Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1921-03-10
Mr.. Peaslee Points a Moral.

MIN IN the village postomce, became
curious. How'd you manage TO tear
T; so bad, Obed ?" he asked.
Obed glanced up shamefacedly. 81
done il playin' the fool" he acknowl-
edged briefly.
Mr.. Peaslee observed the embarrass-
ment and grinned. Suppose you tell
is what you've been doing" he sug-
gested. "Oh, yes, you will" he per-
sisted as Obed made a sign of dis
sent. 'lf you don't, don't know but
should feel bound to ask Mrs. Gun
ney what you've been up TO; she'll
tell me in minute"
Obed, having debated the matter in
MS mind, surrendered gracefully.
I'D rather you'd get it from me than
from her." he admitted, land then I'd
now YOU got the rights of it; 'twasn't
much, anyway.
"i've always kept little piggin out
~ the back door, so as to have one
handy when I'd 60 to the barn; | could
fetch along some water in il for one
of the critters; and in the run of a
year I'd save good many steps tina
way But my wife's been possessed to
use it for whatever she'd happen to
Sant it for; and when I'd get ready to
use it, more'n half the time it'd be
gone. So yesterday morning | got
some nails and nailed it down solid,
ior kind of hint to her to let it
alone; and this mornia' forgot I'd
nailed it down and ketched hold Of it
when ! was goin' past and tore finger
rail. That's the whole story, much or
littlew
Mr.. Peaslee nodded sagely. 81
supposed very likely it was somethin'
about as predetermined as that" he
aid. Didn't you know, if man rigs
anything like that to hurt or surprise
sgmebody else, he's more'n apt to get
come up with himself? Why did't you
call TO mind Salem Aslop and hold
your hand ?"
Il didn't call Salem to mind" re-
pended Obed testify, because | didn't
know him."
WAL" said Caleb, eff you'll listen
q minute,-or mebbe five,-I'll tell you
bout it,
Salem used TO own that heater
piece of ground just beyond his house
twixt the road to the lower ,pwn and
me one that runs towards Hard
scrabble Hill neighborhood. 1t wasn't
anything for land, for nothing throve
there but burdocks and liveforever.
With mebbe a clump or two of wire
grass. Folks used to make it a kinc
Of short cut to get from one road to
lie other, instead of going up to the
.orks and then coming back. They
.idn't hurt nothing, for, as I've said
nothing grew there that was wuth
saving.
But Salem, bein' kind of narrow
and un;hankful, forbid folks from
-rossin' there, and number of times
re chased boys out with his hosswhip.
ldut folks kept right on usin' it; and al
asst Salem let his mean temper get the
&C ter of him, and he resolved to set a
Trap, kind of, thatd hurt 'em and meb
re keep 'em out.
HE didn't really want to set it
himself, fearin' the law about man.
iTaps and spring guns; but he had a
sort of half-wit working for him, and
re told the fellow to rig up somethin'
0 surprise anybody crossing and not
10 tell him anythink about it. H,
figured, you see, that il anybody was
aurt, ne could plead ignorance ami
ihrow it onto the half wit.
THAT was where Salem made mis-
lake; if he'd known little more. he
couldn't have got hurt
"For a day or so after he had the
talk with the half-wit nobody used
the path across the heater-piece. and
the whole thing kind of slipped Salem's
mind. But one evening just at the be-
G!nnln' of dusk he saw three or four
Toys startin' across, and he grabbed
his hosswhip and put after EN-. They've
got pretty well across, when he got
10 the edge of the piece, but he
thought by running he could get near
enough to get one or two welts al em
before they got off his land; so he
AID legs to it and run as fast as he
could.
He'd most come up up with EN- be-
tore they heard him; and they'd
iest swung round to see who was COM
ing so fast when all of sudden he felt
something catch him across his mouth,
like a pair of bits in q hnss,s mouth