Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1895-06-22
SHE WAS CRITICAL.
A Hemlock Belt Lady Her Way to
Susan Ann Pettibone's.


Inns Drop in the hemlock belt one day and
was approaching n rather neat looking
house on n small clearing at the side of the
road, when a woman came running out of
the house toward the road, waving blue,
baggy umbrella tied with white string
She carried in her other hand an old fash
toned carpctbag of a red and yellow pat
tern. She waved tho umbrella as if were
an approaching train that she was signal
ing against danger ahead l stopped at the
signal Tho woman was sharp featured
and elderly,
"Bo ye goin CT fur ez the Dropf" she
asked
said was.
mo furdcr?' she inquired
That was as far as was going
Couldn't ye make it handy to squirt on
a couple O. miled furder to my darter Su-
san Ann Pettibone's?" the woman asked
said was sorry, but couldn't go any
farther than Helms Drop that day
That's kind O. tryin," my interroga-
tor said, looking disappointed. But 1
s'pose kin walk them two miled, though
hadn't ortcr be asst to at my time O. life
Well, never mind. Jist cramp your Wheel
sonny, an I'll git in an jog with We ez fur
CT the Drop. Two miled fllrder, though
wouldn't be much of squirt fer your boss,
an the two milcd back to the Drop wouldn It
hurt him. l guess We kin stick this here
carpetbag right in front O. We, there. BE
kccrful on it, though, fer tha's can O.
p'servcd peaches an a can O. termattuses,
an can O. p'eserved ounces in that air
bag ez I'm takin to my darter, Susan Ann
Pettibone, an if they git broke I'll hef to
asst ye to pay fer 'em. ,Jist hold my UNI
b'rel while 1 climb inter your wagon, SON.
ny.
"Therel l guess I'm in, but amt
sure. l never see sotch an onhandy wagon
to git interl It's enough to stretch the
hind legs of kangaroo to climb inter it'll
Hope 1 didn't git no tar on this bomba-
zine dress O. minol Seems to me jist ez if
l did Don't see none, though. Now,
sonny, jist put your legs over that carpet
bag SOS it won't fall outcn this onhandy
wagon O. your'n. It's onhandy to climb
inter, but seems to me ez If it was the
handiest kind of wagon fer a carpetbag
to fall out of. But don't squeeze down on
the bag, fer mcbbe We mowt break some O.
them cans o. reserves that's in it, an I'd
hef to asst yo to pay fer 'em. Now guess
Pm all fixed sonny, an We kin drive ahead
I'd be obleegcd if yed kind O. squirt your
boss q lcctle too, cause I'm on pins an
needles to git to my darter Susan Ann
Pcttibone's an can't hardly wait. better
take that umb'rcl, guess. I'm afeerd ye
mowt let it fall outen the wagon. I've
had that umb'rel more'n 80 year an set q
powerful store by it There Git ap, now,
sonny"
All this hadn't taken up moro than Is
seconds of time but 1t was long enough
for this remarkable woman to practically
gain possession of me and my wagon, for
all the time she was talking she was act
ing and when she told me that 1 might
git ap" found myself squeezed into one
corner of my buggy seat, with my legs
thrown over the big carpetbag, and the
owner of the bag and her umbrella occupy
ing the rest of the establishment. But
Helms Drop was only five miles farther
on, and "spurted" my horse so that I
might get the agony over as soon as posi-
BILE. We hadn't gone more than quarter
of a mile when my passenger turned her
sharp face suddenly toward me and looked
me over suspiciously. At last she said:
'Lightnin rods?"
She evidently noticed that was puzzled
for she supplemented her question with
this one:
Il mean be ye peddlin of 'em?"
"Oh, mol" replied.
"Sure?' she said, eying me obviously
l said was quite sure.
"Well, mebbc We ain IT," she said, shak-
ing her head "but you'm jist the same
size an build of Teller that nosed around
through here last year, putin up lightnin
rods, an his receipts fer the money come
back ez Judgment notes that'd take the
shirt often mans backl list the same
size an build e'zac'ly, but mebbe ye amt
him. I'm s'pcctin to see this boss O.
yourn balk ev'ry minute! If he does, I'll
hef to dillydally, an my darter Susan Ann
Pettibone'll be powerful worricd 1 don't
sec why folks can't drive bosses that don't
act jist ez if they was goin to balk ev'ry
minutel Patent hay forks?"
l said no. Not patent hayforks.
"Rakes?"
NO." said l.
Young man," she said, "you don't
want to set here an tell me you re tax col
lcctin?'
said l didn't want to do anything of
the sort, because wasn't tax collecting
This remarkable woman remained quiet
for few minutes and then turned ON me
again
II dunno whether to congratulate We or
not, " said she, cause / amt sure that
you III the chap from the county seat that's
coming over to marry Squire Polhemus'
darter Jimmy up to the Drop. Be yer"
said that was not the chap
''Then kin congratulate vel" said this
remarkable woman. esquire Polhcmus'
darter jimmy is the stuckuppest whipper
snapper of gal tina is in all this spread,
an tho chap from the county seat'll find
out that he hain't sot hissclf down in no
butter tub when he marries that redhead
Jimmy Polhemus So you amt him? Then
l kin congratulate vel Now, If your boss
don't balk, We'll be at tina Drop in ten
minutes But l know he will! He acts
just like 1t, an folks seems to hev bally
bosses fer nothin else but to git me a ridin
behint 'em an then maxim me dilly daily!
Hev ye broke any O. them cans O. serves,
think?"
hadn't broken any, and the horse did
not balk, and, sure enough, in ten min
utes we were at the Drop.
THAT crossroad yender to the right is
the one that runs by my darter Susan Ann
Pettibone's," said my passenger. 1t don t
seem to me O. if it was with while fer me
to git out till git there, arter havin had
30 much trouble gittin inter this onhan-
dy wagon O. yourn. guess ye better squirt
On to Susan AIMS"
But took different view of 1t, and
this remarkable woman and her baggage
got out at tho crossroads. When she had
got to the ground, she turned on me and
said.