The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1930-01-02

as possible, until her insults culmin-
ated in a bucket of cold water being
dashed over him early one morn
ing while he was still sleeping. It
was difficult for him to maintain a
shred of dignity under such provoca-
ton with the old lady heaping abuse
on him and at last in self defense he
retaliated in his own idiom Sass,
which deeply offended the lady and
precipitated her husbands wrath on
her action. When Mr.. Caldwell set
tied with Meshach he shook the dust
of Wheeling from his feet and turned
his face toward his mothers home,
which he reached that night.
Meshach spent several weeks with
his mother, and in the meantime ex-
terminated the squirrels in Mr..
Foote'S cornfeld at one dollar per
day. But each week the longing for
a sight of Mary's bonny face grew
more intolerable. When he told his
mother of his desire to return to AL
legany county she readily consented
on condition he would return.
Upon reaching Blooming Rose he
did not see Mary for several days,
but meeting her at a funeral, he
walked home with her when they be-
came tacitly engaged.
Kills a Tremendous Panther
In October Meshach's mother and
stepfather moved to Blooming Rose,
thereby giving the boy a home once
more. The latter part of the month
slight snow fell. Meshach with his
gun and dog were tracking four deer
that dashed into a thicket to hide
Finding they were running in differ
ent directions he stood still a few
minutes for observation and saw
something slipping through the woods
when the head of a huge panther
glared at him over big log lying
near. Meshach was much startled
but raised his gun and fired while the
animal was looking him full in the
face. Making tremendous spring
the panther disappeared in the woods
followed by the dog. AS soon
as Meshach recovered from his fright
and could load his gun he took up the
trail and found the panther and dog
fighting at the base of a high cliff
Standing above them he fired again
but not until he had shot the third
time did he kill the beast that meas
ured eleven feet and three inches. Out
of fifty such animals Mashach killed
during his lifetime this one was the
largest.
Meshach Takes Mary AS His Wife
The winter passed in occasional
hunts, dances, shooting matches and
in counting Mary. In 1899, both be-
ing in their eighteenth year they set
the last day of April for their we'd
ding day. When Meshach asked Mr..
McMullen for his consent to their
marriage he angrily said "as they had
already made their plans it was use
less for him to interfere" The last
day of April dawned gloriously beau
tiful, when the wedding party con-
sisting of several friends, all gay and
irresponsible, rode away into Pennsyl-
vania to have the ceremony perform
ed. When the wedding was over,
Meshac thanked the squire and told
him it was the way he had long
sought. But the responsibility OF
caring for wife which Meshac had
so jauntily assumed, began to look
rather serious in the face of Mr.. Nc
Mullen's continued antagonism which
he made no effort to conceal.
Meshach had a squatter's title to
twenty acres of cleared land with three
acres of standing wheat and a good
cabin, but he had no household pro-
visions and no money.
He set trap and then took Mary
to his mother while he went to work
on Tuesday morning and until Friday
evening he had earned two bushels
of wheat.
The Couple Go To Housekeeping
In the meantime, the cabin had
been made habitable, he had shot a
tukey and caught bear in his trap
Mrs. McMullen had given them two