Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1906-08-28
Some Theories
And a Bear Trap
By c. B. LEWIS

( Copyright, 1905. by NJ. NJ Cunningham
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Uncle Peter Scott, farmer on the out
skirts of the village of Hillside, had
lost his good wife, and his daughter
Jennie kept house for him. He had got
to be fifty years old and finicky, while
she had got to be twenty and was
called one of the incest girls in Adams
county.
Tom Barlow, the youngest of the vii
lage merchants, agreed with all others.
He had driven out to see Jennie on half
dozen occasions on Sunday after
Eoons. and 1t was whispered around
that marriage would come of it. The
father had scratched his head and said
nothing. but In his own mind he had
regarded 1t as Il good match.
All was going well when an interrupt
ton suddenly occurred Mr. Barlow
dealt in hoes, rakes and shovels as well
as in dry goods and groceries. Uncle
Peter bought hoe of him and started
into the cornfeld one morning to make
The dirt fly. The hoe pleased him. the
air was balmy and the corn was knee
high and still growing. He was hum
ming to himself and wondering how
long before he would lose Jennie when
he pulled over sod with his hoe and
caught sight of big fat mole under
meath.
The life or death Of that mole had
little to do with the future prosperity
OF Adams county, but Uncle Peter
jumped in with intent to slaughter. He
made three or four blows with the hoe
and finally one tremendous blow. The
mole was inundated, but at the same
time the handle of the hoe was broken
and the old man fell forward and
plowed his nose into the ground. He
got up mad He was mad at the mole,
the hoe and himself, and he jumped up
and down and used cuss words.
One does not remain mad at himself
very long. lie finds some one else to
blame for the whole thing. In this
case Uncle Peter put the calamity on
the shoulders of Mr.. Barlow He had
sold him hoe handle that was weak
in the back-sold 1t with intent to de
fraud and deceive Uncle Peter had
sold short tons of hay more than once
but when any one cheated him he look.
ed upon it as wrong to all humanity.
He was near the roadside fence when
1,o h<, hoH
just got the dirt out of his mouth after
the fall when a man he knew came
driving along in his buggy.
He naturally asked what was the
matter and the old man cut loose. He
called the merchant cheat, fraud and
swindler and vowed by the whiskers
of his ancestors that he would never,
never buy aught more of him. He
wanted his words repeated, and they
were.
When the father went up to the
house after another hoe and the daugh-
ter asked what was the matter he had
more to say about the merchant and
something particular to say to her. He
made more fuss about that broken hoe
handle than the county commissioners
had in building bridge over Goose
creek, and he ended Off with:
Now, you gal, listen to me. If that
swindler ever sets foot on my land
ag'in I'll crush him as would a-a-a
mousse
Jennie argued and protested and
tried to soothe, but the father was OBJ
durate. He told her of the message
he had sent to town, and she wrote a
few lines of excuse to Mr.. Barlow and
sent them by passing boy. That aft
ernoon several persons had several
theories to advance to themselves.
Uncle Peter held to his anger. His
theory was that Mr.. Barlow would
drive out in the evening and try to get
speech with Jennie and seek to excuse
his disgraceful conduct In selling for
25 cents a hoe not worth a dime.
Jannie's theory was that the mer-
en- hoes in his buggy and tell her ia
Their to take them all. but she feared
the result The old man was mad ali
through, and it always took him at
least week to get over one of his fits.
Old Mrs. Davis. who lived just across
the road, heard something about the
broken hoe. and her theory was that
there would be row Of some sort and
that she would be there to hear and
to see.
The merchant didn't have any par
ticuIar theory He simply made up his
mind to drive out to Uncle Peters and
tell him to come in and help himself
to hoes, rakes and shovels without
stint
Nothing further Of moment happened
during the day. 1t was after supper
when Uncle Peter was milking the
brindle COW that he got another the
DRY. 1t might have worked well had
not his daughter observed him half an
hour later olling up the springs of a
bear trap that had hung in the barn for
the last twenty years. Then she got a
new theory Her father hoped and in
tended that some one should walk into
that trap. 1t must be the man who
sold him the deceptive hoe that he was
laying for. Old Mrs. Davis kept her
eye on the Scott homestead between
shutdown and dark, and, though no
tragedy took place. she turned to her
husband and said:
Andrew, something Is goin' to hap
pen. / feel It in my bones. I've got
theory that there's goin' to be awful
doin's across the road tonights'
Father and daughter sat on the porch
till the clock struck 0, and then the girl
49, 81 nxs&n-o<y <hn y,<.r7co "a On IN