The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1891-06-05
THE OLD SETTLER.
He Rebukes Peleg, Sustains Maria
and Spins a Yarn

Little Peleg and his grandmother had
had a little misunderstanding during
the day over the doing of 4 few chores
His grandmother had taken the ground
that the chores should be done and that
Peleg should do them, while Pcleg felt
that his duty called him To make good
his promise to Isill Simmons and join
that hopeful youth in a skating bout on
the mill pond. If he tarricd 10 do the
chores the best part of the day would
be gone, he would miss the skating
bout, and on Monday at school Eli
Simmons would taunt him by adapting
that dreaded distich of boyhood days to
suit his case and singing it at HIM at
recess:
Pclcs. Poles. poor little thing.
Tied TO his graz -Illlrly's apron string;
Therefore Pcleg had whimpcr,'d and
whined. and said he wasn't going to do
the chores, and his grandmother had
been compellcd to take down the pad
die that hung behind the wOodsAed
door and increase Pelcg's circulation be
fore he coiiId be brought to adopt hel
views in the matter under discussion
And so. although at supper his grand
mother had put two nice, fat cruIisrS
by his plate instead of one, and had
asked him If he didn't want another
dish of preserved ounces after he had
already had two, Poleg wasn't ready
yet 10 resume the amicable relations
that usually existed between him and
her There was to be Il meeting OF the
Soils Ridge Clothers of Them that's
Naked and Feeders of Them that's
hungry that evening at Dominic Van
Slocum's, and after his grandmother
had gone to take her place - c--.-irL-s-n
OF the society, Peleg, Prcsuniug o- the
feeling his grandmother generally had
toward harIa on the meeting night Of
the Clothers and Feeders. thought he
would please the old Settler anG - the
same time wake up a little sympathy
by throwing out hint that ho aidnt
exactly approve Of Maria himself.
Well" said he. gran mSIaray gone
over Il the Clothers and Feeders again
10 cacllle and listen 70 the rest OF the
old women caclzle."
Watts that, Pcleg?~ exclaiIr ed the
Old Settler, taking his pipe out Of his
mouth quickly. Peleg looked up with
q start. The Old settlers tone wasn't
the one he had expected
Il said that 1 guessed 2sran'mamny
had gone over TO the Clothers and
TcSoSIS ISSiih, 4SP-AcO a S4rB, tA4cSh-
".
Course she has" said the Old Set
tier. DO Y s'pose yer gran mammy
don't want no reecryation? Did hear
y say sumpin' bout her goin' To the
Clothers n Feeders to cacl<le?''
Peleg had to admit that he had made
that remark.
sonny" said the Old Settler, yer
wrong. M'rier don't do no caclSlin'. If
shes talxin holt o. the ClOthers n
Feeders she hahn I doin no cac!5lin' She's
doin the CROWN, b'gosh, Vi 'riar's gener-
'ly cock % the walk wherever She takes
holt to help run things N tina hain't no
gettin' round that You hahn I lived
with yer gran nanny ez long ez hev,
Peleg."
Peleg was disappointed. but by and
by he made another effort. and renewed
the attack on a different line.
Il guess gran NANNY must think I'm
easy stuffed" said he after a long ST.
lence, during which the Old Settler had
puffed calmly at his pipe You know
them funny shaped things in the moon?
Well, i asked gran NANNY what they
was once, and she said: Man ia the
moon, eatin' cabbage with u spoon
Huh!" exclaimed Peleg, contenlptuous-
IL. Man in the moon, Jes' Is If she
could stuff me with q man bein' liz the.
moon
''Peleg!'' exclaimed the Old Settler,
sternly, Yer gran nanny knows vat
she's tallIin' bout Shes seen that
moon come rollin' up n a goin' down
more years, most, thin you hev mont's.
She haint planted her garden by II, n
stuck her peas by 1t, n cut my hair by
it, N picked her geese by it for fifty
year n better without KNOWN waits
in that moon, n wat hain't in il. If
she says tha's man in il she knows
wat she's tallzin' bout Wat V got
agin yer gran nanny, anyhow. Y
young sarpint?''
''Nothin'." exclaimed Peleg. giving
up the struggle. But the sl.atin was
bully to-day. and Bill simmons II -"
''Bill Simmons be durued-' cried the
Old Settler. Seems ez if that pesky
young varmint couldn't think o nOthin'
else To do. so he sets you up TO make
trouble 'twixt me an M'riar. this lived
fer better'n fifty year without n word,
b'gosh. 'Ceptin' few, mebbc,
now n then But You go N tell
Bill Simmons he can't do it, b'goshi
III stan by Mriar. y body can't git
up n run M'riar down N 'spect me to
jine him l don't keer durn wuther
he's bone o my bone n flesh o my
flesh, or wuther he's the spawn n griz-
zle o all the Simmonses tha Is outen
jail N'riar knows wat she's tallxin'
bout, wuther it's the man in the moon
or wuther it's the man out'n the moon.
You n Bill Simmons mustn't come n
try to git up fuss 'twixt me n M'riar,
u or ha- h.a ar-fr,
round here
But gran'pop," said Peleg, 1
wasn't"
Never mindI' exclaimed the Old Set
tier, interrupting Peleg, and waving his
hand as if to brush away the unpleas-
ant subject He puffed at his pipe in
silence for n long time, and Peleg
unused bitterly on how hard il was to
be boy. His musings Were interrupt
ed by the cat rubbing herself against
his leg. and he was in the depth of a
scheme by which he could manage to
accidentally tumble Puss in the water
pail on the kitchen bench, when his
grandfather spoke and the scheme was |
a abandoned.
soy, thort yer gran nanny were !
tryin' to stuff Y, did We, wen She toll " /
bout the man in the moon?" said the |
Old Settler, in a mild and bantcriup |
voice and with twinkle in his eve. |
Then guess she couldn't ha' follered !
II up by tellin Y the story she knows !
bout one o yer ancisters, did she?"
No" exclaimed Peleg, forgetting his
roubles in anticipation of hearing a
lively chapter of family history ''Was
le the man in the moon, grah'pop?"
Not edzac'ly, sonny. Not edzaclyw
eplied the Old Settler, enjoying Peleg's
'agerness- IF M'riar had thunk to
ell y the story she'd ha' toll v th'ty Y
lad an ancister wunst ez got il inter
rs head th't he mus go n diskiver the