Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1903-02-05
: MISTAKE OF
MURPHY'S DOG
The Pochuck Mans Story of the
Drowned Lands Tork1e.

other day at the Rowland house
charged with even larger load Of con-
fidence in himself than usual, and there
was perceptible self-reproach in his
manner as he remarked to Badly, the
landlord:
II ought to have been here before
with this news from Poehuck, know,
cause it's somethin' amazin', but I've
had to git here between rains, and
that's made times for travelin' ding
swizzled short and few for quite spell
back, as you mowt a noticed. You
been expectin' me, o courseY
Badly, the landlord, said no, it wasn't
quite as bad as that.
"Good Then l hain't been disap-
p'intin' youl" said the man of the al
legged Pochuck domicile, sitting down
with cheerful smile. THAT lifts load
of O. my mind bigger'n the price o.
coall l hain't never disappointed no.
body yit, and it'd jest hook me in with
sorrow to begin a-doin' Of it now. And
some o. the news from Pochuck that
I'm stuffed with this trip is that all
the signs says that the weather's goin'
to settle, and we're goin' to have an
open winter.
Jest mark that down on your slate,
along with the rulin' fgger for about
five fingers O. Jersey ginger till ! come
in ag'in, SOS you won't fergit It'll"
IAN open winterl And i've fingers
Of the Jersey ginger. Five'l be plen-
~. The weather's goin' to settle, and
we're goin' to have an open winter!"
Badly. the landlord, said he'd stand
for the open winter, all right, and he
was glad the weather was going TO
/ settle But he said he didn't believe
the weather would go so far as 70 set
/ tie for the five fingers Of Jersey. That
would be cash, he said.
The Pochuck citizen shook his head
and said something about the people
being all wrong in charging the trusts
with putting the necessaries Of life be-
yond their reach, when anybody with
half an eye ought to see that it was
the spread Of the No Trust sentiment
that was doin' of it; then he cracked
the middle finger of his left hand and
the thumb on his right and said:
Eyes. sir; an open winter That's
good news, o. course. And there's more
news than that. Murphy's bulldog
made the mistake Of his life. and the
amazin' Drownded Lands snappin'
torkle is dead. Deader'n marble slabs,
and it's hard blow to Aunt Sally
Beckendarter.
Uncle David is talin' on considerable
about it, too, and Murphy is madder'r
wildcats. Murphy's bulldog had grit,
all right, though, but he ought a
knowed that amazin' Drownded Lands
snappin' torkle better.
ayes. yes. I've got quite wad o
news this trip Quite wad. But the
dyin' o. that amazin' snappin' torkle
sort o. bows me down. Spot cash, you
think. is the best sou could do as TO a
little fye-tinger deal in Jersey gin
ger?"
Il Badly. the landlord, said he thought
il was. The Pochuck citizen cracked
his other thumb, and said:
"We don't know exactly jest how old
that snappin' torkle was, but the fig
gers he carried on his undershell, cut
good and deep, was 1901, i. c. but be
must "a been a good deal older than
that yet, because"
Hold oni" exclaimed Badly the
landlord, rising quickly to his feet and
lifting up his hands, while Terry, the
Scotch-Irish terrier, stood ready tc
take a hand in if the proceedings be
came strenuous. "Any Snappin' turtle
with a pedigree datin' back TO 1901, b
c., is plenty old enough. If you've go
one older than that you must go some
where else to talk about him!"
Jest what Sam Bailey thunk, by
catsl" exclaimed the Pochuck news
carrier. slapping his knee. jest what
Sam thunk when he came onto tina
torkle as il was pullin' turnips in hi
patch. in the fall o. 1926. and turned
him over and read them figgers!"
"'Great Gabriel's Trumpet says
Sam. Here's the father of all snappin
torkles, by gimbletsl "1s01, b. CT
Badly the landlord sat down anC
glared at the seventeenth century
Claudius Smith musket hanging su
pinely on its pegs over the door Terry
the Scotch-Irish terrier, hurriedl out
to inquire of Ike Edwards bull pun
what business he had nosing AROUND
there. Farmer Bill Leonard, who lives
opposite Goose Pond Mountain, turneC
to Farmer Green, Of jolly Farm, anC
remarked that if eggs didn't go NJ
pretty soon you might as well keel
guinea pigs as chickens, and Farmer
Green said yes, and ding sight better
for guinea pigs didn't git the pip. Thel
nobody said anything further, and thu
man from over toward Pochuek re
Sumed.
.'No," said he. eve don't know ex
: actly how old that amazin
snappin' torkle was, but oil,
Sol Terpy used TO say tina
he must "a been quite a pup il
1901, as he hadn't growed none t
speak cf when Sam Bailey run ont'