The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1892-01-29
THE OLD SETTLER.
He Was Not Sure About the Story
Of William Tell
Nat ne Did Know of some Wonderful
Shots Made by Potiphar Jump,
Who Won His Bride with
His Gun.

VINO Won His Bride with
His Gun.
'Gran'pop, what do you s'pose nv
teacher says?" said little Peleg, as he
came home from school one day, in
great excitement
Shouldn't wonder but what she SAYS
th't she wunt 'scuse y ont o. school no
more on them student 'tacks o. tooth
ache th't ketches y soon ez the skatin'
begins to git good, replied the Old Set
kaer, looking over his spcctacles
! This reply of his grandfather's was
somewhat embarrassing to Peleg. for
he and Bill Simmons had stopped at the
pond on the way home from school and
had tried the ice by throwing heavy
STONES on it, and found it safe and
sound for skating. Moreover, Pelep
had begun to feel apprchensive
chat he was going to have the
toothache and the earache by next
morning, the way he felt, and had
made mp his mind to tell his grand
mother that he was afraid he would
have to stay out of school and sit by
khe stove with cotton and laudanum in
bis ear and tooth until he felt better, a
tcUurse of treatment which the
Old Setter had noticed on previous oc-
casions as usually resulting in great
relief, II not absolute cure, about an
hour after school, went in" The Old
Settlers unexpected reply to his ques-
zion was such homethrust, therefore,
chat Pelcg regretfully babe adieu to his
toothache and earache sympt oms until
some more propitious occasion might
offer for their temperance.
An just bark To wat say, sonny"
said the Old Settler, before Pelep re-
covered sufficiently to say anything
himself The mex time that tooth o.
your'n gets to achin' you're gointer
mog right along o. me to the doctors.
m hen gointer yank it OUT"
This rather darkened Peleg's future
an regard TO the symptoms he was
afraid would reappear, but suddenly
recollecting that there wasn't anything
they could '.yank OUT in case of ear
ache. he grew easy in his mind again,
and. smiling at his grandfather, said:
Now, gran'pop, that wasn't what
the teacher said. What do You s'pose
1T WASP"
''Sumpin' bout Dat'ral hisfry, /
'spcct." growled the Old Settler. "If
1t were. Pclcg. jist tell me wat she
said bout it. n I'll onsay it fer v n
set y right"
"'Twasn't about natural history,
gran'pop." said Pelcg. 1t was about
history, though. and something You
and everybody else has always be-
lieved"
Not If it's hist'ry, b'gosh," ex-
claimed the Old Settler Gimme facts.
sonny, n I'll take en- in, but don asst
sne to swallcr hist'ryr'
We'll, it's all about William Tell and
the apple, gran'pop." said Peleg
The Old Settler looked at Pcleg for a
time with a puzzled expression on his
face and then said:
Il remember a fEm1y by the name
- Pcll th't usety live on McGonicle
run, in the sugar swamp dcestric', but.
b'goSh. they never had no ap-
pies! They couldn't raise wild goose
berries on that clearin' o. their'n, let
alone apples. n all the sile wild
Eooseberries wants is Ale top of a stun
wall"
He never lived in the sugar swamp
district gran'pop." said Peleg. He
lived in Switzerland. or always
thcught he did, but my teacher says he
never lived anywheres"
Kind o boarded round. hay. like a
dcestric' school marm?"
NO" said pelcg. Hes a myth. the
teacher says You know what a myth
L.. gran'pop? You remember telling
me about your killing bear that had
two heads and only one eye?"
"f-e-c-s, sonny, seems to me ! do"
said the Old Settler. Yes Twere jist
nj the foot % Squawlxe hill n me n
Lippy Conkr.ght -
That was the one said Pelcg. in
terrupting his grandfather We'll,
was telling Bin Simmons about it yes
terlay. and Bin said he'd bet cooly
that The bear was a myth
''IIe did. hay?" said the Old Settler.
with a sncer "Wull. If one o. them
myths stands five foot high. with a
head on each shoulder, an one big
glarin' eye stuck right betwix. EN-,
then that bar were a myth, n durn
good spec rnent o one at that"
We'll. I asked the teacher what a
myth was, gran pop" said Peleg. ''and
she said il was something that wasn't
So
The Old Settler sat gazing over his
spcctaclrs at Pelcg for some time with
out word Peleg became uneasy. and at
last started in TO lead the conversation
back to the original subject
-.The way ] always heard it, " he said.
sswilliam Tell lived in Switzerland,
nEd.--~