Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1892-02-03
THE OLD SETTLER.
He Was Not Sure About the Story
of William Tell.
But He Did Know OF Some wonderful
Shots Made by PotIphRr Jump,
Who Won His Bride with
His Gun,

"Gran'pop, what do you s'pose NV
teacher saysP" said little Peleg, as he
came home from school one day, in
great excitement.
Shouldn't wonder bur what she says
tht she wunt 'scuse y ont o. school no
more on them student 'tacks o. tooth
ache th't ketches v soon CT the skatin'
begins to git good, replied the Old Set
tier, looking over his spectacles
This reply of his grandfather's was
somewhat embarrassing to Pelep, 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, Peleg
had begun to feel apprehensive
that no was going to have the
toothache and the earache by next
morning, the way he felt and had
made up his mind to tell his grand
mother that he was afraid he would
have to stay out of school and sit by
the stove with cotton and laudanum in
his ear and tooth until he felt better, a
course 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 uues-
ton was such homethrust, therefore,
that Peleg 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
rn9o right along O. me to the doctors,
- 4 DalSp gointer yank it outl,
This rather darkened Peleg's future
in regard to the symptoms he was
afraid would reappear, but suddenly
recollecting that there wasn't anything
they could 'yanl5 out" in case of ear
ache, he grew easy in bis mind again,
and, smiling at his grandfather, said;
Now, gran'pop, that wasn't what
the teacher saidl What do you s'pose
1t WASP"
''Sumpin' bout nat'ral hist'ry, 1
'spectp' growled the Old Settler. 'Tf
1t were, Peleg, 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 Peleg. at was about
history, though, and something you
and everybody else has always be-
lieved"
mot if it's hist'ry, b'gosh," ex-
claimed the Old Settler. Gimme facts,
sonny, N I'll take EN- in, but don asst
me to swaller hist'ryr'
well, it's all about William Tell and
the apple, gran'pop,' said Peleg
The Old Settler looked at Peleg for
time with puzzled expression on his
face and then said:
~ remember family by the name
o. Pell th't usety live on McGonigle
run, in the sugar swamp deestric', but,
b'goshl they never had no ap-
plesl They couldn't raise wild goose
berries on that clearin' o. their'n, let
alone apples, n all the s'ile wild
Rooseberries wants is the top of stun
wall"
'He never lived in the sugar swamp
district, gran'pop," said Peleg. HE
lived in Switzerland. or | always
thought he did, but my teacher says he
mover lived anywheres."
kind o boarded round, hay, like a
deestric' school marm?"
mo" said Peleg. He's a myth, the
teacher says. You know what myth
is, gran'pop? You remember telling
me about your killing bear that had
two heads and only one eye?"
"Y-e-e-s, sonny, seems to me | do. -
-
at the foot o. Squaw6e hill n me N
Lippy Conkright ="
That YVES the one," said Peleg, in =
terrupting his grandfather. "Wen, l
was telling Bill Simmons about it yes
terday, and Bill said he'd bet coolSy
that the bear was a myth"
HE did, hay?" said the Old Settler,
with sneer. "Wull, if one o. them
myths stands five foot high, with a
head on each shoulder, an one big
glarin eye stuck right betwixt 'em,
then that bar were a myth, n durn
good spec ment o. one at thati"
"Well. | asked the teacher what a
myth was, gran'pop," said Peleg, land
she said it was something that wasn't
So"
The Old Settler sat gazing over his
spectacles at Peleg 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,
civilian Ten lived in Switzerland,
and
Eradication is a good thing" re-
marked the Old Settler, quietly, shut
ting Peleg off, Its good thing, an
we pay considerable taxes hirin' school
marms to give the young idee p'ints in
spellin' n writin', n figgerin', m Jog
gerry, n so on N so forth, ct cettery.
But wen it comes to givin' the young
idee p'ints ut makes its poor oil gran
'paps out to D'waricators o. the truth
In' shyers outeh the way o. facts N
Aggers in nat'ral hist'ry, then it strikes
me pooty hard th't eddication is bitin'
Of more'n it kin chaw, m it'll hear
from me, b'gosh, at the mex town
meetin'r'
The Old Settler breathed hard for
awhile, and Peleg remained silent,
busyiRg himself meanwhile in sly eff
fort to inveigle the cat into one of his
grandfathers boots, which lay near
the hearth. He might have succeeded.
but the Old Settler drew Peleg's atten-
ton away by resuming the conversa-
ton.
$50 this hero william Tell were .