The sun., 1910-02-06
COUSIN MARCELLUS A
~ SAD DISAPPOINTMENT
Even Aunt Sally Sorrowcd at His
Story Of a Sleeping White
Groundho0.

CHESTER. N. Y, Feb. 4.--Me an Uncle
David was settin' in the kitchen last
Groundhog Day said the man whose
claim TO Pochuck domicile some folks
think is clouded, -an' we was feelin
considerable clipper cause the groundhoe
hadn't seen his shadder when he woke
up an consekently the backbone o. winter
was cracked when IL Cousin Marcellus
Merriweather didn't come along an we
heerd him stompin' his feet on the back
stoop.
-'The grounding didn't see no shadder
this mornin'.' says Uncle David. but
Cousin Marcellus must "a An the shadder
he SEEN. says Uncle David. was the
shadder that buckwheat slapjacks an
thickened pork gravy is castin' around
J this kitchen says he. so here he is,
says Uncle David an by the way he most
bit his pipe stem in two. l sorty considered
that he want noways nigh as tiokled over
Cousin Marcellus's comm as Aunt Sally
was.
Come right in says Aunt Sally.
| openin' the door while Cousin Marcellus
was stompin' his feet on the stoop.
You've come over, o. course. to wish us a
happy Groupdhog Day says she. the
grounding not havin' see it's shadder,
says she. an the same to you an many
Of en- says she.
why. yes. Aunt Sally says Cousin
Marcellus, comm in an takin' of his
| things. That's what / come over fer,
says he. but from the way he run his eye
around an shifted in what was goin'
on in the kitchen an sot down lookin'
pleased over what he seen an sniffed
sorty couldn't help but have Uncle David's
idee as he riz up to go out.
seen the shadder of 'em.' he whispers
to me. wavin' his hand lords the yaller
pitcher with the slapjack batter in IL an
the spider on the stove gittin' ready to
have the thickened pork gravy stirred
up in it. Seen it three miles away,
says he, goin' out. an I couldn't help but
sorty have the same idee.
An this bein' a happy Groundhog
Day says Cousin MarceIlus. takin' the
rockin' cheer with the red cushion in it,
i jest can't help lettin' my memory work
an say. Aunt Sally. that / am minded
by it,, says he. that wouldn't be here
this minute nor that Uncle Soc Tinkle-
paugh wouldn't never "a been nowheres
neither says he, If Uncle Soc's gran
father hadn't found a white groundhog
sound asleep on a June day says he
which he had been s'arching an s'archin
to find fer better n ten years. says Cousin
Marcellus. Aunt Sally jest throwed up
her hands an says:
cousin Marcellus Merriweather' says
she, I want to know -
Il riz up then an was goin' out to help
Uncle David, but ketched sight OF him.
an as seen what l seen sunk back in
my cheer disappointed an diskerridged.
Uncle David was takin' the short cut to
Ben Dusinberry's.
cousin Marcellus Merriweather', says
Aunt Sally. L want to know says she.
Why says she, groundhogs don Z
never sleep daytimes in June. says she.
An there amt no white ones says she.
without never wunst thinkin' that she
mought be hurtin Cousin Marce!lus's
feelins the wust way ar that IL she was
a feIler creatur' o. the kind mule drivers
is made OF instead o. the kind that gifts
to be schoolma ans he mought "a took it
to be a fiRhtin' word an riz right then an
there an took IL up the way setch things
is gener'ly took up; but he passed il by
smilin'ly an says:
mo says he, 'groundhogs don't
sleep daytimes in June. Aunt Sally.
says he. an there amt no white ones.
says he. but there was a white one wunst.
says he, an it went sound TO sleep on a
June day says he.
Aunt Sally Jest couldn't do nothin'
but say she wanted to know, an was so
disappinted an diskerridged over Uncle
David that had got so hadn't no more
sperrit than to want to know too, 80 I
sot and knowed.
1T all come says Cousin MarceIlus.
from Uncle Soc's gran'father havin
a disposition that made him sot in his
vay TO find out whether things was so
or not by lest turnin' right In an gittin'
to the bottom OF 'em hisself. not takin'
nobody's word fer it.
This was when Uncle Soc's gram
father was a young feller, Aunt Sally. :
says Cousin MarcelIus, an fore he had
got to be Uncle S9S,s grandfataer an, AZ
wilds o. the Passydanky bailiwick. way
over in Pennsylvany. where only a few
human feller bein's had sot their feet in
that part o. the country, but where
skeeriest lookin'. terror strickin est an
hair raisin' est passed. o. lnjins that ever
KEEP man an beasts a-shiverin' an
shakin' an faintin away. Amongst
them human feller betn's that lived IN
the passydanky deestric in them days
was the Summerskin Softberry family
Joanna Softberry bein' the daughter o.
that family, an she had set young Bosom
Tinklebaugh heart crazy. an she was
took the same way with young Bosom.
But do you think OIL Summerskin Soft
berry would hear TO them lovin' hearts
a-j'inin' into beatin' as onef He wouldn't.
Seems that him an Bosom Tinklepaugh's 8
pap come from the same dees trio in
Jersey, an there had been some trouble
betwfxt 'em that or Summerskin Soft
berry held up the consekencee OF ag'i in
Besom's pap, and 50, No-sir-eei No
daughter O his'n fer Besoml
but young Bosom bein' o. that sot
in his way turn o. mind, he stuck to his
bein' bound to have Joanna, an Joanna
declared up an down that II she lived to
be a hundred no one could over change
her name from Softberry except to
Tinklepaugh, an setch was the sitivation
! when Summerskin called in the ol' squaw
witch o. that horrifyin' Injin tribe an
asst her what could be did to shet on that
plIshin' young TinhIspavgh felier. That
oil souaw witch had a lnin name that
was as long as your arm. an It meant
in English, Skeer.rattlesnakes-to
.-.:sk ..,a loolr ~, van lin Aunt Sal l1u