Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1890-01-24

houses, and had not been ueemed by the
railway people of sufficient Importance 10
Justify d station aud a regular agent The
trains would stop if they We're Jagged, or
if they had goods or passengers to deliver,
which did not often happen. Such local
business As the company might acquire
was intrusted To the village store-keepe~.
who also took charge of the intrequent
freight
This man, Sam Tatters by name, the
drummer described as being very square
fellow; rather nsophisticated, rs was
natural. but shrewd in trade, and very
honest and accommodating. Whether or
not lie had dealings with the moon
| sinners" who infested the mountains there
away mv friend could not say, but he admit
ted that the bar was good for so sequestered
spot. and the liquor innocent of adultera-
ton
That the name which Sam shared with
his village should have originated Tat
tiers" seemed unlikely; but cognomens are
plastic things, and, in rustic mouths capa-
HE of variation and even nf reconstruction.
The more | thought about 1t, the more
probable il seemed that To this place that
wagon of ours had wandered The drum
mar to whom | related the misadventure
was of my opinion. and the more because
this mountain branch Of the ID. and W.
was part of the same system as the trunk
line on which the wagon had started
Telegraphc communication with Tatters
was impossible, and my friend suspected
that the storekeeper was no scribe. since
"high larnin'' was not prerequisite to
cross roads store keeping. The speediest
way to reclaim our property, therefore,
seemed to be 10 go after 1t.
In this view of the situation my employ
cr concurred, and we arranged that he
should give me the necessary time oil ior
the management of the affair, and that
should pay nv own aud the wagons ex-
penses. This was satisfactory enough, aud
| departed on my mission in good spirits
TO a man who has been cooped up in
town for more months than he can reckon
on his fingers. a breath of the open air IS "A
nleasant thing. even though it come tn him
through a ear window. The lift of the
country mountainward, the variation ana
ever increasing beauty OF the outlook, the
blue of the sky. ribboned, toward evening,
with clouds shaded from softest gray TO
delicate pink, like mother -oi-pearl even
the fields of broom sedge and scrub-pine,
the brier patches and tangles Of snmach
and sassafras bushes bouud together with
ropes of Virginia creeper and wild grape
vine took on the beauty and allnrement of
the unaccustomed | watched it pass III
ever-varying panorama in beatliled state
of enjoyment, which prevented even that
tarnation wagon from rolling in on my
memory and spelling everything.
The journey occupied good many
hours, and it was somewhat over the edge
of dark when we reached the village OF
Tatters. The train slowed up, deposited
me on what looked to be the side oi Il
ditch, and swept away with wild toot-
toot of exultation. There was no moon,
and coming from the lighted car into
the dimness of starlight blinded
me. so that stood aud peered
about. blinking like an owl abroad in day
time but from n different cause. The
ditch might be dry enough for passage, or
it might not the chance was even either
way; and as my eyes grew accustomed To
the dusk l fancicd | could distinguish
phantom-lil<e poles and switches. which L
took to be cat-tais and willow scrub.
With the vision of bog before my eyes
stunned unprecedented methods, and pok-
ed about for an authorized plank or cross
ing log. While thus engaged voice from
the other side Of the ditch shouted out,
"Hor-reew with volume aud suddenness
that caused me to jump aside and we'll
nigh tumble into the danger ! was seeking
to avoid.
This Southern style of halloo, with its
long-drawn cadence, was familiar to me;
so answered in kind, and proceeded in
the direction of the voice. Presently II
moving substance, distinguished from the
general dusk by its density, appeared on
the village side of the ditch, and held par
ley.
'Did the train put off anybodyF'
Yes"
"What sortf"
"a man"
There was chuckng laugh, and then
the voice went on:
'"rhat war fool question, warn't it,
AFTER Ia heard you holler, too. Gunr
notes war keen as kildee's, but thar war
man ring to 'em. What are you arter,
ANYHOW, stranger, comm in this time q
nightf'
This | explained was the iault of the
corporation not of the individual. fur
ther intimated that my first desire was to
cross the ditch dryshod, and after that To
procure lodging for the night.
The explanation appeared satisfactory,
and my interlocutor passed from inquiry
to direction There was only thread Of
water at the bottom of the ditch, he said,
but there was plank across 1T further
along. | might journey toward that, or
expediate the transit by n "squar jump
from where | stood. The latter mode
commended itself, and | crossed my Rubi-
con at once. The mountaineer, who had
moved aside to give me landing room,
chuokled again.
you jump as keen as catamount,
stranger" he commented. Il cen er- most
dod ged double whenst your wind struck
me. Look like ther darkness had punched
together an flung fcrred.
At his invitation followed him along a
narrow path which, after a few yards,
merged into a country road lie had a
store close by, he informed me, and would
accommodate me for the night, since thar
warn't no boidn'- houses nor yet no hotels
in ther gap"
"You are Mr.. Tatters-Mr. Sam Tatters,
/ suppose" The observation savored of
assertion, and was intended to help the ac-
| quaintance on to sound basis.
II reckon so' Then, with more assur-
auce. .'Yes, thet's me. How came you to
ketch on to my name, seein' you be strange
to these partsf"
FASTENED to mention my own name
and that of my friend the drummer, and
by the time we had reached the store we
had grown quite sociable and chummy
The building was log structure weather
boarded, and divided into long room
with shelves and counters containing the