The sun., 1899-02-19
A SINNEMAHoNING BOY, HE.
TALE TOLD TO SHAME A MAN IN a
COAT OF MANY COLoRs.

| SNS'
do you s'poso there are nowadays. Mackinaw."
! said the man from over SinnemahoninR way.
| who would 20 out when they were only IL
years old. get lost In the snow In the depths OF
the highest and widest hills that frown down
| on the Siunemahone headwaters, lie there for a
| week or more. and then turn UP at their own
homo flreside again. fetching with them twen-
| ty-nine wolves and four bears. two OF tho bears
live at that2 How many l2-year-old boys are
there nowadays, Mackinaw. who could and
would do that?"
Jest as many nowadays. Snnemahone. as
there ever was any time" said the man In the
red, blue, purple, yellow, green and pink Macki-
nav jacket. Jest exactly as many. and that
amt consarned onel"
But don't you gather from my remarks.
Mackinaw." said the man from over Sinnema-
honing way. that there must have been at
least one boy of that kind. some timer"
Il Gether from your remarks that you're
gon TO say there was setch boy some time"
replied the man in the varegated Jacket. 'and
you mowt gether from my remarks that that
amt goin to be no reason why 1 should
change EN-
Meaning" said the Snnemahoning citi-
zen. that you have doubt of my veracityp"
''Websters Dictionary couldn't sot the
meanin' down higher TO the proper notch.
Sinnemahone." replied the man of the many
hued garment. positively and emphaticnlly.
Then il will undoubtedly Grieve you to
know, Mackinaw." said the man from over
Snnemahoning way. reproachfully. that in
anticipating what I am going TO say you are
not rejecting on my veracty at NIL. You are
casting doubt not on the word of me. Mackl-
nav. but on that Of my late remarkable father.
Reuben Pettibone! 1t will undoubtedly erievo
you to know that. Mackinaw!'
Not durn bit!" calculated the man in the
red. blue. purple, yellow. green and pink
Mackinaw jacket reducing the size OF his plug
OF tobacco by n commodous and vicious bite.
Then l will melt you by an example OF ju-
venie endurance, combined with filial re-
gard and unsellshness. without PARALLEL"
said the Sinnemahoning narrator. "0r. IL
cannot melt you, will shame you. II I can
| not touch you. will make you feel that you
must 60 out behind the barn and kick your
self for having had II In your heart to cast n
shadow on the word Of Reuben Pettibone to
dab spotch on the lustre OF his memory-a
memory that. wherever the waters OF his own
beloved Sinnemahone rush or murmur, shines
as bright as new milk pan in the MONDAY
sun! And what am going to tell you. on the
word of that remarkable man. occurred when
Reuben Pettibone vas yet three months shy
Of II years old Mark it well. Macknaw. and
! prepare to commune with yourself In sef-ac-
cusing words Of bitterness!
There was a shadow on the house OF Petit
bone at that interesting period of my remark
able fathers career. 1t took the form OF
mortgage on Grandfather Shadrack Pettibone's
clearing to the amount CT 5000. Tho mort
gage was on the eve Of falling due. and. as
Grandfather Pettihone hadn't the money to
pay it. the prospects were that the ancestral
acres would soon rnss to alien hands: hence
the shadow on the house Of Petit bone. throw
| Ing Grandfather Shadrack Pettihone into the
IpDthG Z Gloom and fnthAr
sentcntiously expressed H.. into the all per-
vading depths The. gloom and the dumps
were so oppressive that keuben PettibUne.
child of nature hat he was, suent most OF his
| time i'll the woods to keep his spirits up. One
and sought the hills. the widest and the high
est hills that lifted their tops here and there
that lay along the headwaterS. Reuben Petit
bones intention and expectation was to strike
and tramped. and wandered and wandered:
wIthout having met with sight or sound OF
wolf; and then suddenly snow began falling,
| 1t snowcd.' nv remarkabl" father used to
! say. III relating. after his vigorous style. this
! adventure OF his youth, it showed as if the
/ snow was being dumped out Of more than 3d.
600 -four, horse bark wagons
But the brave Guild IT, Henben fought his Tay
! fought MS way far before he discovered that
! he had lost ii. anu he had no more idea OF
ing across country on the moon. While he
! was ilounGering about he. ran up against
ledge of rocks. and at the foot Of the ledge he
snow bv overhanging rocks. Into that open
, ing he crept WITHOUT de y. The;interior was
pleasing roominess within the bosom of that
wall OF stone The , eHing by which he had
consequently, little light CLEANED tnr )uGh from
the outside. but by and by he.be"ame used to
the darkness, and then he discovered that he
| ing cleft on to one side.of the cavern he de-
tected a, bear. and at the other side lay an
| other They were both snoozing away in
! their winter sleep.
~ knew there wasn't much danger of the
bears waking up for few weeks yet, unless
! something unusual should come along To dis
| Gurb them Reuben PettIbone used to say. so
| a nap myself, until the snow quit dumping and
c9nlI crawl out ana Dig my way home.
he but when he woke dm Tass 4T
| Were struggling in at the caves narrow OPEN
ing. Reuben crrcpt out of the hole and the
! sight that met his gaze was amazing. Right
| in front of the:ledGe.was a bare spot. perhaps
! twenty feet square. On the right of 1t and on
| thirty feet high, From the far edge Of the spot
the snow shot down; in one straight stretch.
snow. Reuben invariably declared. was all OF
! fifty feet deep. and had pitch to 1t like the
say meIanehoy, rurt of it al was that Reuben
: Pettibone was standing on the steep side of
mountain H. one ne end Of that Tremendous snow
among the headwater clearings. the Pettibone
one beilG below him in full aud painful view.
/ but he might lust as well have been 400 miles
/ away, so lmpassable was the barrier of snow
| that lay before and around him. He gazed
| down at the house OF Pettibone with moist
| and wisfui eve
Home Of nv merry chidhoodr he ex-
claimed as |. with mostened eve. have heard
! HIM many and many time say he did-'hOmo
| of my merry childhood unless there cSmes Il
I rain soon and mets these unpitying banks OF
! snow. these TWO now slumhering and peace
! ful bears within will.gorge themselves on me.
/ what time the sprnGtinle comes, and no one
saying which. the weather having turned
biting cold. Reuben Pettibone crept back 10
| companionship with the darkness and the
bears. smuggling. down between the latter TO
keep warm. Was that n l2-year-old boy.
Nlacklnawy When think, of 1t an almost
! quite agree with you and say. No. no! IL
! could not have been! IL never cou!dn But
the word Of Reuben Pettbone stands for il
and doubt flies away like a guinea hen scared
| BY a dog
AS near as Reuben Pettibonc could calcu-
late, three days asscd in this way. and he was
getting hungry. Neither of the heals had even
so much as winkel since he had Joined them in
tho cave. and he hated to disturb either OF
them, But even that enduring and remarkn-
he resolved to act.
took out my knife my remarkable faith
or always delighted TO tell me. felt as gently
as passing Xephyr for the bipuest