Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1908-07-23
The Yankee Pass.
fOrieiaal.l


 Aaron Whitney. Yankee peddler, EUassed through the Mohawk valley on Nhis way to Albany. The day was Sun day. and there was a law among the Dutchmen of those parts that no one should travel on that day. Moreover, fhere was as much antipathy between Dutchmen and Yankees as there is be- tween cats and mice. How the Dutch aver left Holland to make homes in new country beyond the sea no his- torian has ever explained, for when Dutchman was once settled anywhere he never moved. Not so the Yankee. He would take up piece of land, i'm prove it, sell it and go somewhere else. As .sMein Gott," exclaimed one of the deacons of the Dutch church, "see that Yankee travelling on the Lords day! Was ever such blasphemy? Let us fake him before Justice Van der Donk, who will doubtless mete out his pun ishment.
 So they took Aaron before the jus tice. He was sitting under an apple tree near his house, with a glass of schnapps beside him and long clay nine in his mouth. This is not men toned as an unusual position for the great man. for all the long day he sat in no other As Aaron was taken be- fore him the pedder saw pair of blue eyes looking at him from win dow in the house. There was some thing in the young girl who owned them to attract him, and there was that in the peddler's spry step and twinkling eye to catch her fancy.
 ssWhat you travel Sunday for:' ask ed Van der Donk, taking his pipe out of his mouth and looking stcrnly at the peddlcr.
 ''Im goin' to Albany and from there down east. have sold my wares and want to get home
 "Hm," said the Dutchnan, 'you stay here till tomorrow. l don't want you to bring the wrath of the Lord down on us.
 The peddler threw off his pack, mak- ing virtue of necessity. At least that was the appearance of it. Really he was quite willing to remain over awhile that he might look upon the fair face of the justices daughter Katrina, who had looked upon him out of her blue eyes And the girl was equally desirous of seeing more of the ensag ing pedder Why it is no man has ever told us but peddiars are proverbi ally fascinating to women. Perhaps it is the same audacity that enables them to sell their wares. At any rate, the peddler. leaving his pack for security, went off to the other end of the apple orchard and waited for the girl to come to him. never for a moment doubtinS that she would do so.
 And she did. She had been long de sirous of pouring out her dissatisfae- ton at the life she led to some person in whom she had confidence. and she felt sure that she could conTide in the Yankee. She told him that her father compelled her to do all the work, while he smoked and drank schnapps; that she had a thousand dollars in bank at Albany left her by her mother for which her father was trustee and that he would not let her have it. The ped dler told her that she needed a hus- band to work for her. and she would find this much easier and pleasanter than working for some one else.
 Now, the justice, thinking the peddler in hurry to go on, when the shades of night came down intimatcd that for a consideration he would pass him. The Yankee declared that Sunday end cd at sunset. The Dutchman secuted such theology, maintaining that it last cd till sunrise the next day. The Van kee finally consented 10 pay. The jus tice, who either could not write or was too fat or too lazy to write or coull not write in English as well as in Dutch, told the Yankee to write d pass. Az on took up the quill and wrote in an ilcgiblc hand on bit of paper. The Autchman ran his sleepy eyes over It, grunted "Goot!" signed it and hand ca II back to him. Anthony folded it. put It Hi his pocket took up his pack and departed. The justice got up from his chair and by the aid of two canes got himself into the house. where sup per was served him by his daughter, Then, after a couple of hours smoke, ne went to bed.
 Inc next morning when he woke up ana called Katrina as usual, there was no response. Tho old man reused his helshbors, who hunted high and low TOT the damsel, but she was not to be iound. That she had gone with the peddler never occurred to the justice or any or the stupid Dutchmen. If they connected her disappearance with him It was that he might have murdered her.
 TWO days passed, and Katrina did not reappear. Then one morning there oalne a letter to old Van der Donk elnce he was not used to receiving let .ers ne felt sure it contained informa- uoh or his lost daughter. He helped nlmself with his canes to the apple tree and got one of his neighbors to pting his pipe and his schnapps. After ue mad taken pull at the one and