The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1890-02-14
THE OLD SETTLER.
A "Jot" From the "Clarion Blast
of Freedom"
How Peleg Succeeded in Polling His
Grandfather in Several Desperate At.
tempts to Recall Some Sugar
Swamp History.

Peleg was reading aloud to his grand
father the County Notes in the last
| Clarion Blast of Freedom He had gpe
through the Sugar Swamp Shots" the
'Waftings from Wild Camden" the
Sprays from Sprouts Clearing" and
other jottings, and had come to the
'Blaring Ridge Billiards." The Oh
Settler was lying back in the splint-1os-
tom rocking chair with his eyes shut,
quietly listening. The first jot under
the "Blaring Ridge Blizzards'' was as
follows:
"A reliable citizen of the Ridge saws
ne saw wolves prowling around i'm this
neigh borhood the other night. Ho for
a wolf hunt!''
WAITS thal?" exclaimed the Old Set
Tier, opening his eyes and coming bolt
upright In his chair. Pelag read the lot
again.
Hat ha! hal" laughed the Old Settler.
Ihap's the bes' thing I've heerd in a
cooaS age. A reliable. citizen O. Blarin
hnoge has seen VOLTS prowlin' 'roun'
War, has he? That's better, bgosh,
1h any thing the Clarion Blast ever
mao In its Laugh an Grow Fat colyum-
Now, If the chap that writ that had list
SAID that VOLTS was prowlin' 'roun' the
Ridge, I'd ha' thunk good deal but said
nothln. But wen he says a reliable
citizen Seen EN- can't keep STILL Tn
mowt be setch a. thing ez VOLTS prowlin'
'roun' thar, but ez for reliable citizen,
t!4as won't go down. Tn hain't been a.
reliable citizen on Blarin' Ridge fer bet
tern forty year! Read that ag' in, Peleg,
AZ let me bust laughin'!'
Fcleg read it again, and the Old Set
Ser laughed. After he had subsidized.
F'sls,g said:
DO you think there is wolves over to
the Ridge, grandpop?'
Sonny" replied the Old Settler,
''wolfs hain't no durn fools. They know
their BUSINESS, an consistently know
th't they hain'r got no business foolin'
'roun' here lie these days. First place,
thur bounty O. Sc sOt on their heads,
an that's agin 'em. Mex place, CHI
hain't nuthin' for VOLTS to do NOWADAYS
In none O. our deestricts, like tn was i'm
the good oil days o. Sugar Swamp. Watts
VOLTS Fer, anyhow? I'll tell We wat
SheS'na fer. They'm to prowl aroun' in
the wiidee wildernest an watch their
chances to gether 'roun' the cabins O.
them this had the grit to build cabins
thar. an to scratch at the door O. their
cabins, an rattle at the winders, an.
Fowl an yell fer the settler an his fam
lily to come out an be eatup. Leastways
that's all th't ever heerd VOLTS was fer.
But tn hain't none O. that wildee wilder
nest no more, not in these parts, an the
| poor VOLTS don't hev no show to gether
roun' the cabins an howl an yell to be
either let in or else fer the cabiners to
come out. I'd jist like to see that relia-
BILE citizen O. Blarin' Ridge th't saws he
sees them VOLTS. If he was billed down
I'll bate bar'l O pork agin sap auger
th't he'd come out one part citizen an
nine parts Blarin' Ridge red eye, an
common leetle every day jag on that
decoction IL make Teller see VOLTS an
wildcats am fiery dragons all to wunst,
b'gosht'lmighty, an l know it! Read
that agin, Peleg."
feleg was growing trif1e weary of
the Blaring Ridge Blizzard, but he read
the Jot once more, and his grandfather
roared again, and said he hadn't ini'yea
any thing SO much sence Bill Rapsy lost
his ear in bar rassel.
80 they'm gointer hoe fer a wolf
hunt, be they?" said the Old Settler.
"Wull, they'll hef to hoe, an they'll hef
to keep on hoeing, b'gosh, till thew git
clean through to Rooshy fore they strike
a wolf''
The Old Settler laughed again. Peleg
lalo the paper aside, and was soon alb
Sorbed in literature more to his fancy.
The mirthfulness of the Old Settler
ceased by and by. He glanced with
some establishment at Peleg, who, with
Doth elbows on the table and cheek
resting on each hand, was porting over
book that lay open before him. The
Old Settler rocked very hard for a mo-
ment Then he sat still and shufRed
his feet on the floor. He coughed. He
got up, lit his pipe, and sat down again.
making great hustle in doing it. Peleg
never raised his eyes from his book.
PRESENTLY the Old Settler said, sharply:
"Peleg, III bate yer gointer asst me if
ever had any sperience with wolfs!''
NO halnt, grandpop," said Pelee,
quietly, without moving from his posi-
ton.
II the Old Settler hadn't have taken
his pipe from his mouth just as he did it
would have fallen out, for the calm dis
'rterestedness of Peleg so affected him
that his jaw fell, and he gazed with
staring eyes and open mouth at his
grandson. 1t was some time before he
recovered himself. He took few whiffs
at his pipe and then said, insinuatipgly:
did We know, sonny, th't 1 killed
ulne VOLTS at wuAst fore l were ten
year-old?'
mo-" replied Peleg, coolly, LOOKING
up for the first time and putting his fin
ger on the line to keep the place where
he was reading. "Why, that's pretty
good, grandpop"
Then he resumed his reading as be-
fore. The Old Settler actually had tn
catch for his breath. He could scarcely
believe his eyes or his ears. He sat for
spell staring about him, and was abont
to fetch Peleg up all standing, when. a
suspicion flashed across his mind. Had
Maria been belittling his recollections
OF Sugar Swamp to Peleg, and giving the
boy points?
"Peleg," said the Old Settler s4errlv