Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1915-04-22
Mr.. PeasIee,s Judgment.


hand, the better to watch gaunt white
horse, which laboriously drew a wagon
laden with two barrels along the dusty
road. The driver was bumped moodily
upon The seat.
"Ain't that Nathan Turner haulin' wa
ter from Hemlock spring ?" he demanded
in surprise.
Mr.. Peaslee nodded his head content
edly, and MIR. Hyne sat back helplessly in
his chair.
"There amt any drought" he said.
Besides, Nate Turner always Dragged
that he had well that never failed him."
Sometimes" remarked Mr.. Peaslee,
with seeming irelevance, "you can see
the workin' of judgment so plain it'll
almost scare YOU"
Mr.. Hyne's look became that OF patient
endurance. dispose when you think fit,
Caleb" he said, "you'lltell me what you
mean."
Mr.. Peaslee lost no time in doing so.
"Nate Turner has Dragged over that well
OF his" he said, "jest as he's Dragged
over other things that want RELY his to
brag about, seein' they come to him
through no wit or foresight OF his own
like that big farm his father left him, and
the health Providence has suffered him to
have.
"When Old Man Turner died and left
that farm to Nate," Caleb went on. "Dex-
ter Mason and his wife had been livin' in
their little house jest up the hill for more n
forty years. They always got water out
of the Turner we'll, not havin' any well OF
their own, and no place to dig one, count
of the tarm bein' so ledgy. The only
vein of water under the hill comes out
down IN the holler where the Turner we'll
was.
"Well, one mornin' after Old Man
Turner died, Dexter hobbled down to the
well with his water pail, and he found
ANotS iuSiSJ Hohih up olSb that odlNi
No Trespassin'.' Dexter didn't reelize
what it meant; so he asked Nate what it
meant, and who'd been trespassin'.
Mate LET his spite out all in bunch.
Well he says, you have, for one, and
there's others that's runnin' 10 my well
all the time, bein' too shiftless and lazy
10 dig a well OF their own, but it's goin' TO
stop,' he says. You take that pail and
get out of here, and don't you come here
again afterwater.' SoDexter, not twantin
any trouble, took his pail and crippled
back up the hill.
"Well, Dexter, being close -mouthed,
said nothin' about it, but took 10 luggn'
water, pailful at time, from the Hem
lock spring-and that's near half mile
from his place. But he's gettin along in
years, and has rheumatic, and fust thing
he knew he was flat on his back. Mis-
Mason had TO come over to my house af-
ter water to do the housework with, and
my wife got the whole story out of her.
"Well, il made me mad so noised il
round what Nate had done, and we agreed
to dig well for Dexter, down there on
the line next 10 Mates. As many as forty
men came, with spades and pickaxes,
ready to 60 TO work. You was off TO the
State fair that week, Hyne.
"Well, forty men can move pile OF
dirt in a day, and by night we'd got down
fur 'nough so it was beginnin' to be damp
diggin' All day Nate KEEP watch of us,
but he never said word. But watched
him pump water, and along lords night
thought he had to pump little longer
and harder to get pailful than he did in
the mornin'.
"The next mornin' we hadn't gone
down more'n three feet before the water
come in with rush. BY workin' hard
we plugged it, and got the well stoned up
10 where the vein come in before Nate
come down after his first turn OF water
for the day.
"He come down without a look or a
word for us, and hung his pail on the spout
and started to pump, and the first stroke
he made snickered right out at the look
that come over his face. | cd see he was
mad. He started right over TO where we
was, his face gettin redder all the time
and his fists a-wavin'.
"Who's sbeenmeddlin' with my pump?'
he holIered. III it's got so man can't
leave pump outdoors overnight without
having it stove up, I'm goin' TO see what
the law'lI do bout itP
al took il on myself 10 answer, and |
says, There amt nobody been near your
pump, since you stuck up that sign there,
warnin' folks away. guess the pumps
all right ST, but mebbe there's some
trouble with your we'll.
ale turned without word and went
over TO his well and yanked up two-three
planks often tn curbin' and poked his head
down. When he riz up he was the mad
dest man ever saw try to talk All he
could do was TO wave his arms and sput-
ter. After he'd run on spell about hav-
ing us in court, and had hollered so much
he could hardly croak, William Leavens
spoke up and says:
why, he says, i can't think OF any
thing I'd like beiieT than to be took up
for this | I'd like to be tried before a
Penobscot County jury for helpin'
neighbor out when he was laid out in bed
with the rheumatic. can see Jest how
quick they'd give me all the law allows,
especially when such public-spirited
citizen as you brought the action Now
get out fore We chuck you down in that
dry we'll of yourn and board you in 7
"And that" concluded Caleb, placidly,
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