Western liberal. (Lordsburg, N.M.) 1887-1919, 1889-09-06
PELEG'S REBUKE.

~~Grandpop." said little Peleg, "do you
remember a story you told me back about
New Years time? a read good one it
was, grandpop, said Peleg, diplomat
cally.
"'Bout New Years time, did ye say,
sonny" replied the Old Settler. pleas
antly. Lemme CIV it natra his
tryT"
"well, there was an elk in it" said
Peieg.
"Ahai an elk, hayY' exclaimed the Old
Settler, nodding approvingly. Were
a-lammin' Of him good? Did | rassel
him an thump him till he bellered an
bawled? Or were ne a-jabbin' of nae
inter the ground hisself. a foot or two at
ev'ry jab2 An elk, Peleg, amt ez gentle
ez n suckin' dove when he pitches inter
yc. WITCH were on top, sonny, an like
lest TO be cock o tho walk? Me or the
elkY'
You was, grandpop. for you was rid
ing him." replied Peleg.
"Ohi Jist takin' a lectle elk-back
spin round the kentry, hayy" said the
Old Settler. That were jist like me,
b'goshT
mol" replied Pcleg. "Tbe elk was
swimming. Don't you remember? You
was telling me about a time when you
and your nanny and your pop was
nearly starved to death. There wasn't
nothing IN the house TO eat, and at last
you went out TO ketch some cells. You
got ketched in a food. and the elk came
along in the flood, and you jumped on
los back and steered it right into your
pops cabin. and at the same tino the
food washed down from way up the
creek a tree full Of apples right to the
cabin door, and you and your pop and
your nanny lived high on elk meat
and apple pie. That's what the story
was about, grandPop. Do you remem-
Der it now7'
"RutherT' said the Old Settler.
"Beforo you brung in the elk and the
apples you didn't have nothing in the
cabin to eat at all, did you, grandpopY'
Not ever o white bean, b'goshl'
mot as much as a little flour or corn
meal or bu~ckwheatT'
''Ye KID ha' stuck ev'ry drop o flour,
corn meal an buckwhit tn was in the
cabin inter a 'skeeter's eye, an it wouldn't
ha' started q tear"
But inter you fetched In hat elk and
apples you had apple pie, didn't your
"Bet vel An bang up apple pie il
vert, too. No woman ez ever lived k'd
beat my Of nanny maxim apple pie,
Peleg."
"Wen, Two been wondering a good
while, grandpop."
"Hev ye, sonny? An wat hez been the
heft o yer wonderin'f'
i've been wondering, grandpop, what
your nanny could have made her pic
crust out Of" said Peleg, not without
Gdgeting on his chair.
The Old Settlers smile gradually left
his face. He stroked his chin awhile,
and then lit his pipe. After a few en-
phatic whids he looked at Pcleg.
"Peleg," said he, severely, "Bil Sim
mons hez ben helpin' ye long q consid'-
ablo with yer wonderin', or else human
natur' is differ'nt I'm wat l think it isr'
"NQ grandpopT' exclaimed Peleg. 81
thunk it up all by myselfr'
Tho Old Settler smoked in silence for
so long a time that Peleg could scarcely
bear tho suspense. At last his grand
father spoke.
II blieve, Peleg," said the Old Settler,
"tht We hain't never he'd a tame crow
Yer he'd the measles, an yer worked up
q considerable o stone bruises on yer heel.
Yer gran'mammy has made We set pooty
regular an listen to Brother Van Slocum
Of a Sunday, an '~casionaly of an evenin
yev he'd to git the best o. tho multipulca.
zion table, and yey he'd the mumps on
both sides to wlInst. But sc never he'd a
tame crow.
"a boy, Pcleg. who has had a tame
crow to contend agin', an hez contended
agin' it an yit crowd up % a man an u
gran'father, is a boy. b'gosh, setch ez
don't happen often. Wen ! were a boy
in the Sugar Swamp deestric' / he'd two
tame crows an contended agin' EN-.
Wuther / ever crowd up to be a man an
a g~ran'father, it haint fer me to say.
Wen ! were q boy, one day ez | were
Toamin' in the woods, / sec a crows
nest in tn top Of a tall dead pine
tree. Now l couldn't see wuther
tn were anything in the nest OF not, an
fer all l know'd 1t mowt ha' been a las
years crows nest, an most everybody
knows th't a las years crows nest hain't
a much more yalu'ble piece O. property
than an empty jug ten milcd fun a
tavern. But want chopped outen the
kind o stuff th't were gointer let me
slide by that tree thout nndin' out
wutber the nest were a las years or a
this years, an so / jist clumb clean 10
the top o the pine to see. Wull, the nest
were a this years, an it had In it two
young crows, most ready to fly out an
DO teached tint the unly harm in scare.
crows Is tht they're hrble to break down
If too many crows lights On EN- to
wunst, an th't the unly thing tn is in
life fer a crow Is cussedness, an th't he
must alluz hev that ~cussedneas onmixed.
! made up my mind right off th't I'd jist
save these two young crows fn a dis
graceful futur, and so l lifted EN- outen
fhe nest. slid down the tree an lugged
Che youngsters hum.
"Ye mebbs don't know TIT II 70 slit a