Elmore bulletin. [volume] (Rocky Bar, Idaho) 1889-1906, 1890-03-08
THE OLD SETTLER.
A "Jot" From the Clarion Blast
of Freedom"
How Peieg Succeeded bn Polling Ills
Grandfather in several Desperate At
tempts to Recall SOME sugar
swamp History.

Pcleg was reading aloud 10 his grand
father the County Notes In the last
Clarion Blast Of Freedom. He had got
through the sugar Swamp Shots" the
"Waftings from Wild Camden" the
''Sprays from Sprouts Clearing" and
other jottings, and had come to the
''lSlaring Ridge Blizzards." The Old
Settler was lying back in the splint-bot-
tom rocking chair with his eyes shut,
quietly listening. The first jot under
the ''Blaring Ridge Billiards" was as
follows:
"A reliable citizen OF the Ridge says
he saw wolves prowling around in this
neighborhood the other night. Ho for
. wolf hunt"
Watts that?" exclaimed the Old Set
tier, opening his eyes and coming bolt
upright In his chair. Peleg read the jot
again.
''iIa! hai hal' laughed the Old Settler.
That's the bes' thing I've heerd in
coon's age! A reliable citizen o. Blarin
Ridge has seen VOLTS prowlin' 'roun'
thar, has he? That's better. b'gosh,
thin any thing the Clarion Blast ever
had In its Laugh an Grow Eat colyum.
Now. IL tho chap that writ that had jist
said that VOLTS was prowlin 'roun' the
Ridge. I'd ha thunk good deal but said
nothiB'. hut wen no says reliable
citizen seen ON can't keep still. TIL
mowt he setch thing ~ VOLTS prowlin'
roam thar, but IL for a reliable citizen,
that won't go down. Tn hain't been a
reliable citizen on Blarin' Ridge fer bet
tern forty year! Read that az in, Peleg,
an let me bust laughinl"
Pcleg read IL again, and the Old Set
tier laughed. After he had subsidized,
Psieg 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 consekently know
th't they hain't got no business foolin'
'roun' here In these days. First place,
thur bounty o. s. sot on their heads,
an that's agin 'em. Nex' place, tn
hain't nnthin' for VOLTS to do nowadays
in none o our deestricts like tn was in
the good oil days o. Sugar Swamp. Watts
VOLTS fer, anyhow? I'll tell We wat
they'm fer. Theym TO prowl aroun' In
the wiideo wildernest an watch their
chances 10 gether 'roun' tho cabins o.
them THIS had tho grit 10 build cabins
thar, an to scratch at the door o. their
cabins, an rattle at the winders, an
howl 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 lot in or else fer the cabiners to
come out. I'd jist like to see that relia-
bic citizen o. Blarin' Ridge tht says he
sees them VOLTS II he was billed down
I'll bate a bar'l o. pork agin sap auger
tint he'd come out one part citizen an
nine parts Blarin Ridge red eye, an a
common leetle every day jag on that
decoction II make Teller see VOLTS an
wildcats an fiery dragons all to wunst.
bgosht ,lmighty, an l know III Read
that agin, Peleg."
Peleg was growing trifie weary of
the Blaring Ridge Blizzard. but he read
the jot once more. and his grandfather
roared again, and said he hadn't inJyed
any thing so much sence Bill Rapsy lost
his ear in bar rassel.
$50 they'm gointer hoe fer n 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 they git
clean through to Rooshy fore they strike
\ wolft'
The Old Settler laughed again. Peleg
laid the paper aside, and was soon alb
sorbed in literature moro to his fancy.
The mirthfulness of the Old Settler
ceased by and by. He glanced with
some establishment at Peleg. who, with
both elbows on the table and a check
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 shufiied
/ his feet on the floor. He coughed. lie
got up. lit his pipe. and sat down again,
making great hustle in doing IL. Peleg
never raised his eyes from his book.
+ Presently the Old Settler said, sharply:
"Peleg, I'll bate yer gointer asst me IL
ever had any sperience with wolfs."
''No ! hain't, grandpop," said Peleg.
quietly, without moving from his posi-
ton.
II tho Old Settler hadn't have taken
his pipe from his mouth just as he did IL
would have fallen out, for the calm dis
irterestedness OF releg so affected him
that his jaw fell, and he gazed with
staring eyes and open mouth at his
grandson. IL was some time before he
recovered himself. He took q few whiffs
at his pipe and then said, insinuatipgly:
did We know. sonny, tht | killed
nine VOLTS at wuAst fore ] were = ton
year-old?'
"No," replied Psleg. coolly. looking
up for the first time and putting his I'm
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. Tho Old Settler actually had to
catch for his breath. He could scarcely
believe bis eyes OF his ears. He sat for
spell staring about him. and was about
to fetch Peleg up all standing. when q
suspicion flashed across his mind. Had
Maria been belittling his recollections