The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-08-04
BILL, BART And THE INDIANS
UNCLE JASE DIPS DEEP INTO
KNOB COUNTRY HISTORY.


Hlk h1kIu bW8UIV AnI NstNeu hbttNlI
Not Really Necessary-Oet reppery.
LACKAwAxENr Pa, Aug. S.-~Seems %
me | never see Uncle Jase NO peppery as
he vas The day he was recomemberin
some Knob country hist'ry fer the New
York Teller who was vacationin' around
up there" said the man from hat inter-
esting spread Of Back Of Lackawack baiIi-
wick. 90 course. that he was
BERN fer the New York Teller he had 10
20 hack more than n hundred years after,
an mebbe il was somethin' of a hard pull
on tn him. but yit IL don't seem to me that
he orto got worked up 80 peppery over It.
''Consarn it all!' says he to the New
York ~vacationer. that's Big Injun Swamp
hist 'ryl' says he. scowlin' like all possessed.
shat hain't got nothin' TO do with Nc
j%innis's Barren!' says he. Il told you mt
me beginDin'. consarn it! that I wished
you'd a ast me about Big Injinl' says he.
And so he had, fer the ~vacationer had
rome to me first an asst me what was the
reason a landmark hat lays way OF south
, O the Knob was called McGinnis's Barren,
an not rememberin' just then what the
reason was. but KNOWN that whatever
il mowt or mowtn't be Uncle Jase would
know il. l sent fer Jason TO come over an
Iecomember fer the fefler, who was a nice
.appearin' sort OF a chap, an seemin'ly
pinin' to be filed up on Knob country
hist'ry.
"Jase come over. an the New York
seeker after the lore and logic o. things
there and thereabout went TO soundin'
him.
"'Unole Jase,' says he, what do you
s'pose is the reason they call that interestin'
ridge setch q ridiculous name MS McGihhis's
Barrsn?' says he.
Now, mebbe that mowt "a ben the
startin' of Uncle Jsse bein' peppery, come
TO think on il, fer he fared considerable an
says:
What do I s'pose is the reason2' says he.
.'S'pose?' says he. L don't s'pose nothin'
about il says he. know what the reason
is, by hemlockl' says he.
The New York vacationer was startin'
IN to smooth things over, but Uncle Jase he
waved his hand an says:
Never mindl But / wisht you'd "a ast
me what Big Injin Swamp is called Big
Injin Swamp fer?' says he. Then l mowt
"a give you some p'ints in the hist'ry o. the
Knob country that'd be wuth your while
a putin In booksl' says he.
The vacationer was on the pint o.
changin' his question to suit Uncle Jase
better, but Jason waved him shet ag'in, an
says:
But az long as you didn't asst me about
Big Injin.' says he. L calo'late that you
dont keer to hear about Big Injiu, 30 I'll
tell you how that barren come to be McGin-
MISS, although the barren amt McGinnis's
nor never vast says Uncle Jase, an that
surprised me consider BILE, fer ever sence
was knee high to a duck I had heerd it was
Mctinnis's Barren, an 30 / put in a word an
says:
1.-The barren amt : McGinnis's, Uncle
Jase'" I says.s why, how's that2' l says.
How is it, says he. Cause McGinnis
il the barren's. that's howl says he, snNhe
looked around the room with setch a
sweepin' an all pervadin' eye that l knowed
to wunsc it had see that somethin' was
"-rhissin'i an I told Sairy Ann to go down
cellar an fetch up the cider. Cause
McGinnis is the barren's, that's howl says
Uncle Jase, after the cider had come up,
an considerable OF IL had gone down.
AN after he had thunk a spell, with his
finger sg'in his forrid, he says:
-'As nigh as I kin hgger OF IL out says
he. It was jist about a hundred an twenty
five years now sence Bill an Bart, two
~neighborin' settlers along the Big Bushkill,
went out one day TO a pastur' lot to fetch
in a couple o. HOSES that was pasturin'
there. Bills t'other name was Cortright
an Bart was hooked onto the name o.
McGinnis.
-'Bill an Bart was jist lettin' down the
bars an was on the pint O. steppin' into
the pastur' lot when up riz an Injin outen
the bushes on one side. an two more In
inns riz outen the bushes on t'other side.
an before Bill or Bart could as much az
peep them Injins had 'em took, an away
they started with EN- up country on the
double quick, an IL It hadn't ben fer Bob,
one o. the Hammers boys hat lived two
miles from Bart an Bills place, that barren
down yender wouldn't never had no name
at all, faint likely. But Bob was ~swingin'
along on the trail o. them Injins that had
took Bart an Bill less'n fifteen minute
aTter theyrwas took
Uncle Jase held up a little fer to tamper
with the cider, an the va~cationer sort o.
shook his head an says, wonderin' like:
Kin you recomember how IL was that
Bob knowed that Bart an Bill had ben took
by Injins,' says he. so as he could foller
M soon onto their heels?' says he.
Tina idee had kind o. hit me, too, but
wasn't goin' to mention of it. Uncle
Jase sot the dipper down an i was spectin'
10 see MN mare up wuSSn ever, but he
didn't. He. sot the dipper down an says,
,erkin' his thumb over lords me:
"'Dan1 here he says. knows as we'll
as do that there hain't nothin' ever CONF
down 10 the posterity o. folks in the Knob
country SO all pervadin' strong an per-
sistin' as this that come to Bob's posterity
that Bob could smell an Injin two mile
an more says he. That's how Bob
kuoSe1 it, says he. An Danl here
Knows it as we'll as l do avs he. Don't
you. Dan'l?' says he.
Every bit as WELT I says. Every durn
hit" | says; an 40 I did,
That's how Bob showed i'll says Uncle
Jase. An them Injins knowed that Bob
had that amazin' nose fer Injins. an they
want goin' TO let no grass grow under
their feet in putin as much o. the wilder
ness AZ they could betwixt them an that
nose before it got to workin.' They had
got a. fur AS the big barren, five mile or so
from where they had took Bart an Bill,
an then Bart begun to git tuokered out.
He hung back an Rendered them Injins
30, not cause he wanted TO. but cause his
legs had given out, tina the Injins was
afcard they couldn't git 10 where they
was goin' TO on time, an beyond the reach