The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1893-10-04
A H0MELY HERO.
"Poor Abe Dodge ~

Iudt WHAT lHey called MIN, luouSu
be wasn't any poorer than other folks
not so poor as some. How could he be
poor, work as he did and steady as he
was? Worth whole grist of such bait
as his brother, Ephe Dodge, and yet they
meyer called Ephe poor-whaiever worse
name they might call him. When Ephe
was of at a show in the village, Abe was
following the 2low, driving a straight fur
row, though you wouldn't have thought
it to see the way his nose pointed. In
winter, when Ephe was taking the girls
TO singing school or spelling bee or some
other fOoIishness-out till after 9 o'clock
at night, ike as not-Abe was hanging
over the fire holding a book so the light
would shine first On one page and then
the other, and he tnrning his head as he
turned the book and reading first with
one eye and then the other.
There the murders out. Abe couldn't
rad with both eyes at once. If Abe
looked straight ahead, he couldn't see the
furrow nor anything else for that matter.
HIS best friend couldn't say but what
Abe Dodge was the crosseyedest that ever
was. Why, ifyou wanted TO see Abe
you'd stand right in front of him, but if
he wanted 10 see you you'd got to stand
behind him or pretty near it. Homely !,
Well, if you meant downright ''humbly," /"
that's what he was. When one eye was
in use the othe. was out out of sight, all
except the white of IT, Humbly Amt no
name for it. The girls used to say he
had to wake up in the night to rest his
face, it was so humbly. In school you'd
ought to have seen him look down at
his copybook. He had to can't his head
clear over and cock up his chin till it
pointed out of the Winder and down the
road. You'd really ought to have seen
him; you'd have died. Head of the
class, too, right along just as near to the
head as Ephe was 10 the foot, and that's
saying good deal. But to see him at
his desk He looked for all the world
like week old chicken peepin' at a tum-
bic bug And him a grown man too,
for he stayed to school winters 50 long as
there was anything more the teacher
could teach him You see there wasn't
anything to draw him away no girl
wouldn't look at him. Lucky, too, seein'
the way he looked.
Well, one term there was q new teach
CT come-regular high up girl, down from
Chicago. As pad luck would have il Abe
wasn't at school the first week-hadn't
got through his fall work. So she got to
know all the scholars. and they was aw-
fal tickled with her-eYerybody always
was that knowed her The first day she
come in and saw Abe at his desk she
thought he was squintin' for fun, and she
upped and laughed right out. Some of
the scholars laughed, too, but most of
em, to 10 'em justice, was a leetle took
back, young as they was, and cruel by
nature. Young folks is most usually
always cruel-don't seem to know no
better.l
Well, right in the middle Of the hush
Abe gathered up his books and upped
and walked out doors, lOokin' right
ahead Of him and consequently seeing
the handsome young teacher unbeknown
to her.
She was the worst cut up you ever did
see, but what could she do OF say? Go
and tell him she thought he was maxim
up face for fun? The girls do say that
come noon spell, when she found out
about II, sbecried-just fairly cried. Then
she tried 10 be awful nice to Abe's ornery
brother Ephe, and Eohe he was tickled
most to death, but that didn't DO Abe any
good-Ephe was jest ornery enough to
take care that Abe shouldn't get any
comfort out oft, They do say she sent
messages to Abe, and Ephe never deliv-
cred them or else twisted 'em so as to
make things worse and wore. Mebbe so,
Inebbe not-Ephe was onery enough for
it.
Course the schoolmarm she was board
ing round, and pretty soon it come time
for ole man Dodge's, and she went; but
no Abe could she ever see. He kept
away, and as to meals he never set by,
but took bite off by himself when he
could get chance. cCourse his mother
favored him, being he vas so cussed un-
Iueky.l Then when the folks was all to
bed he'd come in and poke up the fire
and peek into his book, but first one side
and then the other, same as ever.
Now, what does schoolma am do but
come down one night when she thought
be was abed and asleep and catch him
unawares. Abe knowed it was her quick
as he heard the rustic Of her dress, but
there wasn't no help for it, so be just
covered his crosseyes with his hands and
she pitched in. What she said | don't
know, but Abe he never said a word
only told her ne didn't blame her, not a
mite; he knew she couldn't help it no
more than he could. Then she asked
him to come back to school, and he an
swered TO please excuse him. After bit
she asked him if he wouldn'tcome to OBJ
lige her, and he said he calculated he