The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1906-10-18
of countenance calculated to deceive

of countenance calculated to deceive
the cat.
"Now, why did father linger be-
hind?" asked Jennie of herself as she
went upstairs, and, pokinS her head
out of a front window, she saw him
engaged in some nefarious business on
the path-something that she investi-
gated fifteen minutes later and
dragged to one side on the lawn.
The merchant had been detained. He
had also forgotten that farmers re-
tired to their beds when the hens went
to roost. It was 10 o'clock when he
came driving out. Jennie heard him
coming and walked down the roxd to
meet him. Knowing her father as sho
did, she knew that a present Of g
dozen new hoes that night would not
suffice to soothe his injured feelings.
It would be best to notify Mr.. Barlow
of this fact and turn him back and say
good night.
At about the hour mentioned above
Uncle Peter reused up out of a doze
with a new theory. 1t was to the et-
feet that some lightning rsd men
might come along in tie irt,!t and
seek to arouse the house for lodgings
and step into that waiting bear trap.
He was about to get up when he re-
membered that a man of. lightning had
cheated him out of $40 five years be-
fore, and be therefore decided not to
bulge. He had Just come to this de-
cision when old Mrs. Davis said:
ANDREW, I'm goin' to get up and go
over to Scotts."
"What fur?' he dreamily asked.
I've got a theory that Uncle Peter
has hung himself in the wood she'd"
"Nonsensew
Don't say nonsense to me. Il never
had a theory yet that didn't turn out
right. I'm goin' right over there, and
if you hear me yell out you'll know
what has happened"
She partly dressed and left the house.
Jennie and Mr.. Barlow and the horse
and buggy were not so far away that
she could not have made them out had
she been less occupied with her theory,
but as. it was they escaped her notice.
The wood shed to every well regulated
house is in the rear. 1t was so In the
case Of the Scott home. To reach 1t
old Mrs. Davis had to leave the straight
path, and she hadn't made above ten
steps when there was scream and a
long drawn yell to freeze the blood of
all hearers. Uncle Peter heard it as he
was beginning to dream Of broken hoe
handles and fat moles, and he jumped
out Of bed.
Old Mr.. Davis heard it as he dozed
and wondered about theories, and out
of bed he came with his hair trying to
stand on end. Jennie and Mr.. Barlow
heard it and started forward with ex-
carnations Of alarm, and thus 1t hap
peped that the four reached old Mrs.
Davis at about the same time. She
had been caught in the bear trap, Of
course Ia leaving the path she had
stepped fairly into it, and as the jaws
came together she felt, as she said
afterward, that the last day had come
and she was ready to sail away.
There was an exciting time for the
fext ten minutes. The poor old woman
was frightened half to death, and a
good deal bruised by the teeth Of the
trap, and while she was being carried
across the road her husband was an
nouncing his determination to have sat
isfaction under the law. Uncle Peter
realized that his theory had failed, and
Jennie and Mr.. Barlow had been dis
covered conspiring, as it were. 1t
wasn't until the victim had been put
to bed, her hurts attended to by doc
tor and her husband calmed down by
a promise that the right thing should
be done that Uncle Peter turned on the
young folks and demanded:
''Well, what you got to say about all
this?
Nothing. father" answered Jennie.
Nothing, Mr.. Scott" added the mer-
chant.
'tWall, dunno as have, either" OBJ
served the mole killer, as he logged into
the house and left the others at the
gate to talk things over.