Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-03-20
GOV. PENNYPACKER
AS A BIBLIOPHILE
Discovers Treatise on the Book of
Revelations in Home of
His Kinsman
rENNYrACKER AuToBIoGRAPHY-No. Ios


"CoME ofer here vonce. have liddle
~ present I want to gife you,' John
called out to me, holding a book.
1t was a mystical treatise upon the Book
OF Revelations which had belonged to his
| great.grandfather Samuel Pennypacker,
who had entertained Washington at Penny.
packers Mills, and who had laboriously
read through the book twice marking each
days progress and making comment John
had had it bound in Norristown.
John, you ought not to part with tina.
book"
"Ach. saw you look all ofer dat book
vonce and den ] know you wants to take
| it back we're It vas. Dat is all right dalk
II ofer wiss my wife. and she say vat
do I want wiss such olt pooks chust to lie
arount in de way and make a dust Gife IL
TO de Governor vor all ] gares' And so
chust YOU dake it along and Welcome"
"Dree Pannebackers"
81 vas up in Percks County 10 see
Chames Pannebacker" he reported after re.
turning from two days trip with his
wife and daughter.
"Dere vas dree of dem Pannebackers-
Chames and Chon and Richard. Chon vas
an old patchelor and he vas chust not so
pright. and he goes to lf wiss Richard
| and den he makes will and gifes to Rich
ard all vat he has. Dere vas Great law.
suit about dat vil and dey don't speak
TO one annoder any more, and ven Richard
|
| funeral, but he gees to de graveyard. I
chust told Chames dat 7 wanted someding
vat belonged to dem old Pannebackers to
pring home for de Governor Den Chames
say he hafe such knife vat old William
| Pannebacker made, vat made rifles in Ian
CASTER County for the Revolution. but he
don't know we're dat knife is any more
and den he calls de women, and he says,
We're is dat knife vat William Panne-
backer made for me, and 7 gife him a dollar
for it, and de women dey don't know, dey
haven't seen dat knife dese long vile any
more, but dey hunt and dere it vas in de
drawer of de old chest-sure."
Out OF his capacious pocket John drew
huge homemade knife with handle OF
maple wood, and broad, curved blade, six
inches long.
Here is dat knife, you can hafe it. n
you don't want it, ! would chust keep it
myself
| "Pryan is out again to be President"
said John, philosophically and reminiscent
Il don't know much apout it, and I don't
care much one way or de odder But don't
pelieve he will efer be President Ven
| ftl hoa l.4 a.,
chust ven he don't get it. ! could hafe
been school director vonce, and I say to
eferbody danks 'em as much II dey votes
against me as If dey votes for me-"
John is an elder in the German Reformed
Church. He goes to church regularly
every Sunday and all of his ways are up.
right. A neighbor said to me of him. "If
eferbody vas like John Pannebacker dere
would be little drouble In de world"
His system Of theology is simple.
John" 7 said, how does it happen that
while your great-grandfather was a Mem
MONTE. you are a member VI the German
Reformed church,"
81 don't know how dat vas But | sink
it vas diese way. My grandfather he vos
nodding. He don't pelong to no church.
But den he gets married. My grandmother
she vas Reformed, and so he chons wiss
de Reformed too chust to please her. Den
my fader he vas Reformed and den
comes along and l am Reformed"
John makes an occasional deal in an
old clock, case of drawers, a walnut
desk, corner cupboard and horse. Fully
half dozen tall clocks stand around
the corners of his house, ticking the min.
utes and striking the hours, waiting until
some eager antiquary comes to separate
them.
A Horse for a Clock
"Dere vas rich voman." began John
| Cwhen l pressed him little too closely
about the profits on a clock), "and she
didn't hafe any children and she wanted
to puy horse, and it must be chust such
horse wiss such color and wiss chust
such long dail She tdn't want any horse
, vat come from de vest but he must pe
: raised on warm arount here so dat he
: know de country and run up and down
hill all right. Her man, he comes efery
we're lookin for dat horse and den he comes
to me and dells me vat drouble he hafe wiss
, | desc olt woman. He sees de horse val
/ drife in my wagon and he looks him
all ofer and he say: I am tired, awful, and
I pelieve dat horse vat you cot would chust
, suit and l say: I sink so, too; see val
} a nice long dali But how can get de
: work. done on my warm wissout dat horse ?
Den / ask de boys and dey say: vat fol
I | you want to keep dat horse wiss such I
! dali? You cot horses blenty. We get.
Y along all right You chust sell him. ant
: so let's him go wiss de man. After da
, venefer desc ot woman hafe her friends
come to bay her visit ON a Suntay. sh,
dells 'em to go out to de parn and look a
q dat horse vot she bought, and dell he
!, vat vas de madder wiss him and dey al
comes in and saw dew looks him ofer far,