The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1890-03-13

If the Old Settler hadn't have taken
MS pipe from his mouth just as he did il
would have fallen out, for the calm dis.
lnterestedness of Peleg so affected him
Cnat MS 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, insinuatinglv.
Did ye know, sonny, th't 1 killed
nine VOLTS at wunst fore were a ten
year-old?''
No" replied Peleg, coolly, looking
up Tor 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 to
catch for his breath. He could scarcely
believe his eyes or his ears. He sat for
a spell staring about him, and was about
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 sternly,
''whar's yer gran'mammy?'
"Meetin'," replied Peleg, reading on.
HAS she ben sayin' anythin' p'tic'lar
to ye lately?' asked the Old Settler.
"Ye-e-ess," replied Peleg, shifting un-
easily in his chair, and glancing quickly
from his book to his grandfather and as
quickly back again.
"Hah! she has, hey?" exclaimed the
Old Settler, fW'at did she say to YEP"
''She-she-she told me that if She
if shelf she ketched me at it again
she'd-she'd-she'd rattle the toe nails
off o me!'' replied Peleg, reluctantly.
"Ketched ye at wat, ye young sar-
plnt?" demanded the Old Settler.
''Tyin' the cats tail to an old ROSTERS
leg to see which d fly most, fur or
feathers" said Peleg with a sly glance
at his grandfather, as he resumed his
reading.
did ye do it, Peleg?' said the Old
Settler, eagerly, and forgetting all
about his perplexity and his suspicious.
(Which few most?"
Feathers, replied Peleg, with no
apparent interest in any thing but his
book.
The Old Sattler sat back in his chair
and smoked for awhile with a pleased
expression on his face. Gradually the
situation that prevailed previous to this
diversion came back to his mind. He
looked curiously at Peleg, and at last
said:
did you ever see wolf, sonny?"
Yep
''Whar?"
''Show!"
This dialogue had not for second dis
tracted Peleg's attention from his book.
The Old Settler was nonplussed. He was
SO utterly dumfounded that even his
temper failed to come to his relief.
Finally, with all the impressiveness he
could summon, he said:
''Peleg, did you know that one wild
wolf didn't asst no odds O. three wild bar
in fang an claw set to, an KID wollop
the life oUten the hull three to wunst?
An did ye know that it takes tol'able
good man to wade inter jist one wild
bar an shet off his caloric? Then wat
a pinin' fer blood? An again ten-year-
OF young un at that! Hadn't thort O.
that, had ye, Peleg?"
'Nope," said Peleg, turning a page
and following the lines eagerly.
The Old Settler rose to his feet like
flash. He was boiling. He stood for a
moment over the imperturbable Peleg,
ond tbau a a1roort raarad.
''Be you sick, Peleg?"
'Me sick?" said Peleg, looking up in
surprise. 'Me? Well, guess if you'd
seen the way 1.-The way T.
Peleg stopped in confusion, and his
eyes dropped to his book.
''The way you what?" demanded his
grandfather.
IF you'd seen the way fit Bill Sim
mons to-day guess you wouldn't think
l was much sick!'' b1urted Peleg.
''Did ye fight Bill Simmons, sonny?"
said the Old Settler, resuming his seat
and his good humor. did ye-did ye
lick him?"
''He hollered 'Enough?'" said Peleg,
and began hunting up the lost
place in his book.
'It's wrong to fight, sonny" said the
Old Settler, solemnly. 'Boys th't wants
to be good don'tnever fight. Be ye sure
ye licked Bill, Peleg?"
"Out of his boots" said Peleg.
''Boys that fight, sonny, hain't apt to
make good mark in the world, Peleg,"
said the Old Settler. s'Did Bill holler
much?"
''You could hear him half mile"
said Peleg," still hunting for his place.
'Could, hay?" chuclled the Old Set
tier. "Hollered ez much ez that, hay?
hope yen member, Peleg, th't it's
wrong to fight, an can't think well o.
boys th't fights. Could hear him holler
half mile, hay?"
And the Old Settler lay back in his
chair beaming. Peleg had found his
place, and was soon deep once more in
the mysteries of his book. But the
previous subject at once asserted itself
in the Old Settlers mind, and he once
more returned to it.
81 wish't ye k'dha' knowed Sol Rider,
Peleg, o Sugar Swamp" said the Old
Settler, in confidential tone. 'sSol
we're the greatest wolf fighter, I guess,
h'tever praneed 'roun' that deestric'