The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1890-01-11
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 got
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 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 Blizzards" was as
follows:
"a reliable citizen Of the Ridge says
he saw wolves prowling around in this
neighborhood the other night Ho for
a wolf hunt
Watts that?" exclaimed the Old Set
tier, opening his eyes and coming bolt
upright in his chair. Peleg read the iot
again.
"Ha. ha! ha!" laughed the Old Settler.
'That's the bes' thing I've hecrd in a
coon's age! A reliable citizen O. Blarin
Ridge has seen VOLTS prowlin' 'roun'
thar, has he? That's better, b'gosh,
thu any thing the Clarion Blast ever
had in it's Laugh an Grow Fat colyum.
Now. if the chap that writ that had list
said that VOLTS was prowlin' 'roun' the
Ridge, Id ha' thunk good deal but said
nothin'. But wen he says reliable
citizen seen 'em can't keep still. TIL
mowt be sotch thing ez VOLTS prowlin'
'roun' thar, but ez for a reliable citizen,
that won't go down. Tn hain't been
reliable citizen on Blarin' Ridge fer bet
tern forty year! Read that ag'in, Peleg,
an let me bust laughin'!'
Pelcg read it again, and the Old Set
tier laughed. After he had subsidized
Feleg 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't got no business foolin'
'roun' here in these days. First place,
thuz bounty O 81 sot on their heads,
an that's agin EN-. Mex place, tn
hain't nuthin' for VOLTS to 10 nowadays
III none O our deestricts, like tn was in
the good Of days o Sugar Swamp. Watts
VOLTS fer, anyhow? Ill tell We wat
they'm fer. Thcy'm to prowl aroun' in
the wildce wildernest an watch their
chances to gether 'roup' the cabins O.
them this had the grit to build cabins
thar, an to scratch at che 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 YVES for.
But tn haint none O that wildee wilder
nest no more, not in these parts, an the
poor VOLTS don't hev no show to gcther
'roun' the cabins an howl an veil to be
either let in or else fer the cabiners to
come out. I'd iist like TO see that relia-
bic citizen O Blarin' Ridge th't says he
sees them VOLTS. If he was billed down
III bate Il bar'l o pork agin sap auger
tn t he'd come out one part citizen an
nine parts Blarin' Ridge red eye, an a
common leetle every day jag on that
dccoction II make Teller see VOLTS an
Wildcats an fiery dragons all to wunst,
gosht'lmighty, an | know it! Read
that agin, Peleg."
Peleg was growing a trihe weary of
the Blaring Ridge Blizzard, but he read
the jot once more, and his grandfather
roarcd again, and said he hadn't ini'yed
any thing so much sence Bill Rapsy lost
his ear in bar rassel
80 they'm gointer hoe fer 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
a wolff"
The Old Settler laughed again. Peleg
laid 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
both elbows on the table ant a cheek
resting on each hand, was porting over a
book that lay open before him. The
Old Settler rocked very hard for a mo-
ment. Then he sat still and shuffled
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. Ill bate yer gointer asst me if
ever had any 'sperience with wolfs"'
no hain't, grandpop," said Peleg,
quietly, without moving from his posi-
tion.
If 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
interestcdness 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. lie took few whiffs
at his pipe and then said, insinuatingly:
did yc know, sonny, th't l killed
nine VOLTS at wunst fore l were ten
year-old2"