The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1894-08-24
THE PAsLEY LUCK.

1
highly educated mule and Gne display
Of dignity, along the banks Of Twelve.
Pole" crock towards the boundaries Of
Logan county. Ahead Of him tho
mountains stretched In seemingly end.
Ices chains and peaks ill they faded
away, lost in the blue distance. On
eithor bank Of the creek spread out tho
primeVal forest, green now in It's spring
covering. II was absolutely necessary
for him TO follow the devious WindIngS
o. "Twelve.Pole" in ordsr:to avoid OBJ
stacles which would have made progress
by any other means than ballooning
well.nigh impossible. The silence OF an
untenanted country was all about and
over tho traveller.
But Us tho colonel allowed his mule
TO pick its way aloug tho nero bride.
path which, perforce, did duty a. q
road, these Establishments OF nature OK
erclsed little, II any effect upon him.
He was on business bent, and, besides,
the scenes and incidents OF the West
Virginia mountains were by no means
new TO him. In this sparsoly populat.
ed region no was on terms Of intimacy
with nearly every ono OF its lonely In.
habitants, men, women, and children.
They liked the colonel and he liked
them. He was welcome in their hum.
bio dwellings; and into his patient car
were poured oil Of their little troubles
and cares. Ho know, too, their grave
conceits and quaint sense in humor. He
was their guido, philosopher, and
friend"
And so tho sight Of an intruder upon
his solitude did not disturb tho colonel
as II might have another less well nc.
credited. Tho intruder was In every
way typical specimen Of this race OF
mountain people. now so rapidly disap-
pearing before the march Of progross.
lie was man OF imposing height-slx
feet FIVE or six-and riding, as he did,
ono Of the little native horses, his long
legs almost reached the grouni. Long,
lank, and lean, was he, clothed in q
brown calico shirt and rusty jeans
trousers thrust into the tops OF raw
hide boots. On his head was broad
hrimmed SLOUGH hat, much the worse
for wear; and ovor the pommel OF his
saddle lay carelossly a long, old.fashion-
cd, muzzle loading rife.
"Mornin', kurnel." said the man,
proud ter SEQ We agin up this way.
Crick? Yaas, it's riz consid able. Dun
know ez ye kin git crost 1t up thar; but,
kurnol, 1t aren't nothin' TO what hey
knowed 1t. re.collect onct-I guess 1t
war in thirty-two-whon the crick rlz
so high-I war grubbin' an ginnin'
round tho place tryin' to yoarn a
honest livin'-Nance Paisley she kim
over from tho head o. Beech an hol.
lerod tor mo tibet her man he'd got inter
onpleasantneSs with one o the
Petcrses about dog or somethin', an
that war respectfully invited ter sot
up with tho corpse.
"In Thorn thar days sottin' up with
corpses and huntin' boo trees war about
the only recreation We had, so l folt
moughty proud O. the compliment AN
l warn't long in acceptin o the bid. l
told the widder ter jis cit on back tho
nigh way, an I'd git ready an 90 by
tho still.houso on Grapevine, fur seed
It war goin' ter turn cold, an couldn't
dow jestice ter the 'casion 'ceptin' l
he'd O gourd or 30 full O. Uncle Jake's
stillin'. | got inter the bost close l
hed-they war pow'ful scacc-an' l fol.
lered tho wilder, hor goln' the highest
vay an me goin' the furderest ter git
the whiskey.
ut somehow 'pearod to me thet grub
mought DO sca'co at tho Paslcy resi-
dcnce, and sottiu' up with corpse
without grub is sorter like dancin'
without fiddle. So TUX old Danger
field along-Dangerield war the rifle
what old 81 Hawkins made for me
thinkiu' l mought run acroat somethin'
in tho shape O. pervisions. It war
a-drizzlin' like when ] started, but l
knowod from tho way tho wind war
a-blowin' tibet afore reached tho
eend O. my journey thar would be a
pow'ful turn in tho weather. Sure
'nough, jis' arler l got my whiskey an
leP tho still l begin ter wish / war
| fo'y.y' ar.olo bar. Cold warn't no name
fur IL. uowsomeever, wont along
kinder hopin' I'd git some game ter
bind up the widders heart, but nary q
livin' thing did see.
ut war gettin' late, an he'd iis'
about mado up my mind we'd git moth
in ter eat, when suddintly looked up
| inter d blackgum a standin' 'twixt tho
crick bank an tho hill. Thar, a.settin'
on a limb, war seven O. the incest tur..
Keys ever seed. Quicker nor lightnin'.
pulled trigger on a gobbler, but nary
turkey moved. loaded ag'in an shot,
an nary turkey moved. 1kopt a.shosin
tell my bullets wero gone, an there sot
all seven O. tho turkeys right whsr they
war a.sottin' when l commenced tor
shoot, an all or natural or life. was
skeered, an war jis' sartin my old gun
had been spelled. Idrapped 1t an COM
mencod a-throwin' rocks, but thar sot
tho seyen turkeys jis' ike they war
a.gottin' their picters TUX.
hWhen l seed thot THROWN rocks
didn't dow no good. elm the tree an
rech out tor whar the first turkey war.
Then l knowed what war tho matter.
Them thar birds, forgittin fur the time
boin' the instincts O. their natur, hod
waIed round in tho crick, an not think
I'M O. consequences, hod lit on tibet thar
limb Tar roost without a.dryin' o their
feot: an' the suddint cold a'Comtn' on,
thoy lie frlz tor the limb. In course
tho war all dead, fur every ono O. ON
had bullet through him. ,w
"Ter cut my yarn short, kurnel, III
jis' toll yc that 1 cut thet thar limb oil,
an, tho Eroun' bein' slcoty like, drug
il tor tho widdcr's house with oil Thorn
turkeys still stickin' ter 1t. Nance
war glad ter soc mo, On said sho war
'bIoovod Tor mo case I'd brought
whisEoy an meat enough tor help her
Eaon Tho corpso fur week, the weather