San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1889-05-23
ARGOS HAYS COUNTY. TEXAS. THURSDAY. MAY %. 1885,
PELEG'S REBUKE.

PELEG'S REBUKE.
"Grandpop," said little Peleg, "do you
remember story you told me back about
New Years time? A real good ono Il
was, grandpop," said Peleg, diplomati-
cally.
"'Bout New Years time, did ye say,
sonny2" replied the Old Settler, pleas
antly. Lemme see-wero 1t nat'ral his
t'ryY
"well, there was an elk In IT," said
Peleg.
"Ahai an elk, hayY exclaimed tho Old
Settler, nodding approvingly. "Were !
a-lammin' of him goodp Did rassel
him an thump him till he bellered an
bawledr Or were he a-jabbin' Of mo
inter tho ground hisself, foot or two at
ev'ry jabf An elk, Peleg, amt ez gentle
ez q suckin' dove when he pitches inter
20. WITCH were on top, sonny, an like
liest to DO cock O. tho walkr Mo or the
elk?'
"You was, grandpop, for you was rid
ing him." replied Peleg.
"Ohi Jist takin' o leetle olk-back
spin round tho kentry, hay~ said the
Old Settler. THAT were jist like me,
b'gosh!"
"Nor' replied Peleg. "Tho elk was
swimming. Don't you remember You
was telling mo about time when you
and your nanny and your pop was
nearly starved to death. There wasn't
nothing in tho house to eat, and at last
you went out to ketch some eels. You
got ketched In flood, and the elk came
along in the food, and you jumped ON
its back and steered 1t right into your
pops cabin, and Mt the same time the
food washed down from way up the
creek tree full Of apples right to tho
cabin door, and you and your pop and
your nanny lived high on elk meat
and apple pie. That's what tho story
was about, grandpop. Do you remem.
Der 1t nowp"
"Rutherl" said the Old Settler.
"Before you brung in the elk and the
apples you didn't have nothing in the
cabin to eat at all. did you, grandpop%
"Not oven white bean, b'gosh"
"Not rs much as little flour or corn
meal or buckwheatT
eye k'd ha' stuck ev'ry drop o flour,
corn meal an buckwhit tn was In the
cabin inter 'skeeters oye, an it wouldn't
ha' started tear"
"But after you fetched In that elk and
apples you had apple pie, didn't your
"Bet ye! An bang up apple pie It
were, too. No woman ez ever lived KID
beat my OF nanny maxim apple pie,
Peleg."
"Well, I've been wondering good
while, grandpop."
"Hev We, sonny2 An wat hez been the
heft O. yer wonderin'
"Ive been wondering, grandpop, what
your nanny could have made her pie
crust out Of" said Peleg, not without
fldgeting on his chair.
The Old Settlers smile gradually left
his face. He stroked his chin awhile,
and then lit his pipe. After few en-
phatic whiffs no looked at Peleg.
"Peleg," said he, severely, "Bill Sim.
mons hez ben helpin' ye long consid'-
able with yer wonderin', or else human
natur' is differ'nt f'm wat think it is!''
"No, grandpopr exclaimed Pclcg. ~
thunk it up all by myself"
The Old Settler smoked in silence for
so long time that Peleg could scarcely
bear the suspense. AT last his grand
father spoke.
II b'lieve, Peleg," said the Old Settler,
"th't ye hain't never he'd tamc crow.
Yer he'd tho measles, an yer worked up
O consid able o stone bruises on yer heel.
Yer gran nanny has made ye set pooty
reg'lar an listen to Brother Van Slocum
of Sunday, an 'casionaly Of an evenin'
yev he'd to git tho best O the multipulca-
ton table, and yev he'd the mumps on
both sides to wunst. But ye never he'd a
tame crow.
IA boy, Pelcg, who has had tame
crow to contend agin', an hez contended
agin' it an yit crowd up to man an a
gran'father, is boy, b'gosh, setch ez
don't happen often. Wen ! were boy
in the Sugar Swamp deestric' he'd two
tamo crows an contendcd agin' 'em.
Wuther ever crowd up to be q man an
a grandfather, 1t hain't fer me to say.
Wen were boy, one day ez ! were
roamin' In the woods, l see crows
nest in tn top Of tall. dead pine
tree. Now couldn't SEQ wuther
tn were anything In the nest or not, an
fer all know'd 1t mowt ha' been q las
years crows nest, an most ev'rybody
knows th't las years crows nest hain't
a much moro valu'ble piece O. property
than an empty jug ten miled I'm a
tavern. But want chopped outen the
kind o. stuff th't were gointer let mo
slide by that tree thout flndin' out
wuther the nest wcro q las years or a
this years. an so | jist clumb clean to
the top o. the pine TO sce. Wull, tho nest
were q this years, an IL had In IL two
young crows, most ready TO hy out an
be teached tht tho unly harm In scare
crows is th't they're li'ble TO brcak down
II too many CROWS lights on 'em TO
wunst, On tht the unly thing tn Is In
life fer q crow IS cuE5edness. an th't he
must alluz hev that cusscdnes5 onmixed.
I made up my mind right of tht I'd jist
save thcse two young crows I'm dis
graceful futur, and 20 | lifted EN- outen
the nest, slid down the troc an lagged
the youngsters hum
"Ye mcbbc don't know tht n ye slit
crow. tongue wen tie varmint Is young
it1l rarn 20 talk - glib cz \ ligAtuin rod
pcddleT; hut WBther ye know IL or not,
It's 20. So wen tlIese tuo cot leetio
ol5cr I clipped their wings an siit their
tonguoa Twa'nt long fore them crows
k'd taIk a sireat. an IN six Inonths-Jee-
uhizzi but they was ooskersi Tbey gof
% handlin' stage driver and bark peeier
taxi rl1fhcr easy, too. an Eile that made
their conversation a icssie sTarklin' for