Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1901-12-05
THE PEDDLER'S RUSE

like TO tell il sometimes just to remind
myself that the worst thing a man can
have in this world Is a hot, obstinate
temper.
You see, came TO this coast soon
after the gold fever broke out and set
tied down In the Santa Barbara valley
below here, ranching. I was widower
even then and had brought with me
from the states my only child, daugh-
ter past seventeen. She was a pretty
girl. If / do say 1t, and being as good
as she was pretty you can imagine l
was quite wrapped up in her. OF
course / was anxious to keep her with
me, and IL not that at least | looked
for her to do something better than
fall In love with peddier."
"And did shef"
Eyes. You see In those days the
country was full Of young fellows who
had struck out for themselves and were
trying to get a start by carrying knick-
knacks around from one mining camp
TO another Some of them were lively
chaps enough and well educated. but |
was fresh from the states. with all the
eastern prejudiccs, and 1t almost drove
me wild when Nellie told me she want
ed to marry a young fellow who
brought his pack through our district
a good deal oftener than the trade
seemed to require. | was a hot temper
ed fool in those days. so | stormed,
threatened. locked Nellie up for a week
and sent word to her lover that | had
loaded my gun for wildcats and ped
dlers. One day when came back from
a cattle sale she was missing. | chased
her a couple of days, but they had TAX
en- to the woods, and it was of no use.
After awhile got letter from Frisco,
and wrote back saying that | disown-
ed her and that he had better keep out
OF the range of my rifle.
'0ne evening after a terrible rain
storm a peddler came to my house and
asked for shelter for the night He
was a thin, weak looking fellow. with
his face covered with "A huge. ragged
beard He carried on his back an enor-
mousIy long and heavy pack and seem
ed so exhausted with his tramp
through the mire that | hadn't the
heart to do more than order him or
the place. He seemed all broke up
when be found | wouldn't even give
him 4 bunch of straw In the stable and
no other house within twelve miles.
Instead OF complaining. however. he
merely begged that would let him
leave his pack. which. he said, contain
cd goods of value. under shelter from
the rain. l finally consented to this.
So, as | had sworn none Of his trade
should ever cross my threshold. car
ried his pack inside. while its owner
limped off to crawl under some bush or
other.
Something about the man reminded
me OF Nellie's husband a little. How
ever. locked and barred all the doors
and windows as usual. for some road
agents had been around those parts
about that time and had stopped and
robbed several ranches. and, as | told
you, / was all alone. Somehow |
couldn't go TO sleep when after that
went to bed. After tossing around for
awhile | got up and sat by the fire.
brooding over my trouble and trying
not to think OF the poor chap shlvering
out there In the cold and rain some
where looked at his pack sitting up
In the re- n and wondered what made
II so long. As l watched 1t | fancied
saw Il move"
''Saw II mover
Exactly | wouldn't believe my own
eyes at first. but after watching intent
H.. Fn~ j, Hfstfn.fI.s e,a ~ tY,a
OF a hand pressed against the canvas
from the inside. Like fash then l
understood the whole thing. The ped
dler was one Of the road agents gang,
and. knowing | had considerable mon
ey about the house they had adopted
that plan for smuggling one OF the4r
crew inside the house. After | had
gone to sleep the fellow inside could
let in the rest and finish the job.
walked quietly across the room. took
my gun from the antlers. knelt down a
few feet from the pack. aimed square
in the center and pulled the trigger"
eco on" murmured the listener. with
a shudder.
but the gun didn't go or" contin-
ued the landlord. clearing his throat.
The nipple was rusty and wouldn't
work, so / laid down the rifle. Just
then saw a ghost. The pack opened.
and l saw sticking out of It's top the
curly yellow hair OF my Nellie when
she was a little tot of four. The shock
staggered me so that | sank on my
knees | wiped my eyes and wondered
II had not gone crazy. I was almost
certain OF II when the ghost stretched
out a pair OF chubby white arms and
said:
How do. grandpa p"
"Ah.' said the guest. with a relieved
sigh. Il begin to see. And what did
you do them"
Il don't exactly know" said the
landlord softly. but Il there is any
thing that will bend stiff. stubborn
neck quicker than the arms Of little
child I'll like n EuDNy what II is I nuf