The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1895-07-20

the little town In a backwoods section
Of Pennsylvania, gazing vacantly down
the road.
Jest thinlfin',' replied the Miller.
closing his knife and placing II in his
pocket. Then he leaned back against
the window and repeated: "Huhl
Thinlxin'p'
"Thet's unusual" grumbled the
Loafer.
The storekeeper was sitting on a
crate of eggs, which was awaiting the
arrival of the stage for shipment. He
leaned toward the occupant OF the
bench and asked: ''Now, what is anus
an yon?"
II was Jest thinlSin' about how Bill
Pumpledink was reformed" replied the
other, grinning. "ffim as seen the
time he'd a-give his farm fer drink of
hard cider. Amt you never heard
about it?"
II know he used to do power of
drinkin'," said the Loafer, IAN tibet
now he's allus goin' ter church an
bush meetin', bat never heard how ct
come
Don't you ever tell told you, fer I
wouldn't hev IL git out fer farm" be-
gan the Miller. "Pumplsdink, he's a
friend of mine, an IL was him as told
me, with the assistance of his boy
Barnabas- Bills mind is Jest leetle
hazy on the subject, but the pints he's
mixed on Barnabas an good common
sense reasonin' hes supplied. 1t hap
pened jest this time last year an"
lin the ides of June" ventured the
School-Teacher, who was on his way 20
the parsonage. but had stopped at the
store for little gossip.
Eyes, in June; tho hides of June"
continued the Miller. "Bill Pumple-
dink has a place over in the gut You
uns knows how to git there. You folly
the road tibet crosses the mountains
through Smiths gap tell you come to
LarlSer's sawmill; there you switch Off
20 the right, keeping along the gut
between the ridge and the mountain
fer half mile, and you come to his
place. A lonely spot, too; woods all
round exceptin' few fiers as hes more
stones AN soil on 'em.
II know his place WE'LL" interposed
the Loafcr. II used to pass it ON the
way fishin'. A lawg house an slab
barn in the middle of few acres of
clearin'. Lonely? Sightsl"
, "Pumpledink used TO belong to our
lodge of the Knights of the Maltese
Star, an was regular at the meetin's
up in West Eden. Sam Miller had a
license in them days, an as soon as the
meetin' was over Bill PumpledinlS
made right fer the hotel, an how he
ever got homo at all afterward could
never see. They was three bridges fer
him ter git acrosst, but only once, as
knows on. was he picked out of a
creek. That was next day after our
county convention, when his son
Barnabas foun' him sleepin' in the
wottcr, Jest on the edge of tibet deep
sucker hole, where the road crosses
Windy creek.
!. 1.-THE first meetin' In June was the
last one Pumpledinlx ever tended. He
went TO the hotel tibet night as usual,
and at twelve o'clock he began to pick
his way home. How he ever got over
them three miles don't know, nor he
doesn't himself. He reached the clear
an all right and then set down on n
stump at the side of tho road. 1t was
a clear night. They was half moon
overhead. shinin' down quiet-lilse
through the trees; a little breeze was
rattlin' the leaves He felt kind OF
lonely an creepy like an got up to
90, amin toward the house out in the
clcarin'. He sails he must hev ben
wallxin' about Ave minutes, but when
he set down to rest, there he was on
the same stump, and he was plumb
disguised. He set minute, an then
tried IL again, but IL wasn't no use, fer
he sails no matter how fer he walked
II seemed like thet stump kept right
along side fer him TO set on.
"That riled him like. an he picked
up stone an tossed IL acrosst the road
Jest to ease of his feelin's. He didn't