Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1894-06-25
drowned with him Can you guess who

drowned with him. Can you guess who
it wasp
No Not my mother?"
mot by long shot She went mad
at your birth and spent the rest Of her
life-1o years-in a lunatic asylum
don't think Peyton, your father, ever
cared much for her or she for him if the
truth were told The old folks made the
match So it isn't astonishing that aft
er her misfortune the sight of him set
her fairly wild So he put her wholly
out of his mind and went the pace. /
tell you was lad in those days, but
remember well how he opened peoples
eyes. He drank his company blind, yet
went away with head in air, bet high
and nearly always won. While Us for
women, they ran after him until won
der he didn't despise the whole sex.
Zone winter he went to Alabama and
there met Margaret Oyerton"-
THE majors daughter?" Allen cried,
in spite of himself. The other went on:
''Yes, the majors daughter, rs like
him as two peas and the very apple OF
his eye. Folk that knew him well said
in those days that his Peggy-his Pretty
Peggy he called her-was the one thing
in the world he put before the claim.
How he ever agreed she should stay a
whole winter away from him is one of
the mysteries, but he did agree to trust
her in care of her mothers sister, who
was matchmaker and fool When
Peyton Fauntleroy came, she thought
here was her chance to make an end OF
the feud She let Margaret believe he
was widower until the girl was mad
with love for him and he more than
lunatic over her. Then my lady wrote to
her brother I'M law circumstantially the
state of affairs; also that it was his Chris
tan duty to see that Peyton divorced
his wife and married Margaret When
the letter was past recall, she got fright,
ened and told Peyton what she had
done. He did what anybody who knew
him would surely have expected-told
Margaret Of his love, his despair, and
persuaded her to run away with him.
He would take her to New Orleans, tc
France, where nothing, nobody, could
separate them, and make her life all one
long happy dream
80 at least the aunt told US when We
| got there, your uncle and L was hi:
clerk at Is. Major Overton had let u.
| know what was in the wind. l rcmem
Der now how he looked stepping into the
| Office with that woman's letter in hi
hand. Though we set off at once, some
how he got ahead of us and had beer
three hours on the trail of the eloper
before we got to their starting point
! We pushed after at our best speed, bu
that was mighty slow. twas February
had been raining a week, and all thu
world was quagmire. Your Uncle Al
len was hunchback. Peyton threw hin
in one of their boyish scuttles and hur
his spine, but he was fine man, a fin,
rider for all that. We got ahead at ;
sort of snail's gallop, and remembe
thinking that he looked as hurt and mis-
cradle as did Major Overton.
| Presently we began hearing of on
couple. Pcyton had a team that evel
those roads could not stall, but in on
place the trap upset; in another broker
strap delayed them. They were heading
for the railway station, so miles off a
the road ran, but less than 80 if ono
you got across the river, up whose banl
we were riding. But crossing for san
man was out of the question. TIL
stream was bankful and running like
mill race. Higher up the waters had rul
out trifie; besides a considerable at
fluent must be reckoned with half way
"Yet we did not think even Peytol
would tempt fate in such fashion, evel
though he knew who was hard on hi
track. We had ridden 20 miles or NOR
when we caught sight of the major an,
heard him give next minute wild
strangling shout.
'The road ran straight and level TO
mile in front of him. Half way tract
ran down from it to ford, passablc a
low water, and into this Pcyton Faunt
leroy was madly urging his tired horses
He must have known the water wa
! CN