rocks
I've 'scaped fin Suse an the gals
O. Sugar Swamp says |. IL skinned
away, b'gosh, FIN their love in the
clearins, an were findin peace in the
wildernest,n - says |, "an' now wat do
| strike? A painter sees me, an arter
seein' me, - says |, goes an falls heels
over head an dead in love with me!
Goshtlmightyr' | says; "hain't none
O. the sex proof agin me?'
When the truth dropped OH me |
were braidin' snare to ketch some
big trout | had seen in brook nigh
the cave. Havin' no string, ! had
chopped with my jack-knife lock o
hair often my head to braid an twist
inter a piece long an strong enough
to make the snare. The loose lock
had put in flat tin t'backer box th't
| giner'ly carried by a buckskin string
round my neck, SOS couldn't lose it,
t'backer bein' sca'ce and high. The
diskivery o. the painters hankerin
fer me knocked all hankerin' fer trout
outen me, an limped away to think
it over, leavin' the box whar it laid.
"T'morrow night, says |, "lame ez
| be, I'll give the painter the Slip"
THAT night she showed by her
nosin' at me, an her gineral bearin',
that she like to see me in her cave. |
lit big pine knot, carried it inside,
and stood it in one corner The torch
was a trifle flickerin', but it made the
cave light all over. sot down on a
rock Bimeby the painter went over
to the pine an scratched an paved
at the light till she put it all out but
a little flicker at the top. Then she
kinder edged toards me bashful and
shy, but pooty soon plunked herself
squar' in my lap an laid her head on
my shoulder!
Gosh t'lmightyr' says /, 'if she
hain't gone an turned down the light
an wants to set up an spark jest like
a real gall
Il sprung right up an went out, not
carin' durn w'ether hurt her feelin's
or not. Mex mornin', my leg bein'
better, ! felt cheered up, an so | says
I'd hev that>mess o trout fore | run
away fin the love sick paint'e any
how, but | couldn't find my t'backer
box an hair The paint 'er'd gone on
her reg'la mornin's marketin', an |
were 'spectin' her back ev'ry minute.
Vile / were lookin' fer my t'backer
box / see her a comm down the ridge.
She were carryin' sumpin' in her
mouth th't looked queer. | were won
derin' wat it could be, wen she
bounced into the openin' an laid her
marketin' on the ground. | give one
look at it an kim nigh jumpin plumb
outen my skin. fer thar laid little
Dominic Ripper, havin' been lugged
in by the painter fin somewhar by
the seat OF his buckskin breeches. !
Topped the Dominic over an soon
fetched him too. helped him up on
his feet. an he looked round with his
eyes hangin' out like the big eened Of
a banty hens egg. The painter kim
up to me an put her paws on my
chist. an she never looked so durn
lovin' at me afore. Vile she were
lookin' til kim a little small clap o
thunder, an my painter fell dead at
nv feet. The little Dominic stood on
t'other side o. her with pistol nigh
foot long, an he had sent all tht it
held clean through the paint ers
brain. looked down at her Ell she
lay thar dead, an sumpin' shiny on
her breast ketched my eye. / stopped
down. Layin plumb over her heart,
an fasten'd round her neck by the
buckskin string, were my tin t'backer
box. with tn lock O. hair in it,
esquire, thet were tetchin' sight,
an, b'gosh, | had TO blubberl
Il toI the Dominic the story o the
painters love, an he toll me how
he'd been waylaid by her an yanked
in afore he could say boo.
But wat in under the blue can
nerpy did she want TO fetch you in
forl'' l says. Did she think had
tooth for Dominic an buckskin
breechesy'