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diff --git a/old/61017-0.txt b/old/61017-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 3d5ae69..0000000 --- a/old/61017-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,6842 +0,0 @@ -Project Gutenberg's Tales of a Vanishing River, by Earl Howell Reed - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: Tales of a Vanishing River - -Author: Earl Howell Reed - -Release Date: December 25, 2019 [EBook #61017] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK TALES OF A VANISHING RIVER *** - - - - -Produced by Richard Tonsing, ellinora, and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.) - - - - - - - - - - TALES OF - A VANISHING RIVER - - - - - BY THE SAME AUTHOR - - SKETCHES IN DUNELAND - THE DUNE COUNTRY - THE VOICES OF THE DUNES - ETCHING: A PRACTICAL TREATISE - -[Illustration: - - (_See Page 15_) - - A KANKAKEE BAYOU -] - - - - - _Tales of A Vanishing River_ - - - _by_ - - EARL H. REED - - _Author of_ - - “The Dune Country” - “Sketches in Duneland” - etc. - - - _Illustrated by the Author_ - - - NEW YORK ~ JOHN LANE COMPANY - LONDON ~ JOHN LANE. THE BODLEY HEAD - MCMXX - - - - - COPYRIGHT, 1920, - BY JOHN LANE COMPANY - - - Press of - J. J. Little & Ives Company - New York, U. S. A. - - - - - _To_ - - MY FRIEND - - H. W. J. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - FOREWORD - - -The background of this collection of sketches and stories is the country -through which flowed one of the most interesting of our western rivers -before its destruction as a natural waterway. - -This book is not a history. It is intended as an interpretation of the -life along the river that the author has come in contact with during -many years of familiarity with the region. Names of places and -characters have been changed for the reason that, while effort has been -made to adhere to artistic truth, literary liberties have been taken -with facts when they have not seemed essential to the story. - - E. H. R. - - - - - CONTENTS - - - CHAPTER PAGE - I THE VANISHING RIVER 15 - - II THE SILVER ARROW 31 - - III THE BRASS BOUND BOX 47 - - IV THE “WETHER BOOK” OF BUCK GRANGER’S GRANDFATHER 65 - - V TIPTON POSEY’S STORE 105 - - VI MUSKRAT HYATT’S REDEMPTION 135 - - VII THE TURKEY CLUB 165 - - VIII THE PREDICAMENTS OF COLONEL PEETS 207 - - IX HIS UNLUCKY STAR 245 - - - - - ILLUSTRATIONS - - - A KANKAKEE BAYOU _Frontispiece_ - - WAUKENA _Facing Page_ 32 - - FAMILIAR HAUNTS 48 - - THE OLD LOG HOUSE 66 - - TIPTON POSEY 106 - - “PUCKERBRUSH BILL” 120 - - SWAN PETERSON 122 - - DICK SHAKES 130 - - “MUSKRAT” HYATT 136 - - THE REVEREND DANIEL BUTTERS 148 - - “BILL” STILES 166 - - COLONEL JASPER M. PEETS 208 - - MISS ANASTASIA SIMPSON 218 - - THE SHERIFF 264 - - - - - I - THE VANISHING RIVER - - -Somewhere in a large swampland, about fifty miles east of the southern -end of Lake Michigan, the early French explorers found the beginning of -the river. - -A thread-like current crept through a maze of oozy depressions, -quagmires, seeping bogs and little pools, among patches of sodden brush, -alders and rank grass. With many intricate windings, the vagrant waters, -swollen by numberless springs and rivulets, emerged from the tangled -morass, became a living stream, and began its long and tortuous journey -toward the southwest, finally to be lost in the immensity of unknown -floods beyond. - -The explorers called the stream the Theakiki. In the changing -nomenclature of succeeding years it became the Kankakee. It was the main -confluent of the Illinois, and one of the first highways of the white -man to the Mississippi. - -The crude topographic charts of the early voyagers on the river -naturally differ much in detail and accuracy, but, in comparing them -with our modern maps, we wonder at their keen observation and the -painstaking use of their limited facilities. - -The annals of their journeys are replete with description, legend, -romance, disheartening hardship, and unremitting battle at the barriers -of nature against her would-be conquerors. - -The name of LaSalle, that resplendent figure in the exploration of the -west, will be forever associated with the Kankakee. There are few pages -of historic lore more absorbing and thrilling to the admirer of -unflinching fortitude and dauntless heroism than the dramatic story of -this knight errant of France, and his intrepid followers. Among the -woods and waters, and on the desolate frozen wastes of a strange land, -they found paths that led to imperishable renown. They were -_avant-coureurs_ of a new force that was to transform a wilderness into -an empire, but an empire far different from that of their hopes and -dreams. - -LaSalle’s little band had ascended the St. Joseph, and had portaged -their belongings from one of its bends about five miles away. They -launched their canoes on the narrow tide of the Theakiki and descended -the river to the Illinois. The incentives of the expedition were to -expand the dominions of Louis the XIV, to extend the pale of the cross, -and to find new fountains that would pour forth gold. - -For gold and power man has scarred the earth he lives upon and -annihilated its creatures since the dawn of recorded time, and for gold -and power will he struggle to the end, whatever and wherever the end may -be, for somewhere in the scheme of creation it is so written. The -moralist may find the story on the Vanishing River, as he may find it -everywhere else in the world, in his study of the fabric of the foibles -and passions of his kind. - -The old narratives mention a camp of Miami Indians, visible near the -source of the river, at the time of LaSalle’s embarkation. We may -imagine that curious beady eyes peered from the clustered wigwams in the -distance upon the newcomers, the wondering aborigines little knowing -that a serpent had entered their Eden, and thenceforth their race was to -look only upon a setting sun. - -The river flowed through a mystic land. With magnificent sweeps and -bends it wound out on open fertile areas and into dense virgin forests, -doubling to and fro in its course, widening into broad lakes, and moving -on to vast labyrinths of dank grass, rushes, lily pads, trembling bogs -and impenetrable brush tangles. The main channel often lost itself in -the side currents and in mazes of rank vegetation. Here and there were -little still tarns and open pools that reflected the wandering clouds by -day and the changing moons at night. - -There were great stretches of marshy wastes and flooded lowlands, where -millions upon millions of water fowl found welcome retreats and never -failing food. During the migrating seasons in the spring and fall, vast -flocks of ducks were patterned against the clouds. They swooped down in -endless hordes. Turbulent calls and loud trumpetings heralded the coming -of serried legions of geese, swans and brant, as they broke their ranks, -settled on to the hospitable waters and floated in gentle contentment. - -The wild rice fields were inexhaustible granaries, and intrusion into -them was followed by hurried beating of hidden wings. A disturbance of a -few birds would start a slowly increasing alarm; soon the sky would be -darkened by the countless flocks swarming out of miles of grasses, and -the air would be filled with the roar of fleeing pinions. Gradually they -would return to enjoy their wonted tranquility. - -The feathered myriads came and went with the transient seasons, but -great numbers remained and nested on the bogs among the rushes, and on -the little oak shaded islands in the swamps. - -Coots, grebes, rails, and bitterns haunted the pools and runways among -the thick sedges. Sudden awkward flights out of concealed coverts often -startled the quiet wayfarer on the currents and ponds of the swamps. The -solitary loon’s weird calls echoed from distant open waters. - -Swarms of blackbirds rose out of the reeds and rice, and, after -vicarious circlings, disappeared into other grassy retreats, enlivening -the solitudes with their busy clamor. - -In the summer and autumn the flowers of the wet places bloomed in -luxuriant profusion. Limitless acres of pond lilies opened their chaste -petals in the slumberous airs. Harmonies of brilliant color bedecked the -russet robes of autumn, and far over the broad fenlands yellow and -vermillion banners waved in the soft winds of early fall. - -In these wild marshlands was the kingdom of the muskrat. The little -villages and isolated domiciles—built of roots and rushes, and plastered -with mud—protruded above the surface over the wide expanses, and were -concealed in cleared spaces in the high, thick grasses. The pelts of -these prolific and industrious little animals were speedily converted -into wealth in after years. - -The otter and the mink hunted their prey on the marshes and in the dank -labyrinths of brush and wood debris along the main stream. Beavers -thrived on the tributary waters, where these patient and skilful -engineers built their dams and established their towns with the sagacity -and foresight of their kind. - -On still sunshiny days the tribes of the turtles emerged from their miry -retreats and basked in phlegmatic immobility on the sodden logs and -decayed fallen timber that littered the course of the current through -the deep woodlands. The muddy fraternity would often seem to cover every -low protruding object that could sustain them. At the passing of a boat -the gray masses would awake and tumble with loud splashings into the -depths. - -The fish common to our western streams and lakes were prolific in the -river. Aged men sit in hickory rocking chairs and enliven the mythology -of their winter firesides with tales of mighty catfish, bass, pike and -pickerel that once swam in the clear waters and fell victims to their -lures. - -The finny world has not only supplied man with invaluable food, but has -been a beneficent stimulant to his imaginative faculties. - -The choruses of the bull frogs in the marshes and bayous at night are -among the joys unforgettable to those who have listened to these -concerts out on the moonlit stretches among the lily pads and bending -rushes. The corpulent gossips in the hidden places sent forth medleys of -resonant sound that resembled deep tones of bass viols. They mingled -with the rippling lighter notes of the smaller frog folk, and all -blended into lyrics of nocturnal harmonies that lulled the senses and -attuned the heart strings to the Voices of the Little Things. - -Colonies of blue herons nested among the sycamores and elms in the -overflowed bottom lands bordering on the river. A well known -ornithologist has justly called this stately bird “the symbol of the -wild.” Visits to the populous heronries were events long to be -remembered by lovers of bird life. Sometimes eight or ten of the rudely -constructed nests would occupy one tree, and within an area of perhaps -twenty acres, hundreds of gawky offspring would come forth in April to -be fed and guarded by the powerful bills of the older birds. - -These nesting retreats were often accessible from the river, and a canoe -floating into the placid and secluded precincts roused instant protest -from the ghostly forms perched about on the limbs. The great birds would -circle out over the trees with hoarse cries, but if the intruder became -motionless they would soon return and resume their family cares. - -The perfect reflections in the clear still waters, with the inverted -tracery of the tree tops against the skies below, decorated with the -statuesque figures of the herons, pictured dreamlands that seemed of -another world, and tempted errant fancy into remote paths. - -The passenger pigeons came in multitudes to the river country in the -fall and settled into the woods, where the ripe acorns afforded abundant -food. The old inhabitants tell wondrous tales of their migrations, when -the innumerable flocks obscured the clouds and the sound of the passing -of the gray hosts was that of a moaning wind. The gregariousness of -these birds was their ruin. They congregated on the dead trees in such -numbers as to often break the smaller limbs. Owls, hawks, and -four-footed night marauders feasted voraciously upon them. They were -easy victims for the nets and guns of the pot hunters and the blind -destructiveness of man wherever nature has been prodigal of her gifts. -For years these beautiful creatures have been extinct, but the lesson of -their going is only now beginning to be heeded. - -The black companies of the crows kept watch and ward over the forests -and winding waters. Their noisy parliaments were in constant session, -and few vistas through the woods, or out over the open landscapes, were -without the accents of their moving forms against the sky. - -Among the many feathered species there are none that appear to take -themselves more seriously. They are ubiquitous and most curious as to -everything that exists or happens within the spheres of their -activities, and are so much a part of our great out of doors that we -would miss them sadly if they were gone. - -Wild turkeys and partridges were plentiful in the woods and underbrush. -Eagles soared in majestic flight over the country and dropped to the -waters and into the forests upon their furtive prey. - -In the spring the woodlands were filled with melodious choirs of the -smaller birds. Their enemies were few and they thrived in their happy -homes. - -Deer were once abundant. Elk horns have been found, and there are -disputed records of straggling herds of buffalo. Panther tracks were -sometimes seen, and the black bear—that interesting vagabond of the -woods—was a faithful visitor to the wild bee trees. Wolves roved through -the timber. Wild cats, foxes, woodchucks, raccoons, and hundreds of -smaller animals, dwelt in the great forests. - -In this happy land lived the Miami and Pottowattomie Indians. Their -little villages of bark wigwams and tepees of dried skins were scattered -along the small streams, the borders of the river, and on the many -islands that divided its course. - -They sat in spiritual darkness on the verdant banks until the white man -came to change their gods and superstitions, but the region teemed with -fish, game and wild fruits, and, with their limited wants, they enjoyed -the average contentment of humankind. Whether or not their moral well -being improved or deteriorated under the teachings and influence of the -Franciscan and Jesuit fathers and the protestant missionaries, is a -question for the casuists, but the ways of the white man withered and -swept them away. Unable to hold what they could not defend, they were -despoiled of their heritage and exiled to other climes. - -Their little cemeteries are still found, where the buried skeletons -grimly await the Great Solution, amid the curious decayed trappings of a -past age that were interred for the use of the dead in mystical happy -hunting grounds. Their problem, like ours, remains as profound as their -sleep. Occasionally curious delvers into Indian history have unearthed -grisly skulls, covered with mould, and fragments of bones in these -silent places. - -Many thousands of stone weapons, flint arrowheads, implements of the red -men’s simple agriculture, and utensils of their rude housekeeping, have -been found in the soil of the land where once their lodges tapered into -the green foliage. - -Traces remain of the trails that connected the villages and threaded the -country in every direction. - -The relations between the first settlers and the Indians seem to have -been harmonious, but friction of interests developed with the continued -influx of the whites, until the primitive law of “might makes right” was -applied to the coveted lands. Sculptured monuments have now been erected -to the red chieftains by the descendants of those who robbed them—empty -and belated recognition of their equities. - -Many hunters and trappers came into the wild country, lured by the -abundant game and fur. The beavers and muskrats provided the greater -part of the spoil of the trappers. - -Gradually the pioneer farmers began clearing tracts in the forests, -where they found a soil of exuberant fertility. - -With improved methods and firearms the annihilation of the wild life -commenced. Many hundreds of tons of scattered leaden shot lie buried in -unknown miry depths, that streamed into the skies at the passing flocks. -The modern breech loader worked devastating havoc. The water fowl -dwindled rapidly in numbers with the onward years, for the fame of the -region as a sportsman’s paradise was nation wide. - -The inroads of the trappers on the fur bearing animals practically -exterminated all but the prolific and obstinate muskrat, destined to be -one of the last survivors. - -In later years the trappers lived in little shacks, “wickyups” and log -cabins on the bayous, near the edges of the marshes, and on the banks of -the tributary streams. Many of them were strange odd characters. The -almost continual solitude of their lives developed their baser -instincts, without teaching the arts of their concealment possessed by -those who have social and educational advantages. - -With the increasing markets for wild game they became pot hunters and -sold great quantities of ducks and other slaughtered birds. - -The rude habitations were often enlarged or rebuilt to accommodate -visiting duck shooters and fishermen, for whom they acted as guides and -hosts. They began to mingle in the life of the little towns, and -occasional isolated cross road stores, that came into being at long -distances apart, where they went to dispose of their pelts and game. - -Queerly clad, long haired and much bewhiskered, they were picturesque -figures, standing in their sharp pointed canoes, which they propelled -with long handled paddles that served as push poles in shallow water. -Dogs that were trained retrievers and devoted companions, often occupied -the bows of the little boats. In the middle of the craft were piled -wooden decoys, dead birds, muskrats or steel traps, when they journeyed -to and from the marshes, where they appeared in all weathers and seasons -except midsummer. During the hot months they usually loafed in somnolent -idleness at the stores, puttered about their shacks, or did odd jobs on -the farms. - -There are tales of lawlessness in the country characteristic of the raw -edges of civilization in a sparsely settled region. Horse stealing -appears to have been a favorite industry of evil doers, and timber -thieves were numerous. In the absence of convenient jails and courts the -law of the wild was administered without mercy to these and other -miscreants when they were caught. - -Moonshiners, whose interests did not conflict with local public -sentiment, were seldom interfered with. The infrequent investigations of -emissaries of the government met with little sympathy except when they -were looking for counterfeiters. - -The Kankakee of old has gone, for the lands over which it spread became -valuable. A mighty ditch has been excavated, extending almost its entire -course, to deepen and straighten its channel, and to drain away its -marshes. The altered line of the stream left many of the rude homes of -the old trappers far inland. Their occupations have ceased and they sit -in melancholy silence and brood upon the past. For them the book is -closed. They falter at the threshold of a new era in which nature has -not fitted them to live. - -Ugly steam dredges, with ponderous iron jaws, came upon the river. Hoary -patriarchs of the forest were felled. Ancient roots and green banks, -mantled with vines, were ruthlessly blasted away. The dredge scoops -delved into mossy retreats. Secret dens and runways were opened to the -glaring light and there were many rustlings of furtive feet and wings -through the invaded grasses. - -The limpid waters reflected Mammon’s sinister form. The despoiler tore -relentlessly through ferny aisles in the green embowered woods and -across the swamps and flowery fens. The glittering lakes, the meandering -loops and bends disappeared, and the fecund marshlands yielded their -life currents. The thousand night voices on their moon flooded stretches -were stilled. The wild life fled. Wondering flocks in the skies looked -down on the strange scene, changed their courses and winged on. - -The passing of the river leaves its memories of musical ripplings over -pebbly shoals, murmurous runes among the fallen timber, tremulous moon -paths over darkened waters, the twinkling of wispy hosts of fireflies in -dreamy dusks, blended perfumes of still forests, heron haunted bayous, -enchanting islands, with their profusion of wild grapes and plums, and -the glories of afterglows beyond the vast marshes. - -The currents that once widened in silvery magnificence to their natural -barriers, and wandered peacefully among the mysteries of the woods, now -flow madly on through a man-wrought channel. In sorrow the gloomy waters -flee with writhing swirls from the land where once they crept out over -the low areas and rested on their ways to the sea. In the moaning of the -homeless tide we may hear the requiem of the river. - -Fields of corn and wheat stretch over the reclaimed acres, for the -utilitarian has triumphed over beauty and nature’s providence for her -wild creatures. The destruction of one of the most valuable bird refuges -on the continent has almost been completed, for the sake of immediate -wealth. The realization of this great economic wrong must be left to -future generations. The ugly dredges are finishing the desecration on -the lower reaches of the stream. - -The Vanishing River moves on through a twilight of ignorance and error, -for the sacrifice of our bird life and our regions of natural beauty is -the sacrifice of precious material and spiritual gifts. - -In the darkness of still nights pale phantom currents may creep into the -denuded winding channels, guided by the unseen Power that directs the -waters, and fade into the dim mists before the dawn. - -Under the brooding care of the Great Spirit for the departed children, -ghostly war plumes may flutter softly among the leaves and tassels of -the corn that wave over the Red Man’s lost domain, when the autumn winds -whisper in the star-lit fields, for the land is peopled with shadows, -and has passed into the realm of legend, romance and fancy. - - - - - II - THE SILVER ARROW - - -The story of the arrow was slowly unravelled from the tangled thread of -interrupted narrative related to us by old Waukena. She sat in her -little log hut among the tall poplars and birches, beyond the farther -end of Whippoorwill Bayou, and talked of the arrow during our visits, -but never in a way that enabled us to connect the scattered fragments of -the tale into proper sequence until we had heard various parts of it -many times. - -She was a remnant of the Pottowattomies. She did not know when she was -born, but, from her knowledge of events that happened in her lifetime, -the approximate dates of which we knew, she must have been over ninety. - -Her solitary life and habitual silence had developed a taciturnity that -steals upon those who dwell in the stillness of the forest. There was a -far away look in the old eyes, and a tinge of bitterness in her low -voice, as she talked sadly in her broken English, of the days that were -gone. - -She cherished the traditions of her people, and their sorrows lingered -in her heart. Like shriveled leaves clinging to withered boughs, her -memories seemed to rustle faintly when a new breath of interest touched -them, and from among these rustlings we culled the arrow’s story. - -The little cabin was very old. Its furnishings were in keeping with its -occupant and sufficient for her simple needs. There was a rough stone -fireplace at one end of the single room. A flat projecting boulder on -one side of its interior provided a shelf for the few cooking utensils. -They were hung on a rickety iron swinging arm over the wood fire when in -use. A much worn turkey wing, with charred edges, lay near the hearth, -with which the scattered ashes were dusted back into the fireplace. A -bedstead, constructed of birch saplings, occupied the other end of the -room. Several coon and fox skins, neatly sewed together, and a couple of -gray blankets, laid over some rush mats, completed the sleeping -arrangements. With the exception of a few bunches of bright hued -feathers, stuck about in various chinks, the rough walls were bare of -ornament. - -The other furniture consisted of a couple of low stools, a heavy rocking -chair and a small pine table. A kerosene lantern and some candles -illumined the squalid interior at night. - -In an open space near the cabin was a small patch of cultivated ground -that produced a few vegetables. Sunflowers and hollyhocks grew along its -edge and gave a touch of color to the surroundings. - -[Illustration: - - WAUKENA -] - -The old settlers and their families, who lived in the river country, -provided Waukena with most of her food supplies and the few other -comforts that were necessary to her lonely existence. - -Many times I studied the rugged old face in the fire light. Among the -melancholy lines there lurked a certain grimness and lofty reserve. -There was no humility in the modelling of the determined mouth and chin. -The features were those of a mother of warriors. The blood of heroes, -unknown and forgotten, was in her veins, and the savage fatalism of -centuries slumbered in the placid dark eyes. It was the calmed face of -one who had defied vicissitude, and who, with head unbowed, would meet -finality. - -My friend the historian had known her many years, and had made copious -notes of her childhood recollections of the enforced departure of her -tribe from the river country. She and several others had taken refuge in -a swamp until the soldiers had gone. They then made their way north and -dwelt for a few years near the St. Joseph, where a favored portion of -the tribe was allowed to retain land, but finally returned to their old -haunts. - -When she was quite young her mother gave her the headless arrow, which -she took from one of the recesses in the log wall and showed to us. It -was a slender shaft of hickory, perfectly straight, and fragments of the -dyed feathers that once ornamented it still adhered to its delicately -notched base. At the other end were frayed remnants of animal fiber that -had once held the point in place. There were dark stains along the shaft -that had survived the years. The old squaw held it tenderly in her hands -as she talked of it, and always replaced it carefully in the narrow -niche when the subject was changed. - -Nearly a hundred years ago the shaft was fashioned by an old arrowmaker -up the river for Little Turtle, a young hunter, who hoped to kill a -particular bald eagle with it. For a long time the bird had soared with -unconquered wings over the river country, and seemed to bear a charmed -life. It had successfully eluded him for nearly a year, but finally fell -when the twang of Little Turtle’s bow sent the new weapon into his -breast, as he sat unsuspectingly on a limb of a dead tree that bent over -the river. - -The victor proudly bore his trophy to his bark canoe and paddled down -the stream to Whippoorwill Bayou. He pulled the little craft up into the -underbrush at twilight, and sat quietly on the bank until the full moon -came out from among the trees. - -On the other side of the bayou were heavy masses of wild grape vines -that had climbed over some dead trees and undergrowth. Through a strange -freak of nature the convoluted piles had resolved themselves into -grotesque shapes that, in the magic sheen of the moonlight, suggested -the head and shoulders of a gigantic human figure, with long locks and -overhanging brows, standing at the edge of the forest. The lusty growth -had crept over the lower trees in such a way that the distribution of -the shadows completed the illusion. An unkempt old man seemed to stand -wearily, with masses of the tangled verdure heaped over his extended -hands. It was only when the moon was near the horizon that the lights -and shadows produced the strange apparition. The weird figure, -sculptured by the sorcery of the pale beams, was called “The Father of -the Vines” by the red men, and he was believed to have an occult -influence over the living things that dwelt in the forests along the -river. - -Under one of the burdened hands was a dark grotto that led back into the -mysteries of the woods, and from it came the low cry of a whippoorwill. -Little Turtle instantly rose, dragged out the concealed canoe, paddled -silently over the moonlit water, and entered the grotto. A shadowy -figure had glided out to meet him, for the whippoorwill call was -Nebowie’s signal to her lover. - -For months the grotto had been their trysting place. Rose winged hours -were spent there, and the great hands seemed to be held in benediction, -as the world old story was told within the hidden recesses. - -Nebowie’s father, Moose Jaw, a scarred old warrior and hunter, had told -White Wolf that his dark-eyed willowy daughter should go to his wigwam -when the wild geese again crossed the sky, and White Wolf was anxiously -counting the days that lay between him and the fruition of his hopes. - -He was a tall, low browed, villainous looking savage. He had once saved -Moose Jaw from an untimely death. The old Indian was crossing a frozen -marsh one winter morning, with a deer on his shoulders, and broke -through the ice. White Wolf happened to see him and effected his rescue. -He had long gazed from afar on the light in Moose Jaw’s wigwam, but -Nebowie’s eyes were downcast when he came. He lived down the river, and -the people of his village seldom came up as far as Whippoorwill Bayou. - -His persistent visits, encouraged by the grateful old Indian, and -frowned upon by the flower he sought, gradually became less frequent, -and finally ceased, when he learned the secret of Nebowie and Little -Turtle, after stealthily haunting the neighborhood of the bayou for -several weeks. - -An evil light came into White Wolf’s sinister eyes, and the fires of -blood lust kindled in his breast. He went on the path of vengeance. The -savage and the esthete are alike when the coveted male or female of -their kind is taken by another. He was too crafty to wage open warfare -and resolved to eliminate his rival in some way that would not arouse -suspicion and resentment when he again sought Nebowie’s smiles. - -Old Moose Jaw smoked many pipes, and meditated philosophically over his -daughter’s obstinate disregard of the compact with White Wolf. Nebowie’s -mother had been dead several years, and the old Indian was easily -reconciled to what appeared to be his daughter’s resolution to remain -with him, for the little bark wigwam would be lonely without her. She -went cheerfully about her various tasks, and never mentioned Little -Turtle, until one day they came together and told him their story. As -nothing had been seen of White Wolf for a long time, the old man assumed -that his ardor had cooled, and finally consented to the building of the -new Wigwam on the bayou bank near the Father of the Vines, where Nebowie -would still be near him. He had no objections to Little Turtle and hoped -that the obligation to White Wolf could be discharged in some other way. - -He rejoiced when the small black eyes of a papoose blinked at him when -he visited the new wigwam one afternoon during the following summer. He -spent much time with the little wild thing on his knee when she was old -enough to be handled by anybody but her mother. He would sit for hours, -gently swinging the birch bark cradle that hung from a low bough near -the bank, for he was no longer able to hunt or fish, and took no part in -the activities of the men of the village. Little Turtle’s prowess amply -supplied both wigwams with food and raiment, and there was no need for -further exertion. - -White Wolf had apparently recovered from his infatuation. He -occasionally came up the river, but his connection with the affairs of -the community, whose little habitations were widely scattered through -the woods beyond the bayou, was considered a thing of the past. - -Little Turtle was highly esteemed by the men of his village, and two -years after his marriage he was made its chief. - -The following spring delegations from the various villages along the -river departed for a general powwow of the tribe, near the mouth of the -St. Joseph, in the country of the dunes, about eighty miles away. Little -Turtle and White Wolf went with them. Time had nurtured the demon in the -heart of the baffled suitor, but there were no indications of enmity -during the trip. The party broke up on its way home and took different -trails. Little Turtle never returned. - -Nebowie pined in anguish for the home coming, and White Wolf waited for -her sorrow to pass. She spent months of misery, and finally carried her -aching heart to the “Black Robe,” who ministered to the spiritual needs -of her people, after the formula of his sect, in the little mission -house up the river. He was a kindly counselor and listened with sympathy -to her story. - -He belonged to that hardy and zealous band of ecclesiastics who had come -into the land of another race to build new altars, and to teach what -they believed to be the ways to redemption. He told Nebowie to take her -sorrow to the white man’s deity and gave her a small silver crucifix as -a token that would bring divine consolation and peace. Forms of penance -and supplication were prescribed, and she was sent away with the -blessing of the devout priest. - -Nebowie carried her cross and, during the still hours in the little -wigwam, she held it to her anguished breast. The months brought no -surcease. In the quiet ministry of the woods there crept into her heart -a belief that the magic of the Black Robe’s God was futile. - -The inevitable atavism came and she departed into the silences. For a -long time her whereabouts were unknown. During the bitter months her -intuitive mind worked out the problem. Something that she found in the -wilderness had solved the mystery of her loved one’s disappearance, and, -when she returned, she hammered her silver crucifix into an arrow head, -bound it with deer sinew to the hickory shaft of the arrow with which -Little Turtle had killed the bald eagle, and meditated upon the hour of -her revenge. White Wolf was doomed, and his executioner patiently bided -the time for action. - -He renewed his visits and condoled with the sad old man, but made no -progress with Nebowie, although she sometimes seemed to encourage his -advances. - -One evening in the early fall he returned from a hunting trip over the -marshes. He followed one of the small trails that skirted the woods near -his village. A shadowy form moved silently among the trees. There was a -low whir, and something sped through the dusk. - -When they found White Wolf in the morning the hair on one side of his -head was matted with blood, and a small hole led into his stilled brain, -but there was no clue to the motive or to the author of the tragedy. He -was duly mourned and buried after the manner of his fathers. His taking -off was numbered among the enigmas of the past, and was soon forgotten. - -Nebowie continued her home life with her father and her little one, but -tranquility was in her face. She felt within her the glow that -retribution brings to the savage heart—whether it be red or white. A -recompense had come to her tortured soul that softened the after years. -The silver of the arrow point had achieved a mission that had failed -when it bore the form of a cross. - - -During our exploration of the sites of the old Indian villages in the -river country, we discovered a large pasture that had never been -ploughed. Traces of two well worn trails led through it, and, on a -little knoll near the center of the field, we found what appeared to be -burial mounds. - -We were reluctant to desecrate the hallowed spot, but finally yielded to -the temptation to open one of them. We unearthed two skeletons. They -were both in a sitting position. I picked up one of the skulls and -curiously examined it. Something rattled within the uncanny relic and -dropped to the grass. The small object proved to be a silver arrowhead, -and Waukena’s story came home to us with startling reality. We replaced -the bones and reshaped the mound as best we could, but carried with us -the mouldy skull and its carefully wrought messenger of death. - -Nearly all of the Indians in the river country were buried in a sitting -position. The grim skeletons of the vanished race belong to the world -that is under ground. In countless huddled hordes, they sit in the gloom -of the fragrant earth, with hands outstretched, as if in mute appeal, -and wait through the years for whatever gods may come. - -In the darkness that may be eternal, the disputations of theologians do -not disturb the gathering mould. The multitudinous forms of reward and -punishment, that play in empty pageantry upon the hopes and fears of -those who walk the green earth, touch not the myriads in its bosom. - -The self appointed, who bear the lights of man born dogma, and the -blessings and curses of imaginary deities, into the paths of the -unknowable, grope as blindly among pagan bones as through cathedral -aisles. - -That evening we rowed up the river to carry our story to Waukena. She -held the mouldy skull in her lap for a long time and regarded it with -deep interest. Sealed fountains within her aged heart seemed to well -anew, for there were tears in her eyes when she raised them toward us. - -Waukena was the little girl that played around the stricken wigwam on -the bayou, and she had treasured the stained shaft as a heritage from -those she had loved. To her it was a sacred thing. The life currents it -had changed had passed on, but they seemed to meet again as the gray -haired woman sat before her flickering fire, with the mute toys of the -fateful drama about her. We left her alone with her musings. - -When we came one evening, a week later, the door was open, but the ashes -on the hearth were cold. On the rough table lay the mouldy skull, that -was once the home of relentless passion, and near it, before its eyeless -caverns, was the blood stained shaft, with the silver point neatly -fitted back into its place. - -Waukena may have stolen away through the solitudes of the dim forest, -and yielded her tired heart unto the gods of her people, for she was -never again seen in the river country. Her chastened soul may still -wander in the shadowy vistas of the winter woods, when the sun sinks in -aureoles of crimson beyond the lacery of the tall trees—that stand still -and ghostly—their slender boles tinged with hues of red, like the lost -arrow shafts of those who are gone. - -Sadly and thoughtfully we walked down the old trail that bordered the -bayou. We sat for a long time on the moss covered bank and talked of the -arrow and the destinies it had touched. The pearly disk of the full moon -hung in the eastern sky. A faint mist veiled the surface of the softly -lisping water. An owl swept low over the bayou into the gloom of the -forest. The pond lilies had closed their chalices and sealed their -fragrance for another day. Hosts of tiny wings were moving among the -sedges. Fireflies gemmed the dark places and vanished, as human lives -come out of the void, waver with transient glow, and are gone. - -There was a tender eloquence and witchery in the gentle murmurings of -the night. Mystic voices were in the woods. Beyond the other shore the -hoary form of the Father of the Vines seemed transfigured with a holy -light. From somewhere in the gloom of the grotto came the plaintive -notes of a whippoorwill. - -As one crying in the wilderness, Nebowie’s spirit was calling for her -lost lover from among the embowered labyrinths. - -In the twilights of drowsy summers, the wild cadence still enchants the -bayou. The moon still rides through the highways of the star strewn -skies, and, with pensive luster, pictures the guardian of the trysting -place of long ago. The shadows below the lofty forehead have deepened, -and the great silent figure bends with the weight of the onward years. - - Out yonder, in the moonlit woods, - With humble mien he stands, - With the burden of the fruitage - In his vine entangled hands; - Where the hiding purpling clusters - Are caught by silver beams, - That revel in the meshes - Of his leafy net of dreams. - With the weariness of fulfillment, - His tendril woven brow - Is bowed before the mystery - Of the eternal Why and How. - - - - - III - THE BRASS BOUND BOX - - -Jerry Island was formed by one of the side currents of the river that -wandered off through the woods and lowland and rejoined the main stream -above the Big Marsh. - -The herons, bitterns and wild ducks swept low over the brush entangled -water course and dropped into the quiet open places. Innumerable -clusters of small mud turtles fringed the drift wood and fallen timbers -that retarded the sluggish current. The patriarchs of the hard shelled -brotherhood—moss covered and intolerant—spent their days on the -half-submerged gray logs in somnolent isolation. - -Kingfishers, crows and hawks found a fecund hunting ground along the -winding byway. Squirrels and chipmunks raced over the recumbent trunks, -and whisked their bushy tails in the patches of sunlight that filtered -through the interlacing boughs above them. - -At night the owls, coons, minks and muskrats explored the wet -labyrinths, aged bull frogs trumpeted dolefully, and stealthy nocturnal -prowlers came there to drink. Sometimes the splash of a fish broke the -stillness, and little rings crept away over the surface and lost -themselves among the weeds and floating moss. - -Long ago the trails of wolves, deer, and other large animals appeared in -the snow on the island during the winter; bear tracks were often found, -and there is a legend among the latter day prosaics that a couple of -panthers once had a den in the neighborhood. In later years most of the -winter pathways were made by foxes and rabbits and their human and -canine pursuers. - -Near the bank of the main stream stood a decayed but well constructed -old house. It was built of faced logs with mortar between them. There -were three rooms on the ground floor, and some steep narrow stairs led -into an attic next to the roof that sloped to the floor along its sides. - -My friend “Buck” Granger, a gray haired old trapper and hunter, whose -grandfather built the house about a hundred years ago, ushered me up the -creaky stairs late one night. - -The alert eyes of a red squirrel peered at us from the end of a tattered -mink muff that lay on an oak chest close to the roof, and vanished. -Apparently the small visitor was not greatly disturbed, for, after two -or three gentle undulations, the muff was motionless. - -After conventional but cordial injunctions to make myself at home, Buck -departed to his quarters below. - -[Illustration: - - FAMILIAR HAUNTS -] - -The quaint and picturesque attic was full of interest. An old fashioned -bedstead stood in the room, a cumbrous, home made “four poster.” Over -its cord lacings was a thick feather bed, several comforters, and a -multicolored patchwork quilt. The sheets and pillow slips were of -coarsely woven linen. - -Bunches of seed corn and dried herbs were suspended from pegs along the -roof timbers; near the oak chest was a spinning wheel, and a broken -cradle—all veiled with mantles of fine dust and cobwebs. The cradle, in -which incipient genius may once have slumbered, was filled with bags of -beans, ears of pop corn, and hickory nuts. Squirrels and white footed -mice from the surrounding woods had held high revel in the tempting -hoard. - -The cradle had guarded the infancy of many little furred families after -its first usefulness had ceased, for there were cosy tangled nests of -shredded cotton and woolen material among its mixed contents. - -Moths had worked sad havoc in the row of worn out garments that -festooned the cross beams. Some rusty muskrat traps and obsolete fire -arms were heaped in one corner, with discarded hats and boots. - -Close to the roof, near the edge of the unprotected stairway, was a tall -silent clock. It was very old. Most of the veneering had chipped away -from its woodwork, parts of the enameled and grotesquely ornamented dial -had scaled off, and across the scarred face its one crippled hand -pointed to the figure seven. The worn mechanism had not pulsated for -many years. - -Innumerable tiny fibers connected the top and sides of the old clock -with the sloping roof timbers, and a sinister watcher, hairy and -misshapen—crouched within the mouth of a tubular web above the dial. - -Tenuous highways spanned the spaces between the rafters. Gauzy filaments -led away into obscurities, and gossamer shreds hung motionless from the -upper gloom. There were mazes of webs, woven by generations of spiders, -laden with impalpable dust, and tenantless. The patient spinners had -lived their little day and left their airy tissues to the mercy of the -years. Like flimsy relics of human endeavor, the frail structures -awaited the inevitable. - -There was an impression of mistiness and haziness in the wandering and -broken fibers, and the filmy labyrinths—as of a brain filled with -fancies that were inchoate and confused—an abode of idle dreams. - -The web spanned attic pictured a mind, inert and fettered by dogma and -tradition, in which existence is passive, and where vital currents are -stilled—where light is instinctively excluded and intrusion of -extraneous ideas is resented. Occupants of endowed chairs in old -universities, pedantic art classicists, smug dignitaries of established -churches, and other guardians of embalmed and encrusted conclusions, are -apt to have such attics. Like the misshapen watcher within the tubular -web above the dial, they crouch in musty seclusion. - -I opened the queer looking bed, that had evidently been made up a long -time, and lay for half an hour or so, trying to read by the light of the -sputtering candle. The subtle spell of the old attic at length overcame -the charm of my author, and I gave myself over to a troop of thronging -fancies. - -Although the invisible inmate of the muff gave a life accent to the -room, the quiet was oppressive. A sense of seclusion from realities -pervaded the human belongings. Intimate personal things, that only -vanished hands have touched, seem to possess an indefinable -remoteness—as if they pertained to something detached and far away—and -lingered in an atmosphere of spiritual loneliness. - -When the moon beams came through the cobwebbed window frame, and crept -along the floor to the ghostly old clock, it haunted the room with a -vague impression of weariness and futility. It seemed to stand in mute -and solemn mockery of the eternal hours that had passed on and left it -in hopeless vigil by the wayside. - -The watcher in the web—grim and silent, like a waiting sexton—awakened -uncanny thought. There was gruesome suggestion in the dark stairway hole -at the foot of the clock—as if it had been newly dug in the earth. - -Like evil phantoms into an idle mind, a pair of bats glided swiftly in -through the open window, circled noiselessly about, and departed. - -The moon rays touched something in the rubbish at the further end of the -room that reflected a dull light. After restraining my curiosity for -some time, I arose, crossed the floor, and picked up a strange looking -box. It was about fourteen inches long, nine inches high, and a foot -wide. Its hasp and small handle on the cover appeared to be of wrought -iron, but the embossed facing that covered the sides and ends, and the -strips that protected the edges, were of brass, studded with nails of -the same metal. It seemed in the dim light to be much corroded by time. - -Hoping that something might be learned of its history in the morning, I -placed the box on the floor near the bed, and was finally lulled to -belated slumber by the crickets in the crevices of the logs, and the -rustlings of tiny feet among the contents of the cradle. Speculations -regarding the brass bound box softly blended into dreams. - -During breakfast the next morning my host told me that the box had once -belonged to a Jesuit priest; some Indians who formerly lived on the -island had given it to his grandfather, and it had been in the attic -ever since the house was built. He had often looked at its contents but -could make nothing of them, and considered that “they were not of much -account.” He said he would be glad to have me go through them and see if -they were of any value. He also said that there was a bundle of old -papers in the oak chest that he hoped I would look over, as his -grandfather had written much concerning the river and the Indians that -might interest me. - -Filled with anticipation of congenial occupation during the rainy day, I -went with Buck to the attic after breakfast. We dragged a decrepit -walnut table to the window and dusted it carefully. Buck brought from -the chest a small bundle that was tied up in brown paper and left it -with me. The tenant of the muff had decamped, probably resenting the -intrusion into his domain. I brought the brass bound box, found a -comfortable hickory chair, lighted a tranquilizing pipe, and was soon -absorbed in the stack of closely written manuscript that I found in the -bundle. - -Some parts of it were illegible and the spelling was unique. The old man -probably considered correct spelling to be an accomplishment of mere -literary hacks, and that it was not necessary for an author who had -anything else to think of to pay much attention to it. - -There was much information regarding the Indian occupation of the river -country. It appeared that there were about fifty wigwams on the island -when the red men were compelled to leave by the government. Most of them -were taken to a reservation out west, and a number went to some lands of -their kindred along the St. Joseph river in Michigan. Eventually a few -returned and lived in scattered isolation, but their tribal organization -was broken up. - -The head of the village on Jerry Island was a venerable warrior named -“Hot Ashes.” He was a friend of Buck’s grandfather, and it was he who -gave him the brass bound box when the Indians left. He said it had been -brought to the island by the “Black Robe” many years before, and that he -had left it in the mission house when he went away. - -The box had been treasured by the Indians, for it was supposed for a -long time to be a “great medicine,” but when they departed they -considered it a useless burden. There had been much misfortune after the -Black Robe left and their faith in its powers gradually ceased. - -The going away of the kindly priest was much mourned by his dusky flock. -He was supposed to have departed on some mysterious errand, and to have -met fatality in the woods, but they were never able to find any traces -of him. - -Hot Ashes believed that the Black Robe had a great trouble, as, before -his disappearance, he neglected the work of his mission for several -days, and walked about on the island, carrying a little bundle which he -was seen to throw into the river the day he left. - -There was no further reference in the manuscript to the Black Robe, or -to the brass bound box, which I now opened. - -There were two compartments, divided into sections, one on either side -of a larger opening in the middle. These contained various small -articles. Two of them fitted low square bottles, one of which was half -filled with a black powdery substance. On the label, that fell off when -I removed the bottle, I deciphered the word ENCRE. Experiment justified -the conclusion that the powder had been added to water when ink was -needed. A dry coating on the inside of the other bottle indicated that -it had been used for this purpose. - -In a larger section were some beads that were once a rosary, fragments -of a silk cord that had held them together, and a crucifix. - -At the center of each end of the box, were half circular rests, probably -designed to hold a chalice. The space contained a breviary, bound in -leather, and much worn, some ink stained quill pens, a small box of fine -sand that had been used for blotting, and some loosely folded papers. -They consisted mostly of letters from the Superior of the Mission, and -pertained to routine affairs, suggestions regarding the work of the -little mission, and congratulations on its successful progress. - -Comparison of the depth of the opening with the outside of the box -revealed the existence of a secret space, and it was only after long -study and experiment that I discovered the means of access to it. On -lifting its cover I found a flexible cloth covered book and a letter -enclosed in oiled silk, that was much tattered. - -The book, which was yellow with age, and frayed at the edges, contained -closely written pages in French, many of them much faded, obscure, and -in some places entirely obliterated. - -The chirography was in the main neat and methodical, but apparently the -writing had been done under many varying conditions that made uniformity -impossible. Several small drawings were scattered through the text. Some -of them showed considerable skill and care, and the others were rough -topographic sketches and memorandums of routes. - -The book was the journal of Pierre de Lisle, a young Jesuit missionary -who left France in 1723 to carry salvation to the heathen in the remote -wilderness of the new continent. - -The early entries related to his novitiate in Paris, his work in the -Jesuit college, and the preparations for his departure for America. They -reflected his hopes for the success of his perilous undertaking. - -There were vague references to a deep affliction, and to periods of -heart sickness and mental depression, by reason of which he had taken -the long and difficult path of self denial and self effacement that led -him into the activities of the Society of Jesus. - -He had spent the required years in the subjugation of the flesh and the -sanctification of mind and soul, when he went on board the vessel that -was to take him to Quebec. - -In the hope of finding a clue to Pierre’s sorrow, I extracted the letter -from its silk covering. It had evidently been cherished through the -vicissitudes of purification and the perils of arduous journeyings. It -was signed by Marie d’Aubigney, and told of her love, that was undying -but hopeless, and of her approaching compulsory marriage to “M. le -Marquis.” His name did not appear in the letter. - -Mingled with the musty odor of the ancient missive, I thought I detected -a faint lingering perfume—at least there was one in the message, if not -in the paper that bore it. - -Several pages of the journal were devoted to the tempestuous voyage -across the Atlantic, and a gloomy week spent in the fog off the Grand -Banks. The vessel finally reached Quebec, where Pierre reported to the -Superior of the Canadian Mission. - -He and several other missionaries, accompanied by voyageurs and Indian -guides, made a long and eventful trip up the St. Lawrence and Ottawa -rivers to Georgian Bay. They skirted its shores to Lake Huron, where a -violent gale scattered their boats, and wrecked two of them. - -After much danger and hardship the party landed on the wild coast, but -the food supplies had been lost in the turbulent waters. In an attempt -to find sustenance, Pierre and one companion wandered a considerable -distance from the camp and lost their way in a snowstorm. They found an -Indian village that had been depopulated by small pox, and took refuge -in one of the squalid huts, where they were besieged by a pack of wolves -for several days. Had it not been for some scraps of dried fish that -they fortunately found in the hut, they would have starved. They were -finally rescued, and Pierre ascribed their deliverance to St. Francis. - -The Indians succeeded in killing some game in the woods, and, after a -hazardous journey, the party reached Mackinac. Pierre went from there to -Green Bay. He stayed a few months and departed for the mission on the -St. Joseph river, where he remained a year. - -The journal gave many details of his life as an assistant at this -mission, where he baptized numerous converts, and greatly increased the -attendance at the mission school. - -In the hope of enlarging his usefulness, he sent a letter to Quebec, -asking permission to found a new mission among the Indians inhabiting -the river country south of the St. Joseph. With the doubtful means of -communication the letter was a long time in reaching its destination, -and he had about given up hope when a favorable reply came. - -With one of his converts as a guide, he departed for the field of his -new labors. They ascended the St. Joseph in a canoe, made the portage -from its headwaters, and descended the Kankakee. - -Frequent mention was made in the journal of the faithful guide, who -proved invaluable, and of the beautiful scenery of the route. Camps were -pitched on the verdant banks at night, but once, in passing through one -of the vast marshes, they lost the uncertain channel and were compelled -to sleep in the canoe. - -They stopped at a few Indian villages along the river and were received -with kindness. The journey was continued down stream beyond Jerry -Island. The populous communities above and below that point commended it -to his judgment. He returned and began the work of establishing his -mission. - -Although he found the manifold vices of paganism in the villages, he was -treated with bountiful hospitality. Successive feasts were prepared in -his honor, in which boiled dog was the “piece de resistance.” Willing -hands assisted in the construction of the mission house, and the date of -the first mass was recorded in the journal. - -There was much sickness among the Indians when Pierre came, the nature -of which did not appear. Orgies and incantations continued day and night -to conjure away the epidemic. He performed the consolatory offices of -his church in the afflicted wigwams. Soon after his arrival practically -all of the sickness disappeared. Their recovered health convinced the -credulous savages that the Black Robe possessed a mysterious power, and -the small bottle of black powder was thought to be a mighty magic. - -Ink has swayed the destinies of countless millions, but here its potency -seems to have played a strange role. - -Much of the journal was devoted to happenings that now seem trivial, but -to the zealous disciple of Loyola—a protagonist of his faith on a -spiritual frontier—they were of great moment. Detached from their -contemporary human associations, events must affect the emotions or the -interests of the mass of mankind if their records endure. - -Pierre assisted in the councils, gave advice on temporal affairs, and -patiently inculcated the precepts of his religion in the minds of his -primitive flock. Impressive baptisms and beautiful deaths were noted at -length. Converts who strayed from the fold, and were induced to return, -were given much space. - -Here and there poetic reflections graced the faded pages, and pious -musings were recorded. Original verse, and quotations from favorite -authors, that seemed inspired by melancholy hours, mingled with the -text. The names of the various saint’s days were often used as captions -for the entries, instead of calendar dates. - -In the back of the book was a list of names of converts, dates of -baptism, marriages and deaths, and a vocabulary of about three hundred -words of the Pottowatomie dialect of the Algonquin language, with their -French equivalents. Variations in the chirography indicated that the -lists had grown gradually, as additions were made with different pens. - -A gloomy spirit seemed to pervade the dim pages. The broken heart of -Pierre de Lisle throbbed between the lines of the story of his life in -the wilderness. He had carried his cross to the far places, and, in -isolation, he yearned for the healing balm of forgetfulness on his -fevered soul. There were evidences of a great mental conflict among the -last entries. He mentioned the arrival at the island of Jacques Le -Moyne, a Jesuit priest, who was on his way to a distant post on the -Mississippi, and spent several weeks with him. They had been boyhood -friends in France and had entered the Jesuit college at about the same -time. His coming was a breath of life from the outer world. - -Le Moyne told him of the death of the Marquis de Courcelles, whose -existence had darkened Pierre’s life, and all of the precepts, tenets, -and pageantry of the Church of Rome floated away as mists before a -freshening wind. - -Pierre was born again. The dormant life currents quickened, and his -virile soul and body exulted in emancipation and new found hope. - -The entries in the journal closed with a sorrowful farewell to his -spiritual charges, of which they probably never knew, and an expression -of pathetic gratitude to his friend Jacques, who had opened a gate -between desolation and earthly paradise, for warm arms in France were -reaching across the stormy seas, and into the wilds of the new world for -Pierre de Lisle. - -It seemed strange that he had left the journal and the letter of Marie -d’Aubigney. He was probably obsessed by his one dominant thought, and -naturally excluded everything not needed for his long journey, but if -his mind had not been much perturbed and confused he might have taken or -destroyed the journal, but he surely would have carried the precious -letter with him. - -The little bundle that he threw into the river, the day he left the -island, may have contained his sacramental chalice, for in it his lips -had found bitter waters. - -He probably dissembled his apostasy and utilized such Jesuit facilities -as were available in getting back to his native land, lulling his -conscience with one of the maxims of the Society of Jesus—“the end -justifies the means”—but be that as it may, the chronicles in the attic -had come to an end. - -I sat for a long time, listening to the patter of the rain on the old -roof, and mused over the frail memorials. - -There is but one great passion in the world. With it all human destiny -is entwined. Votaries of established religion have ever been recruited -from the disconsolate. The gray walls of convents and monasteries have -lured the heart stricken, and in remote fields of pious endeavor -unguents have been sought for cruel wounds. In the waste places of the -earth have been scattered the ashes of despair, but while life lasts, it -somewhere holds the eternal chords. At hope’s vibrant touch the -enfeebled strings awake and attune to the sublime strains of the Great -Lyric. - -The faint echo of a song lingered in the brass bound box. The silk -covered letter intoned a dream melody that the years had not hushed. - - - - - IV - THE “WETHER BOOK” OF BUCK GRANGER’S GRANDFATHER - - -My friend “Buck” told me something of his grandfather’s history as we -sat in the genial glow of the stone fireplace the evening after I had -examined the contents of the brass bound box. - -The old pioneer, with his wife and two sons, had come west in 1810 and -located on the island. He found many Indians there and his relations -with them were very friendly. A small area was cleared and cultivated on -the island, but the main source of livelihood was hunting, fishing and -trapping. The woods and waters teemed with life and nature yielded -easily of her abundance. - -The old man lived alone for many years after the death of his wife. His -sons married and went farther west. Two years before he died one of the -sons, Buck’s father, returned with his wife and little boy, to the old -home. Buck was now the only surviving member of the family. - -His recollections of his grandfather were rather vague. He remembered -him as an old man with a white bushy beard, frowsy coon skin cap, ear -muffs, and fur mittens. He had spent much time with him fishing along -the river, and in trips through the woods. From him he had learned the -ways of the big marsh, and much of the unwritten lore of the forest. His -stories of the old pioneer gave an impression of one who was much given -to having his own way, rather crusty at times, but whose sympathy and -kindness of heart were often imposed upon by those who knew him. - -Buck said that in the old oak chest in the attic was a lot of stuff that -had belonged to his grandfather. We went to the attic the next morning -and took out of the chest the odd assortment of things we found in it. -Most of them were of no special interest. There were some old account -books, several cancelled promissory notes for small amounts, and a -package of receipts. One note, payable to the old man, was marked across -its face “Debt forgiven—Can’t Collect.” - -I was pleased to find a bag of Indian arrow heads, many of them -beautifully made, a couple of spear heads, and a tomahawk. - -There was a section of a maple tree root, about a foot long, in the -chest, that Buck said he had chopped out one winter in the woods near -the marsh. A steel trap was imbedded in it, and between the jaws were -two bones of a coon’s foot. The uneven hammer marks on the metal -indicated that the trap was probably home forged. Buck had identified it -as one belonging to his grandfather, and there were others like it in -the chest. Apparently the victim had dragged the trap to the foot of the -tree, which it was unable to climb. He had died with his leg across the -young exposed root that had grown around and through the mechanism, -until only a portion of the rusty chain, the end of the spring, and the -upper parts of the jaws that held the little bones remained. The story -of the tragedy was plainly told. - -[Illustration: - - THE OLD LOG HOUSE -] - -In the bottom of the chest was a thick leather bound book. On the cover -was some crude lettering in black ink, with labored attempts at -ornamentation. On removing the dust I deciphered the inscription: - - WETHER BOOK—JOSIAH GRANGER - -Evidently its author had spent much time in keeping a record of the -weather and of his life on the island. Innumerable thermometer readings -filled columns at the right of the pages. After most of the dates were -weather observations, comments on intrusive friends, and various things -that had come within the sphere of a lonely existence. - -Diaries are pictures of character—unsafe repositories of intimate -personal things that enlighten and betray. Among the pages were traces -of petty jealousies and much harmless egotism. Here and there were -patches of sunlight, touches of irony and unconscious humor. At times a -tinge of pathos shadowed the lines of the “wether book,” and under it -all was the human story of one who, in this humble form of expression, -had sought relief from solitude. - -As I perused the faded chronicles the figure of the old man, sitting -before his fire at night, with his pipe and almanac, diligently -recording the happenings of the days that passed in his little world, -seemed a reality. - -The record covered a number of years, but extracts from the entries of -1852 will convey a general idea of the contents of the old book. - - -_Jan 1st_—This is the first of the yeare & I start in not very well. -Cold prevales & a good dele of snow. Snow drifts stacked around the -house. Cant see out. I stay mostly in my blankett. - -_Jan 10th_—Lots of snow. Froze hard last nite. Big wind. Stade in & must -hole up for rest of winter if this keaps up. Rumetiziam bad. Hiram -Barnes com today with feet froze. It is blowing bad. Looks worse -outside. Moon eclips was predicted for the 8th but nuthing of the kind -sene. - -_Jan 12th_—I notis by my almanack Lady J. Gray behedded today in 1555 -but what for does not say & hevy rain storms predicted but nuthing of -the kind. It has never ben colder. I got to melt som more snow and get -the pump going. She is froze hard. - -_Jan 14th_—Was out som today & it looks thawy. Thaw coming. Som deer -traks on iland. Will get after deer soon. - -_Jan 16th_—Got a buck today & fixed the meat. Sunup & Sunsett both -according to clock. Evrything on skedule. Som sweling white cloudds off -in W. The cold abates som. - -_Jan 20_—We are geting storms in these parts & a good dele of wether -comes at nite. Som days are cleare & cold with merkery stedy at Zero. -The moon is around but nites dark & clouddy. Moon must hav ben full the -7th but not sene. - -_Jan 31st_—Month closes mild yet flying snow. River ice som places over -a ft. thick. This has ben a remarkabel month. Thare was too much wether -in Jan. The merkery gets funny now and then. I dont think eny thermomter -is akkerate. - -_Feb 2nd_—Big thaw has com & erly in the morning a shour of rain. Got a -buck on the ice at the marsh & got the meat home late. This was -yesterdy. Snow is all mushy. This has ben a quere day. It is now 5 P.M. - -_Feb 3rd_—Snow flurrys mixed with rain. Ice braking som. I heare meney -cracks out on the river. As I sett down to rite in my wether book I -beleve the back bone of the winter is broke. - -_Feb 5–6–7–8–9–10_—Had 1 nice brite day & ever sence a whopping big -storm. Big drifts. Cant see out. Must get some backake ointmint. Full -moon was on the 5th. Good thing I got a lot of wood in. I notis in my -almanack storms probabel this month & this is rite. - -_Feb 15th_—Out yesterdy & 20 inches snow in woods. Shot 3 patriches near -the house. Wolves yelld all nite. Sene gese flying N. but they beter go -back. It is warmer thow. Som deer crossed river last nite. This is being -a remarkabel month. Cool & misty air prevales as I rite. - -_Feb 20_—I was down to the marsh. This was yesterdy. Got 36 rats from 42 -trapps. 2 trapps lost. Som rat houses near chanel butted out by ice -moving along. Sene som gese very high going N. One I think was a flock -of swanns. Fogg & sleat tonite. - -_Feb 21–22–23–24–25_—All bad days. G. Washington had a birthday on the -22nd. That was my birthday too. The politicks would make him sick if he -could see them now. Thares lots of dead pepil that would not like what -is now going on, and we would not like som things they done if we was -thare. - -_Feb 28_—Snow most gone & hard rain. Lot of ice moving in river. I sene -4 flocks gese 5 of ducks, mostly bloobills. Thare has ben few deer this -winter. I got 2 bucks & 1 doe all fat in good condition & I got a small -bear. This was over neare Wild Catt Swamp on the 18th & I forgot to rite -it down. Old Josiah & the dog was thare on that date. - -_Feb 29th_—This is leap yeare. Hav not ben out today. I am geting throw -the winter all rite. Feb a changabel month. It closes with foggs & high -water. S. Conkrite com today on his way to the marsh. His noos is Ed -Baxter & Fanny Noonan got marrid Jan 6th. Probly she asked him. Wether -tonite looks thick. Cloudds both big & black are in the West. - -_March 5th_—Gese coming rite along now & thousans of ducks. Rats on the -marsh ben prety fare. Got a lot so far but probly will find prices bad. -Your uncle Josiah was all over the oak tract in boat for malards. Got -over 50. He had on his shooting shirt. They was after the acorns in -about 2 ft. of watter. This was yesterdy. Meney ducks going on N. & som -gese gone too but som will stay & make nests. - -_March 11th_—2 egals lit today on the iland & stade around all P.M. They -may think of nesting heare. Old Josiah will take a popp at them. Dense -cloudds are around. - -_March 15th_—I notis in my almanack big flodes all over the south & -sweling rivers predicted. Big flode heare too as I rite & evrything -overflode. River ice all gone. Lots of dead timber coming down & floting -bushes. Most of the noos you read in the almanack is bad. On most all of -the dates bloodshed & fires & famins are notised & meney batels & deaths -of Kings & Quenes. Funy no Jacks are spoken of. Shot 62 ducks 11 gese. -Lost aminition on a big flock. Snipe are around & som plover coming in. -Got 34 rats & a wolf. This was yesterdy. Saw 2 deer at Huckelbery Byou. -They left on time. Thare was wild catt traks on the iland Monday morning -after a lite bust of snow. Would like to get that cuss. He beter look -out for the old man. His skin would make a good vest. Moon was full on -the 6th but I ben busy rite along & not evrything ritten down. This is a -bad day & I stade in. Awful hard rain going on as I rite. You get a -buckett full in the face if you open the door. High wind & probly a lot -of damage somwhare. It is now 8 P.M. & your uncle Josiah to bed. - -_March 16th_—Clearing wether. Was out but rumetiziam som worse. Lost -aminition on 2 gese that flew over at evening. My almanack says the -planatary aspecks for planting potattoes will be faverabel in 4 weeks -now. I notis thare has ben a lot of small animils around. Som skunks & -foxes. Must put out som trapps. - -_March 20_—Clear brite & calm & no wether now for foar days. It is a new -moon like a mellin rine tonite & I sene it over my left sholder. It -hangs wet in the west & this menes rain. Fixed the chickin house against -all skunks & foxes but weezels may get in. A wolf has ben around the -iland. A fogg prevales tonite. - -_March 21_—Bad day but it gets into spring now. - -_March 22_—Good wether for ducks but they fly high. Beter for gese. -Gusty looking sky tonite. - -_March 24th_—I went after them yesterdy. Got no ducks but it was good -wether for them. Shot 22 gese. Bad day for gese too. Got 40 rats. -Perhaps a small snow tonite. Looks likely. - -_March 26th_—Got a boat full of rats. Will skin tomorrow. This was -yesterdy I got the rats. Bad storm today. Cant see out. Wether foul & -bad. Old Josiah gets mushrats all rite when he goes out in his little -trapping boat. - -_March 27th_—Cold day. Thermomter busted March 10. Cant tell how cold it -is but it is cold. The merkery must be way down. Lite bust of snow as I -rite. Must get som Magic Oil for stif joints. - -_March 28th_—River is froze along edges but open in the curent. Ducks & -Gese moving thick. Big bunches went over today flying high. Som deer -around. Must go after deer tomorrow. A lot of Jaybirds round the house. -Crows & Jaybirds make rackett. Must hav quiet. Must get bag of small -shot. - -_March 30th_—Got no deer yesterdy. Sene one but too far off. If could -hav shot with a spy glass I could hav got him if I had one. Got som -sasafras. Must cook som spring medicin. I now have all ingrediments. - -_March 31st_—Foggy today. Snipe around. Lite sprinkel of rain. Lost -aminition on bunch of plover flying over. Chopped som wood. Caught 2 -weezels & a skunk. This was yesterdy. Froggs are around. Got a new -thermomter but I think it not akkerate. The merkery is red. Probly all -rite for sumer wether. Am now taking Sistom Tonick. Good dele of baptist -wether & som snow this month but in general a fine month. Ducks & gese -hav ben thicker than hare on a dog & I done well on rats too. Got all -trapps out of marsh & som not mine. Spring is rite on skedule. Tomorrow -is April fools day & a lot of them are around. - -_April 6–7–8–9–10_—All fare days with no wether, but a mushy bust of -snow has com as I rite. On the 9th was Good Friday. Our Lord was -Crucufied in my Almanack on that date. That was a big mistake. I notis -for 3 days sunup & sunsett late compard with clock so hav sett clock. -Sun & clock now on skedule acording to almanack & with my noon marker on -the stump & notch in window sill evrything is all rite up to date. Your -uncle Josiah knos the time of day. - -_April 11th_—I see that Henry Clay was born today in 1776. I was always -a Henry Clay man. This is Easter Sunday the day on which Our Lord is -Risen. Thare is a lot of pepil that should take notis. - -_April 15th_—Buds are well out & on skedule. Thare are freckels around -the trees showing we had a hard winter. Froggs are around thick. It was -bad wether for rats in Jan & Feb but they wintered well. I must go after -supplys & som spring medicin. I got som bisness to tend to. - -_April 18th_—Must plant all gardin sass now. Moon is right tonite & this -is the time. A man com up from Beaver Lake & says hard winter thare. Wm -Hull a stedy helthy man of good bild & sober was froze with cold. He was -coming home from mil & he lived over neare West Creek. This was Jan -12th. He was found by 2 squas out after wood. He was found froze. He -owed me som money. This was a bad day. Sky looks all chesy tonite. - -_April 20th_—Befoar sunup a lite spatter of rain that turned into bad -storm with high wind. All this must dry out then must plant. Lots of -herons nesting up to herontown this yeare same as usual in the -sickamores. Your uncle Josiah was all in thare in a boat. A hooting owl -was up the cottonwood last nite over the house. I got up with the gunn & -made a bloody mess of him. They cannot hoot above your uncle while he -sleeps. - -_April 24th_—Jaybirds & crows ben jawing a good dele round the house & -making a rackett & thare is a lot of fox squorls & coons bobbing around -the iland when the wether is still & a bear com across. Would like to -get that cuss. Lots of wolves around. Big spring for ducks & gese but -most hav left. Meny staying to bild nests. Must see in the attic what -seeds I hav then must plan. Must plant erly stuff. It is now 5 P.M. - -_April 26th_—Got all seeds in yesterdy. Robbins & Bloobirds & a lot of -Woodpekers & Chipping birds are around & they are mostly bilding nests. -I must plant som mellins. A good mellin in the shade on a hot day is a -fine thing. Almanack predicted April would be seasonable & this is rite -so far. - -_April 30th_—Thares skunks on the iland maybe 3 or 4. Froggs are prety -noisy. Them crokers keap it up. Considrabel snipe around & some plover. -April has ben a remarkabel month. Mostly wet but meney fare days. Thare -was a lot of wether betwene the 1st & 15th. Lots of froggs & enybody -that wants a bullfrogg pie could get one rite heare if they went after -it. This is the place. - -_May 4th_—No wether now sence the 30th. Fare & nether warm or cold. -Florida & Iowa admited into The Union yesterdy in 1845. Them are twin -states. The line of beens has sprouted & must look out for Jaybirds they -will get into these. The weeds will com along all rite. You Bet. - -_May 5th_—N. Bonapart died in 1821. He was a bad egg. - -_May 8th_—Sumery wether & fishing in the river is good. S. Conkrite was -down & says he got a pike of 17 lbs. I got one of 19. Pike are thick. I -can cetch all I want rite in front of the house & bass & cattfish. It is -knoing whare they are. He can not tell me eny thing he is a wind bag. -Old Josiah was not born yesterdy or the day befoar ether. - -_May 10th_—Vegetition greening up & evrything lively & on skedule. Pete -Quagno & his squa com today to see how I was & if I had eny tobaco. Him -& the other inguns down the marsh all had a bad winter. They got a lot -of rat skins & coons & som Foxes. They et the bodies of all them animils -& smoaked som. Thare is nuthing not et by savidges. Thare was a lot of -sickness around thare. It shoured hard again to day as well as yesterdy -& this may wash them off som. Unusual shours along with thunder & -litening all P.M. Them inguns went back in the rain. - -_May 12th_—Plum blosoms plenty. Potattoes up. All sines say a hot sumer. -Good meny snakes around som prety long ones. Som drizzel in the air as I -rite. - -_May 13–14–15–16–17_—Spatters of rain a good dele now. Looks like a wet -May if this keaps up. - -_May 18th_—Fishing prety good. Got a boatfull of pike & bass yesterdy. I -heare S. Conkrite has caught nuthing up to his place even if he uses -netts. Must salt down som for winter. Thares lots of sukkers in the -river. Evry litle while you get one & thare are a few eles. Must smoak -som. - -_May 19th_—I put som 70 lbs. of fish in the pork brine that is all empty -now. Must get another barel for pork in the fall. Sprinkels as I rite. - -_May 23rd_—Sombody stole my minnie box or it floted off. On this day my -almanack says Capt Kidd a famous pirate was hung in London & this was -rite. Thares a lot around now but not famous. Thick & sticky air tonite. - -_May 25th_—Think I sene a lite frost this morning. Funy for this time of -yeare. Went after the skunks on the iland last nite & got som. The -chickins & me do not want skunks around. I got 3 in trapps & 1 with gunn -& 1 got me. You Bet. Thares too meney skunks. Som clouddy tonite with -wobblie sunsett. - -_May 27th_—Foxes & skunks both got into the chickins last nite. Thares -too meney of both & if the chickins would only roost in the trees. It is -hard work to rase chickins & they get lots of things the mater with -them. Frisky looking sky tonite. - -_May 29th_—Ed Baxter & his noo wife Fanny Noonan com today. It is hard -to see why them 2 got marrid. They wanted to see how I was & to borro -som things. Ed has got a sqwint in one eye & I gues that is why he got -fooled. Ed & her are both red hedded & she did not draw much when she -marrid him. I notis the temperature remains about the same with litle or -no drop or rise. - -_May 31st_—These are fine days. S. Conkrite com down & I tell him I hav -4 barels of pike & bass that I caught & pikeled at odd times. He brought -som noos. He says thare was timber theves working down the river all the -winter & spring & them logs that went out was all stole. They was all -cut by the theves & floted down to the Illinoi when high watter com. -Next winter something will be done by the owners if they begin again. He -says over a thousan logs was floted out & partys are not knone. Looks -som like rain as I rite. He says if the theves get caught they will be -convicted by the laws of both states. The sherifs hav all ben given -notis. Almanack predicted May would be seasonabel & this is rite. This -has ben a remarkabel month. - -_June 2nd_—Fine still day but all fish biting stoped when it thundered -in P.M. A swizzel of rain at evening. - -_June 10th_—All this month so far fine days & sumery. Eny who do not -like this wether should have no wether at all. I got the gunn & blowed a -noo hornet nest in the tree by the pump. Will not need them. They are -worse than democrats. I notis flys are around. - -_June 11–12–13–14–15_—All fine days. Nuthing hapened. - -_June 17th_—On this day in 1775 was the Batel of Bunker Hill. Bad day -for England. Fish hav bit well. No wether to rite down. All fine. Your -uncle Josiah enjoys this. I must tell S. Conkrite of a catt fish I sene -in the river today 4 ft long. This fish was probly 6 ft if he sene it -when it passed his place. It was slopping in the shallo watter out on -the sand bar. It was probly astonished at all my empty medicin botles -that are all over the botom out thare. - -_June 27th_—It rained catts & dogs & pitchforks today & I fore saw this -in the wether breeding cloudds of last nite. A hooting owl was around -but too dark to bust him. Joseph Smith the Mormon Prophet murdered in -the almanack today in 1844. Som wife troubel probly. - -_June 30th_—Good month all through. Potattoes begin to carry buggs. Must -brush them off. June is a bugg month. Gardin fine if the woodchucks -would keap out. Shot severil & will shoot these rite along. Must get -them off the iland & the skunks too. You Bet. Coppery looking sunsett -tonite. - -_July 2nd_—Geting hot wether. I do not kno whare all the potattoe buggs -are from. Thare must be a big bugg town somwhare that they all hale -from. We need som rain. The moon is now full. - -_July 4th_—This is the Nation’s birth day but thare are too meney -forriners. J. Podnutt S. Conkrite & Amos Horner Ed Baxter & Peleg S. -Mason all com down. I think Podnutt is a forriner. Thares lots of -miskitos now & they bit well in the shade & plenty of flys. These men -all say it has never ben so dry. Thares no watter up the byous & the -marsh is drying out. Conkrite says thare are big fish left swiming in -puddels back in the woods whare the watter went down & left them in -April & he says pike & bass as long as your arm are thare. I tell him he -beter drop some salt in them puddels. Tally 1 for old Josiah. Sam Green -& a man named Wasson com in the P.M. to see if thare was eny hay around. -Wasson I think is a forriner. On Jan 5th 1828 it says in the almanack -the Turks banished all forriners from their empire. Thare was too meney -thare like thare is heare. Green says catel not geting filled on grass -yet can live. When my tobaco was gone these men all left in boats. They -went home by bugg lite at nite. Such a pack of lies hav never ben told -as today. I think Wasson should cut som whiskers this fall. It is prety -hot as I rite & thare is too much tumoil & visiting & too much going on -heare & thare. Thares too much passing to & fro. Thares too meney flys & -thares too dam meney pepil. God bless all departing travelors. I rite -this on the 5th. - -_July 11th_—It has never ben hotter even in the shade. Hamilton & Burr -had a duel this day in 1804. Burr was a good shot but a bad man. For a -week it has ben to hot to rite in my wether book. & the nites are -sticky. - -_July 12th_—We are having a bad dry spell & I fore saw this erly in the -month. Only 1 lite spurt of rain sence erly June. I stay in the shade -for I do not want eny body to get sun struck. This is a big miskito -month & they are at it constant. Eny body that wants miskitos & natts -can get them rite heare. Take notis. This is the place & dog days is the -time. - -_July 13_—Hottest we ever had. At Nantuckett rite close to the watter -300 bildings burnt today in 1846. Took fire from the sun probly. A big -snapping turkel was around the pump today. Maybe he was chased out of -the river by the heat. - -_July 15th_—My almanack says Jeruselum was taken today in 1029. It is -probly hot thare now. If the almanack would go as far foreds as it goes -back it would be a valubel record. It says also W. Penn died in 1718 on -the 20th. I keep my almanack heare with me in the shade. Penn was a -grate man. I com from his state. It has never ben so hot as sence the -10th. Your uncle Josiah has got the thermomter on the tree by the pump -now to cool it som. - -_July 16–17–18–19–20_—When it is hot I sett genraly out of the sun & -smoak. That old yellow pipe is prety hot & it works all day. This has -ben going on for a week now. You can lite a match by sticking it in the -river now if you want to. It is sissing hot. You can cook eny thing by -setting it out doors. No frost in the air now. You Bet. I wattered all -gardin sass from the river with a buckett at evening & all grows well, -but some probly cooked. The merkery will hav to climb the tree if this -keaps up. - -_July 31st_—Too hot to rite in wether book. Still dry. I mostly stay -down by the pump & the flys like this. I slep out on the grass sence the -15th & the miskitos liked that. This has ben a remarkabel month. - -_Aug. 1st_—In August on the 1st in 1798 was the Batel of the Nile so my -almanack says. Must have ben hot out on the watter in Egipt at that -time. Meteors which are bals of fire in the sky are predicted for -August. They should begin dropping soon & your uncle Josiah will keap -his eye open. It is so dry now that Ed Baxter says the mushrats hav all -left the marsh & they are all going out round the country for watter to -qwench their thirst. He says thare are cases whare they went to wells & -fell in & 1 com to the watter buckett in his house. Bad sumer for rats. -A good catt nap in the shade is a fine thing now. - -_Aug. 2nd_—This is Monday & I have stade in the shade now sence this -thing commenced. This wether will probly blister the buggs off the -potattoes. They wont get off no other way until it gets cool if they are -waiting for your uncle to brush them. Everything well het up. Lots of -smoak. Big fire in the woods somwhare I bet. - -_Aug. 5th_—Nuthing ritten now sence the 2nd. Thare is thunder off in the -west tonite & she is coming up. Som wind & all sines say a soking storm -of rain. - -_Aug. 7th_—Raining hevy as I rite. Rained all nite long & yesterdy. Must -patch the roof som. Had to put a buckett under a leak last nite. Good -thing I got plenty of bucketts. Litening struck all around in woods hard -all nite. - -_August 9th_—Awful rains sence the nite of the 5th. We are geting too -much rain. Seems like something has busted up above and all thare is is -coming down. Som should be saved up & sprinkeled along the rest of the -calender. What is the use of all this. This is a very wet time. Thare -are no flodes predicted for this time of the yeare. I must read the -bible som if this keaps up & bild an ark. This is a grate lesson to us -all. In 1812 on this date a caravan of 2000 Turks from Mecca was -destroyed in the Desert by lack of watter. I bet they wished they had -som of this. Too bad all the Turks were not thare. All Turks are wicked -men & it says som whare in the bible that they shall have their part in -Hell Fire. Hell Fire & Turks will mix well. The litening was after your -uncle again last nite. - -_August 10th_—Clearing now with som wind & again warm. Looks wet in the -west. Thares watter enough to swim the young ducks around now all rite & -plenty of it for eny body that wants it. My potattoe buggs all floted -away. This shows that trubels of all kinds will quit som time if you -wait & do nuthing. You could swim all over the country now. Ed Baxter & -S. Conkrite com in a boat today to see how I was & if I was still above -watter & to borro tobaco & cowcumbers. When eny body coms around it is -always somthing for them. They both say They never sene so meney snakes -around as this yeare. Ed Says he killed 4 rattlers & Conkrite says he -got 6. These men will both see more snakes next year than they did this -if they do not quit. Conkrite’s biggest snake was 5 ft with 6 ratles. I -showed them a skin I took off of 6 ft with 9 ratles & they lit som more -of my tobaco & told of erly days. I notis they all get into the trees -when your uncle Josiah comences to talk. His feet are mates & he drinks -nuthing but pump watter. Snakes do not com around him much but when they -do they are Whoppers. Drizzeled som at nite. - -_Aug. 15_—It is hot again & the Old Bull Eye now glares stedy on the -crops. Thare was a pop corn sky last nite. No cloudds today. Full bugg -lite at nite. - -_Aug. 21st_—Thare com up a hale storm today that was over in 5 minits -with hale stones big as pidgun eggs & a strong wind that would blow bark -off a bass wood. I do not kno whare it com from. Somthing must hav -hapened up above to do all this. Hale turned to rain & it drizzels as I -rite. Meney litle ded todes & froggs are all over the iland whare they -probly rained down. Maybe fish & small live stock will com next. - -_Aug. 22nd_—Cleared off all rite but cloudds in the north look like -wether breeders tonite & it is a mackral sky all over. Ed Baxter & -Conkrite com today in a boat that looks like the one that got loose & -floted off away from my place 3 years ago. It is now painted up & the -ores changed. They com to see how I was & to borro som big fish hooks -for their sett lines. I tell them to use an axe for big fish same as I -do. Could not find eny hooks after I sene that boat. My eye sight got -bad. The old man’s mind is foggy. He does not kno how to do. - -_Aug. 31st_—Your uncle Josiah went down to the marsh yesterdy to see how -mushrats are. They sumered well. Young ones are thick & well grown & -geting lots of clams. Meney wood ducks around & the ducks hatched in the -marsh all are flying well. Cloudded up at nite & had a dark time geting -back. The moon was around but it was so dark a cat could find nuthing. -Thares an awful lot of new thick grass in the marsh. I do not like -watter with so much whiskers on it. This has ben a quere month & -thermomter has jumped around a good dele. This has ben a remarkabel -month. - -_Sept. 1st_—The meteors in my almanack did not fall in August & -predictions not reliabel. Nuthing of the kind around. It is geting along -toreds fall. Pidguns are around. They broke som ded lims on the iland -this week whare they roosted. Thares slews of them. This is a good yeare -for pidguns. I got 33 with 2 shots. They did not kno that your uncle -Josiah was around with a gunn. I notis in my almanack Oisters are now in -season. Nuthing of the kind around heare. - -_Sept. 4th_—Soon after sunup it looked like streky black cloudds up -above but it was pidgun flocks coming south. Pidguns are all over now. -Big droves roosted around last nite. I must salt down som. They are in -the woods after the young akerns. Pidguns still going over. Cant tell if -it is clouddy. Warm day thow. - -_Sept. 10th_—Must get a houn pupp. Old Tike is geting wobblie in the -nose & he looses his nose now & then. He is sick som & not lively. He is -a good dog but he has erned his money. He is now going on 13 yeares & -has ben over the country som sence I had him. S. Conkrite had some pupps -last week & I must go up. They may be all spoken for thow. Must get som -supplys & som backake ointmint. Hell I broke my pipe. Wether breeding -clouds in the west tonite as I rite. - -_Sept. 12th_—A sorel mare was stolen by 2 men & a buggy Tuesday nite -from Ed Baxter who had just bote the mare. They caught these men over 18 -miles off on the Hickery Top Road & they are now locked in jale. He was -down at evening to see how I was & to get some eggs. The sherif & a -possy was what nabbed the theves. I hear from Ed that Henry Clay died -last June & that a chese facktory & brick kill are to be bilt neare West -Crick. I fore see a church next. This country is geting too much setled -up. Thares too dam meney pepil. It rained som today but cleared at noon. -Ed had a lot of noos. He went off home by bugg lite about 9. He kep me -up. I rite this on the 13th. - -_Sept. 14_—A wolf has ben on this iland frequent & has ben after -chickins & eny thing he can get. I set a trapp & he turned it over & got -the bate evry time. Last nite I set it botom sid up & he turned it over -& I got that cuss. He did not kno the trapp was botom upwards & he was -astonished. You can not fool much with your uncle Josiah. Som drizzel in -the air tonite & som colder. It is geting into fall all rite. I kno -whare 2 bee trees are. Your uncle has them spotted. Thare will be honey -heare in about a week. You Bet. - -_Sept. 17th_—The merkery took a sudden jump & it is hot as July & -August. I slep out on the grass last nite. A good mush mellin in the -shade is a fine thing now. Conkrite & Baxter com yesterdy when I was not -within & left a buckett they borowed Saturday to take down the river. I -must put a date on that for its the first thing they ever brought back. - -_Sept. 20th_—I got a cubb bear that was 1–2 in & 1–2 out of a bee tree -after honey & got him home well chained with a colar. I got about 60 lbs -honey. This was yesterdy & the day befoar. The animil eats well & acts -tame but scared. I name him Jim Crow. - -_Sept. 21st_—S. Conkrite & Ed Baxter & Wife com today to see how I was & -to see if I got eny honey yet. They are rite on skedule. Also they -wanted to borro som small shot & to get som fouls. Ed’s wife made beleve -she was scared of the bear. Probly so Ed would save her from it. -Conkrite says he got a wild catt over to the swamp that was 37 inches -tip to tip. I got one 40 inches last winter that I spoke nuthing of. -Mine was a feerce animil. Conkrite blows a good dele. The pupp I got -from Conkrite houls all the time & has et his hed off up to date. Jim -Crow got a peice of the pupp yesterdy when he got neare. The pupp tried -to bite Conkrite & I think this shows he was treated bad at home. I -asked Conkrite about pork for winter pikel but he semes to think my -place is whare money dripps off the roof & shakes out of the trees. At -killing time it will be diferent. Ed Baxter says he has dug a deeper -well. His other he says is full of mushrats that com for watter in dry -spell in July to qwench their thirst & now living thare. I tell him to -sett & fish for them with a pole. It is now 8 P.M. & your uncle is reddy -for his blankett. - -_Sept. 25th_—I went after supplys. Old Josiah now has plenty of -evrything. Thare is Backake Remedy Foot Ointmint Magick oil for Stif -Joints & Pain Killer & 2 kinds of Bitters & Sistom Tonick & pills both -blue & pink. I got Condition Powders for chickins if sick. I got som -tobaco black as Egipt for those who com to borro. It is strong enough so -you can pull nales with it. I got all they had and some candels. Jim -Crow is well & he likes all swete things. I got Jim som stripped candy 3 -sticks. The Pacific Ocean was discovered in 1513 by my almanack on this -day. Funy they missed it befoar. When I com by Ed Baxter’s place last -nite the boat that used to be mine got loose & com along down with me. I -find certain marks on it that I will show Ed. I reckonize my own boat & -it now seeks its home. A drizzel of mosture as I rite. I tended to a lot -of bisness today. Conkrite says the Sistom Tonick I ben buying is loaded -but does not say what with. He says mix a lot of pump watter with it & -not take to much or darkness will com. - -_Sept. 28th_—The wether stays moist. Today in 1828 in the almanack the -sultan proceeds to the Turkish Camp with the sacred standard. Probly -stole from som whare. - -_Sept. 29th_—These cold stormy drizzels may bring in a few ducks. Would -like som ducks. Moon full last nite but not sene. - -_Oct. 1st_—Sept. was a quere month without much wether other way. Oct. -now opens clear with frost that nipped the vines last nite. Had the pupp -out for a run on rabbitts. His nose is good & he may learn. I never sene -a good dog that com from S. Conkrite’s yet. Was down to the marsh -yesterdy & meney noo rat houses. They are bilding thick & high & this -menes a hard winter & high watter in the spring. All sines say a hard -winter. Snipe are skitting around & thare is a lot of mudd hens & loons -in the marsh. 2 deer swum the marsh & dove into the timber. They kno -when Old Josiah has got a gunn & when he left it home. Sam Green & his -friend Wasson com in a boat tonite to see how I was & to get som honey. -The pupp bit Wasson. Tally 1 for the pupp. These men also wanted to -borro tobaco. Gave them som of the black. I tell them smoaking that kind -makes me strong. - -_Oct. 6th_—Stormed & I stade in. Conkrite com in the rain to see how I -was & to borro powder & see if I had eny thing in my medicins for boils. -He says he com yesterdy & nocked but I was not within. I was then in the -woods traning the pupp. His noos is Ed Baxter claims he has 2 twins that -com erly this morning & I bet they look like young mushrats. He spoke of -pork but old Josiah is keaping prety still until after the snow flys. He -says of Ed’s twins they are both boys & red hedded. Thares too meney -Baxters now. S. C. Says them 2 twins will be named James & John. - -_Oct. 12th_—In the full of the moon & on a frosty nite your uncle Josiah -goes after coons & I note this down. It will be the 27th if nite is -clear. I notis Columbus landed today in the almanack in 1492. He was the -first of the forriners. - -_Oct. 18th_—Nuthing happened sence the 12th, but last nite a killing -frost & today a swizzel of rain & sleat with N.W. Wind. This will bring -down ducks & gese. Stade in today & clened up shot gunn & rifel & all -trapps. Saw to all aminition. Evrything all fixed up as I rite. Put all -potattoes & vegitibels in sod celer & evrything all tite up to date. -Cleared off som today & som ducks are coming & som gese are in the sky. -Unusual wether for Oct. Gese honks all nite long as I slept. This was -last nite. I got 25 lbs tobaco in the sod celer too. When I need tobaco -this winter I kno whare som is. - -_Oct. 19_—Blowing strong from N.W. Rain & sleat. Sky all speckeled with -ducks & gese. They are coming in slews now. Gese honk all nite can not -sleep. Active wether will come rite along now. No more lofing for your -uncle Josiah. He gets on his sheap skin coat now. Take notis. He is in -the field. - -_Oct. 20–21–22–23–24–25_—I ben busy all this time. Josiah is around with -a gunn. He makes fethers fly & he fetches in the birds. Fine gese & duck -wether. The marsh is black with them evry morning at sunup. The Irish -Rebelion was on the 23rd of this month in 1641. They begun coming heare -then. - -_Oct. 30th_—Duck & Gese wether has stoped & ingun sumer is upon us. I -fore saw this. They are around som whare but shooting is poor. No duck & -gese wether for a while yet. I stoped at S. Conkrite’s. I got to hav -pork, but he said nuthing of pork & neither did your uncle Josiah. He -has 9 squeeling around all fat in good condition. - -_Oct. 31st_—This has ben a remarkabel month & changabel at times as -almanack predicted. Jim Crow is well. He has et well. I see hevy bunches -of cloudds in west that I fore see will breed duck & gese wether as I -rite. I notis in my almanack that meney thousans of pepil died of -sickness in India at this time of the yeare in 1724. Thare is too many -pepil. No sickness heare much at eny time. This is a helthy section only -3 died in 5 yeares. I see deer are around. - -_Nov. 2nd_—Althow a stormy day Ed Baxter com in P.M. to see how I was & -to get honey & som tobaco if I hed eny. He told all the noos of them 2 -twins James & John & you would think nobody ever had eny befoar. It is -all about them 2 red heds all the time how they et & how they are smart -& how much they way. All the branes in the country are setled in James & -John. He says he will bring them & show me. They must be som site & I -will be struck blind in 1 eye probly. You would think the world had com -to the end in them 2 & they was Danl Webstor. Thare was an awful famin -in Italy in the yeare 450 when parents et their children. - -_Nov. 3rd_—Lite snow bust in the nite & I found bear traks all around -this morning. Som friend com to see Jim Crow probly. The pupp now sleeps -with Jim in the dog house & he howld in the nite. Som rain sputtering as -I rite. - -_Nov. 4th_—Roring wind from the North today. A hevy sky & sleat. I notis -meney duck flocks & gese. - -I will be busy now rite along. Must get a deer. A little venzon rite now -would be fine. Your uncle Josiah has apitite for som. - -_Nov. 6th_—Got a buck rite on the iland. They will go poking their heds -in the window to get shot if I dont watch out. This was yesterdy. Jim -Crow is loose now & spends time mostly on the roof & up the cottonwood. -He was in the chickins Tuesday nite & today he was in the house & upsett -things. Might as well be a horse loose in the house. Must put him back -on chain. If you want to keap busy you want to keap a bear. He is a -quere cuss & probly smells the honey. She still blows & tomorro I go for -ducks. Wish I had all the lead I spattered around on that marsh in my -time. Must have raised the watter som. - -_Nov. 7–8–9–10–11–12_—Was on the marsh all these days & tired at nite. -Wether lite winds & drizzeley. No finer duck & gese wether ever sene. -Your uncle was among them & he shook them loose. I com in wet tonite & -must sett around a while. I see traks showing sombody has ben heare. -Probly Conkrite or Ed Baxter to see how I was & to borro somthing & tell -me of them 2 twins. Must wrap up in my blankett & take som strong -medicin. I got a cold & I got wether pains. Will stay in & rite in my -wether book. On Nov. 9th in 1837 the quene of England dined at -Guildhall. Good meal probly. - -_Nov. 13_—When your uncle Josiah takes medicin he doses up. I took 4 -kinds today & kep my feet hot with my watter jug. I got a good fire. -Storms hevy outside but that does not hurt me eny. I read all it says on -all my medicin botles & I can get nuthing they will not cure. I got Jim -Crow & the pupp in the house for company now. They sleep mostly. When -they awake they make troubel. I fore see that these animils must be put -out. - -_Nov. 14th_—Somthing I took yesterdy or last nite has helped som. I slep -well. Probly it was 1 of the bitters. Snow prevales outside & she falls -hevy as I rite. I put Jim & the pupp out. Thare was too meney in the -house. Jim has got honey coam & the pupp has got bones in the dog house -so they are hapy. Nobody could want more than that unless they are crazy -about money. - -_Nov. 15–16–17_—I stade within mostly on these days. We are having a -spell of wether. My bitters & my Sistom Tonick are most gone but I still -got plenty of 2 kinds that I take internal & 3 kinds to rub on. Wolves -howl around a good dele at nite. I keap my sasafras tea het up rite -along but the bitters do most of the work. They are strong stuff & have -som get app to them. Sky is full of ducks & gese do a lot of honking -over the house. Probly to twitch me while I cant get out. Your uncle -feals som beter but he is wise. He will not go out too soon. It would be -beter for som body to go that would not be so much loss. - -_Nov. 18_—S. Conkrite com today to see how I was & wanted to trade me a -nice fat hogg for Jim Crow & I done this. Jim is geting a litle sassy & -Conkrite’s will be a good place for him. Will now hav pork to put in -pikel & to smoak. He is to kill the pork & bring it & after that is to -take Jim home. I fore see that Jim will make troubel. I am up & around -all rite now. Must go after supplys of bitters & Sistom Tonick soon & I -must get a chese. A smitch of chese helps out a meal. Looks wethery -tonite & snow probabel. - -_Nov. 19th_—S. Conkrite com today with the pork & it is good pork. We -fixed a crate to put Jim Crow in & he made a lot of fuss. Them 2 looked -funy going off in the boat. Cold & freezing som & ducks & gese have lit -out. Thare are deer around thow. I made soft soap today. - -_Nov. 20th_—Ed Baxter com in P.M. to see how I was & to hang som meat in -my smoak house. When he sene the soft soap he wanted to borro som. -Probly to wash them red hedded twins. S. Conkrite also com at evening & -Sam Green & Wasson all with pork to smoak. I got lots of friends. My -pork must pikel a while befoar it smoaks but I got to fire up the smoak -house now for these men’s pork. They all like this because its something -for them. Ed told a lot about them twins. Thare has never ben such -twins. Conkrite’s noos is Jim Crow got away. The traks stade around the -chickins a while & then went to the woods whare fethers were found. Lite -sift of snow to nite. The Cape of Good Hope was doubled in the almanack -today in 1497. Quere they wanted 2 capes thare. - -_Nov. 21st_—Jim Crow was up the cottonwood this morning when I went out. -Him & the pupp are now in the dog house. Conkrite will probly com after -Jim. She snows & blows hevy as I rite. - -_Nov. 23rd_—My smoak house is well knone. Pete Quagno & 2 other inguns -com today to see about puting things in it but I tell them I want to kno -what they are. They say all sines show a hard winter coming. No danger -of them inguns stealing my soft soap. Your uncle Josiah is now all well -& feals fine. He was all over the iland today. He could pull up a tree -or kick the chimbly off the house if it had to be. I notis too meney -small animil tracks on the iland & I will now tend to these. The pupp is -fine & he now goes with me. Lite snow last nite & I see a wild catt has -ben across and I would like to get his fur. - -_Nov. 25th_—Yesterdy I stade within with my medicins as I did not feal -so well. I got a stummick misry. Conkrite was down & took Jim Crow back -today. I do not think Jim likes Conkrite. He tried to get a peice out of -Conkrite when they was in the boat. Me & Jim always got along all rite. -Snow is faling. - -_Nov. 26–27–28_—Snows all the time now. She dont know when to quit. My -almanack says G. Washington crossed the deleware Nov. 28th. It missed -saying what yeare but he got whare he wanted to go. Moon was full on the -26th but not sene. - -_Nov. 29th_—S. Conkrite com with som meat to smoak today & it looks like -bear meat. I fear Jim Crow is now in the smoak house. That man knos -nuthing of how to keap pets. I was off in the woods when Conkrite com -but I kno it is Jim all rite. He was a fine bear & affecksionet. I wish -Conkrite had his dam pork back & I had Jim Crow. - -_Nov. 30th_—That meat is not Jim at all for Jim is back & up the -cottonwood this morning. He did not want to com down but him & the pupp -are in the dog house as I rite. Jim likes it around heare. Mackarel sky -tonite & changing wether probabel. Nov. a remarkabel month all through. - -_Dec. 1–2–3–4–5–6_—I ben fealing porly now som time with the misry in my -stummick. Tried som of all my internal medicins & feal som beter today. -Hav rubbed my Rumatiziam with Pain Killer & took pills both blue & pink -that are for liver complaint. Poor old Tike was sick too. I gave him the -box of condition powders I got in the fall for the chickins but he quit -that nite. This was on Saturday the 4th. The powders may not hav kep -well or maybe not good for a dog. I lost my best friend. Bad wether now. -I think animils should have no medicin at all of eny kind. - -_Dec. 7th_—Ed Baxter com today to see how I was & to get his smoaked -pork. I promis to take Christmas diner with Ed & Wife. I must take -presents for James & John. Likely a buckett of soft soap will be good -for them 2. Looks gusty & snowy tonite. - -_Dec. 8th_—S. Conkrite & Green & his friend Wasson all com to see how I -was today & get their smoaked stuff. Conkrite says would like me to keap -Jim Crow a while longer for he is too meney up to his place. This I will -do for Jim & me get along fine. Jim went up the cottonwood when he sene -Conkrite. Thares too meney smoak houses on this iland & too much -smoaking going on for other pepil. Snow storm slanting from the north -west & drifting som as I rite. I fore saw this last nite. I think -Conkrite is the one that is too meney up to his place instid of Jim -Crow. I got wether pains in both back & legs now. - -_Dec. 9th_—Now she snows. Big drifts. Can not see dog house from window. -I now got Jim Crow & the pupp in the house. My wether pains som worse. -Must stay in my blankett. - -_Dec. 10th_—A soft thaw has come on sudden. A warm sun prevales & -evrything all slushy. Good wether for wet feet. Your uncle still stays -within. - -_Dec. 12th_—Both S. Conkrite & Ed Baxter com today & brought me a new -almanack for next yeare. This is the first time they ever com that it -was not somthing for them. They said I don litle favers for them & they -would like to make me this litle present. This all shows that if you -keap being good to pepil all your life some day they will bring you a -nice litle almanack. Probly they will want somthing next trip. I gave -them som Sistom Tonick & they liked that. Ed Spoke of them 2 twins & -they are both well & awful smart. He asked if my smoak house was still -in good working order & if my hens ben laying well lately & if I had -plenty of potattoes on hand. - -_Dec. 13th_—Them 2 inguns that come heare last with Pete Quagno & his -squa com today & their noos is that Pete & his squa are both sick & -wanted tobaco. I sent Pete 2 pink pills. Them 2 inguns wanted me to send -Pete & his squa a big lot of tobaco by them but they did not know that -your uncle Josiah was setting around smoaking befoar eny of them was -born. - -_Dec. 14th_—Last nite I read in my noo almanack. I notis it predicts -worse wether for next yeare. Storms & Tempests will prevale with intense -frosts probabel at times, but thare will be much changabel wether & -meney meteors that will betoken war. Thare will be awful winds on Parts -of the Earth. In the back are som Prophesies made by the Seventh Son, -which I copy down. He says thare will be wars and rumours of wars & -Turbulence & Teror will apear on evry hand & cloudds of darkest hue will -hang over the World in the East. Fires will abound & Tumults & Bloodshed -& Plots & Uprores in som Nations. Subject Pepils will turn & bite the -hoof that holds them down. A certain Luckless King may loose his hed & -something may hapen to the Pope. Armed Men may march to & fro & meney -will be smitten to the Dust. Blood will be shed in Ireland. Tyrants will -shake their Rods & the Torch of Discord will be hurled in Crimea. The -Couch of Mortality will be spred & meney pepil will die during the -yeare. Low Moans of the Oppressed will be heard in Italy. It is all bad -noos in the almanack for next yeare. The 7th Son predicts that Flocks of -Boobies will assale the TRUTHS OF PROPHESY. He predicts no troubels for -eny whare around here. Your uncle Josiah is in out of the wet. - -_Dec. 15th_—Sam Green com & says his friend Wasson is sick & wants som -medicin. I give him som of each kind but I ought to see the simptoms. -Wasson does not kno what ales him but my medicin will probly fix him up. -He probly has stummick complaint. Stedy freezing wether now. - -_Dec. 16–17–18_—Evrything is froze tite & so is the pump. I ben out on -trips & I think one ear is froze. I tended to a lot of bisness. I got -supplys & same kind of almanack for next yeare that I ben having. I -notis the predictions in it are not half so bad as the one that was -fetched for the litle present by Conkrite. He probly wanted to scare me -into the woods. I notis he keaps the same kind I do & he gave me the -other. I stopped at his place today & I saw Green & Wasson & J. Podnutt -thare. Wasson got well. Those were all good medicins I sent. Their noos -is timber theves are at it again down the river. Wasson hunts down thare -& he wants us all to form a possy and chase them out of the country but -your uncle chases nuthing these days he does not want. I tell them the -owners must be notified. I do not know what them old mud turkels talk -about all the time up to Conkrite’s. I got som candy for Jim Crow & I -paid Conkrite for his pork at a low price & Jim is now mine again. Jim -is good company if you kno how to get along with a bear. I got a noo -medicin. Instant Relief for Internal Disorders. Will try on sombody that -coms to see how I am & to borro medicin. It looks like a good remedy. -This has ben an active day. - -_Dec. 20_—Think I got som cold on my trip Saturdy. Am taking the noo -remedy but do not yet kno what it will cure. I notis that 2 things that -are on the wrapper I am troubeled with. Big snow storm now going on. - -_Dec. 21–22–23–24_—Your uncle Josiah has felt prety poorly for these 4 -days. Hav taken my medicins stedy. Think I am now beter. Must go to -Baxter’s tomorro. Wether clear & cold. - -_Dec. 26th_—I took diner up at Baxter’s & it was a good diner. We had -chickin fixings & cooked appels & a grate dele of other things & pie of -all kinds. I took the chickins up. We talked & smoaked & in P.M. Ed got -his fiddel out & playd hoppy tunes on it. A string was busted but he -done well with the rest. I got along fine with them 2 twins. Their -parents hav a lot of plesure with them babys. I had them on my lap & it -took me back to when I had 2 litle boys that did not kno beter than to -like to be around with their pa. I wish I had them litle boys back now. -They grew up & went away probly looking for beter friends. It is lonesom -heare on the iland with them & their mother all gone; once in a while I -find somthing around they playd with & things their mother had & them -things are what I got left. I must hav the Baxters down heare next -Chrismas if I am around. I will cetch them twins some young rabbitts -when they get old enough & som young mudturkels & pollywoggs to play -with like I used to do. Full moon at nite on my way back to the iland & -them 2 litle boys was asleep when I left. - -_Dec. 27–28–29–30_—I ben too sick to rite in my wether book. - -_Dec. 31st_—This was the last day of the yeare & whatever hapened is now -all over. It is awful cold & still outside & once in a while I heare -frost cracking in the woods. The yeare is now coming to its end in a few -minits. It is prety late for me to be around but I am waiting for the -old clock to strike 12. Maybe next yeare at this time I will be asleep. -It is awful lonesom heare tonite & I wish I had my folks around or if -them 2 litle boys was only heare or sombody. Maybe tomorro sombody will -com. I notis by the looking glass that the old man’s hed is prety white. -He has ben frosted som. He now goes into his blankett for the yeare ends -as he rites. - - - - - V - TIPTON POSEY’S STORE - - -The unpretentious building stood just back from the road, near the end -of “Bundy’s Bridge.” It was a lonely looking structure, for there were -no near neighbors. Its sustenance was drawn from a thinly populated -region, but its location made it easy of access from many miles around. - -The winding thoroughfare that led over the decrepit bridge was an -ancient Indian trail that, like the other cherished possessions of the -red man, had been merged into the economies of his white brothers. - -The plashing waters of the river lulled the ear with gentle tumult. They -sighed softly under the old bridge, rippled against the decayed -abutments with a dirge-like rhythm, and spread out in little swirls and -scrolls over the tapering sand bar below. - -During the hot summer forenoons barefooted boys in fragmentary costume -appeared on the structure from unknown sources. They rested long cane -fish poles along the side rails, and watched for the corks to bob that -floated on the lazy current. They soon disrobed and remained naked the -rest of the day, making frequent trips into the river, where they -wallowed along the muddy margin and splashed in the shallow water. - -The agile sun burned bodies, and the shouts of the noisy happy crew, -gave a touch of vibrant life and human interest to the melancholy old -bridge. - -When night came the scant raiment was gathered up and the slender -strings of small bull-heads and sun-fish—a meager spoil if judged from a -material standpoint—were carried proudly away on the dusty road. -Emperors—and particularly one of them—might well envy their innocence -and happiness as they faded away into the twilight. - -Lofty elms, big sycamores and bass-woods, interlaced with wild grape -vines, shaded the approach to the bridge, and fringed the gently sloping -banks of the river. - -The store was a remnant of the past. When it was built, about sixty -years ago, the location seemed to offer alluring prospects. While the -expected town did not materialize in the vicinity of the bridge, the -store had done a thriving business, before the railroads crossed the -river country, and after the old trail was graded. Few of the frequent -travelers along the road had failed to stop and contribute more or less -to its prosperity. The trappers from up and down the river sold their -pelts and obtained supplies there, some of which consisted of very raw -edged liquor, that they often claimed ate holes in their stockings. Much -of it had never enjoyed the society of a revenue stamp, but as stamps -affected neither the flavor or the hitting quality of the goods, nobody -ever inquired into these things. - -[Illustration: - - TIPTON POSEY -] - -The merciless years changed the fortunes of the place, and it was now in -an atmosphere of decay. It was a gray unpainted two story affair, with a -wooden awning over a broad platform in front, along the outer edge of -which hung a small squeaky sign: - - +-------------------+ - | TIPTON POSEY | - |GENERAL MERCHANDISE| - +-------------------+ - -It was the general loafing place of the old muskrat trappers and pot -hunters—known as “river rats,”—and old settlers, whose principal asset -was spare time, but everybody for miles around came occasionally to -“keep track o’ what’s goin’ on,” and to exchange the gossip of the river -country. - -Posey, the jovial and philosophic proprietor, who lived upstairs, was a -sympathetic member of the motley gatherings. He was utilized in -countless ways. He acted as stakeholder and referee when bets were made -on disputed matters of fact, delivered verbal messages, and always had -the latest news. He was a good natured, ruddy faced old fellow, with an -eccentric moustache that curled in at one corner of his mouth, and -seemed to be trying to make its escape on the other side. He seldom wore -a hat and his gray hair stood up like a flare over his high forehead. - -The confused stock of goods included a little of everything that any -reasonable human being would want to buy, and lots of things that nobody -could ever have any sane use for. Those who were unreasonable could -always get what they wanted by waiting a week or two, for “Tip” declared -that he would draw upon the resources of the civilized world through the -mails, if necessary, to accommodate his customers. - -Posey was reliable in everything except regular attendance. He “opened -store” spasmodically in the morning, and closed it “whenever they was -nobody ’round” at night. When his life-long friend, Bill Stiles, was -unavailable as a substitute guardian he often locked up and left a -notice on the door indicating when he would return. I once found one -reading: “Gone off—back Monday.” It was Wednesday and it had been there -since Saturday. Various lead pencil comments had been inscribed on the -misleading notice by facetious visitors, among them “Liar!” “What -Monday?” “Sober up!” “Stranger called to buy a hundred dollars’ worth of -goods and found nobody home.” “The sheriff has been here looking for you -twice,” and several other notations calculated to annoy the delinquent. -Sometimes the notice would simply read “Gone off,” which, in connection -with the fact that the door was locked, was convincing to the most -obtuse observer. Tip usually found a fringe of patient customers and -assorted loiterers sitting along the edge of the platform, discussing -the burning questions of the day, when he returned. - -During the shooting seasons he spent much time on the marsh down the -river. Orders were stuck under the door, and during his brief and -uncertain visits to the store, he filled them and left the goods in a -locked wooden box in the rear, to which a few favored customers had -duplicate keys. - -While Tip’s affairs were not conducted on strictly commercial -principles, he had no competition, and eventually did all the business -there was to be done. “I git all the money they got, an’ nobody c’d do -more’n that if they was here all the time,” he remarked, as he laid his -gun and a bunch of bloody ducks on the platform and unlocked the door -late one night, after several days’ absence. “I got ’em all trained now -an’ they’d be spoiled if I took to bein’ here reg’lar.” - -There were two “spare rooms” over the store, that were reached by a -stairway on the outside of the building. I usually occupied one of them -whenever I visited that part of the river. Bill Stiles slept in the -other when he thought it was too dark for him to go home, or he was not -in a condition to make the attempt. It was in use most of the time. - -Bill was the _genius loci_, and gave it a rich and mellow character, -which it would have been difficult for Posey to sustain alone. He was a -grizzled veteran of the marshes. For many years he had lived in a -tumble-down shack on “Huckleberry Island.” He trapped muskrats and mink -over a wide area in the winter, and shot ducks and geese for the market -in the spring and fall. When the fur harvests began to fail, and the -game laws became oppressive, he concluded that he was getting too old to -work, and was too much alone in the world. He moved up the river and -built a new shack on “Watermelon Bend,” which was within easy walking -distance from the store, where he could usually find plenty of congenial -company when he wanted it. Here he had become a fixture. - -Out of the ample fund of his experience, flavored and garnished by the -rich and inexhaustible fertility of an imagination, that at times was -almost uncanny, had come tales of early life on the river and marshes -that had enthralled the loiterers at the store. They shared the shade of -the awning with him during the hot summer days, and surrounded the big -bellied wood stove in the dingy interior during the winter days and -evenings when “they was nothin’ doin’” anywhere else in the region, and -listened with rapt interest to his reminiscences. Any expression of -incredulity met with crushing rebuke. “I didn’t notice that you was -there at the time,” he would remark with asperity. “If you wasn’t, -that’ll be all from you.” - -The muskrat colonies still left along the river, and out on the marshy -areas, were often drawn upon by adventurous youngsters, solely for the -purpose of “seein’ Bill skin ’em.” Clusters of the unfortunates were -brought by their tails and laid on the store platform. The old man would -look the crowd over patronizingly, take his “ripper” from his pocket, -and, with a few dexterous strokes, perform feats of pelt surgery that -made the tyros gasp with admiration. - -“I skun six hundred an’ forty-eight rats once’t, in five hours, that I’d -caught on Muckshaw Lake the night before,” was Bill’s invariable remark -after he had finished his grewsome performance. - -The adulation of these small audiences was the glow that illumined his -declining days. - -When I first met the old man years ago, he was engaged in writing his -autobiography, and at last accounts he was still at it. His shack and -the little room over the store had gradually become literary temples. -His complicated manuscripts and notes were kept in an old black satchel -of once shiny oil cloth, that he called his “war bag.” On its side was -the roughly lettered inscription: “HISTORIC CRONICELS—STILES.” He -carried it back and forth between his abodes with much solicitude. -During the many evenings I spent with him, he would frequently extract -its contents and read aloud in the dim light of a kerosene lamp. He -often paused and looked over the rims of his spectacles, with animation -in his gray eyes, when he came to passages that he deemed of special -importance. The masses of foolscap contained records that were only -intelligible to the writer. His grammar and spelling were hopelessly -bad, his methods of compilation were baffling, and his penmanship was -mystic, but his collection of facts and near-facts was prodigious. He -took long reflective rests between the periods of active composition. -They were deathless chronicles in the sense that they seemed to be -without end, and they appeared to become more and more deathless as he -proceeded. - -The first two or three hundred pages were what Bill called a “Backfire -Chapter.” It began with the Creative Dawn, and was a general historical -résumé down to the time of his appearance on earth. It skipped lightly -over the great events, that loom like mountain peaks in the world’s -history and tower away into the receding centuries. When he came to the -Deluge he got lost among Noah’s animals for awhile and floundered -hopelessly for adjectives. It was impossible to enumerate and describe -all of them, but he did the best he could. Through a maze of wars and -falling empires, he got Columbus to America. The Republic was -established, and civilization finally flowered with the birth of Bill -Stiles, A.D., 1836. From the dawn of time to the rocking of Bill’s -cradle was a far cry, but his annals included what he considered the -essential features of that dark period. - -In addition to a vast amount of matter of purely personal interest, the -work was designed to accurately record the happenings in the river -country during Bill’s lifetime. - -Much of his material was collected at the store. The year that Bundy’s -Bridge was built, and the ferry ceased operations, was shrouded in -historic gloom. Five times the year had been changed in the chronicles, -for five eminent authorities differed as to the date, and each of them -had at one time or another succeeded in impressing Bill. He seemed -confident of all his other facts. The other bridges had given him no -trouble. - -There was no question in his mind as to when the Pottowattomies were -relieved of their lands and forcibly removed from the country, or when -the camp of horse thieves on Grape Island was broken up. - -There was a tale of another band of horse thieves, whose secret retreat -was on an island in the middle of a big lake of soft muck several miles -south of the river. - -The one route of access to it was a concealed sand bar known only to the -outlaws. The unsavory crew collected their plunder on the island, where -the pilfered beasts were cared for, and their markings changed with -various dyes. In due time they smuggled them away in the darkness to -distant markets. They once captured a too curious preacher, who was -looking for his horse, and kept him in durance vile for several months. -The expounder of the gospels labored so faithfully in that seemingly -hopeless vineyard that the blasé bandits were finally “purified by the -word of the Lord, gave up their dark practices, made restitution, and -ever after lived model lives.” - -There was a record of a mighty flood that drowned out everything and -everybody, ran over the top of the bridge and carried part of it away, -and following this were notations of approximate dates of sundry -happenings—when the gang of counterfeiters that dwelt in Pinkamink Marsh -were caught and “sent up”—the year that Bill killed a blue goose on -“Boiler Slough”—when the tornado blew all of the water out of the river -at “Ox Bow Bend” and left the channel bare for half an hour, and the -year that “forty-six thousand rat skins was took off Shelby Marsh.” - -A page was devoted to a reign of terror that lasted several weeks in -1877. For five nights an awful roar had come out of “Bull Snake Bayou.” -The mystery was never explained, but Bill thought that the noise had -been produced by a “whiffmatick” or a “hodad” that had come down with -the spring flood, lost its way, and was shedding horns or scales in the -vine-clad thickets. - -The births, weddings and deaths of all the old settlers were carefully -recorded, and many of their exploits detailed at length. There was an -account of the capture of Hank Butts and his illicit still by the -revenue officers, the failure of the jury to convict, owing to the -reputations of the culprit’s two sons as dead shots, and the story of -Hank’s death in a feather bed, with his boots on, when he went to visit -a city relative and blew out the gas a few months later. - -Bill’s experience with a “cattymount” was related with much detail. He -had encountered it in the woods when he was young, and had spent two -days and nights in a tree, living on crackers, plug tobacco, and a -bottle of sage tea that he fortunately happened to have with him. The -animal’s foot had been shattered by Bill’s only bullet and this -prevented it from going into the foliage after him. The captive had -chewed up over a pound of the plug and had carefully aimed the resulting -juices at the baleful eye-balls that gleamed below him at night, hoping -to blind his besieger. When the supply of this ammunition was exhausted -the animal’s eyes were still bright, although Bill had scored many body -hits and had decidedly changed the general color of his enemy. - -Hunger finally compelled the savage beast to beat a retreat and the -situation was relieved. The “cattymount” had evidently increased in size -with the succeeding years, for in the manuscript its estimated length -had been twice corrected with a pen, the last figures being the highest. -Bill added that he had killed this “fierce an’ formidable animal” later, -and that “its skin was taken east.” - -Somewhere among the confused piles was the tale of the last voyage of -the little stern-wheel steamer, “Morning Star” to the ferry, under -command of “Cap’n Sink.” She had come up from the Illinois river, and -the falling waters had left her stranded for a week on a sand bar. Her -doughty commander paced the deck and blistered it with profanity. He -swore by nine gods that he never again would go above “Corkscrew Bend,” -that was so crooked that even the fish had sense enough to keep out of -it. His vociferous impiety filtered intermittently through the green -foliage that overhung the river, and desecrated the shadow-flecked -aisles of the forest, until the Morning Star’s sister boat, the -“Damfino,” came wheezing up stream. The unfortunate craft was pulled off -the bar and navigation officially ended. - -Reliable data was becoming scarce. Bill’s recollections were getting -hazy. The old settlers, whose memories could be relied upon, were dying -off, and the mists were absorbing his ascertainable facts, but, while -life lasts the chronicles will go on, for Bill’s genius is not of the -sort that admits defeat. - -There is much human history that might with profit be entombed in these -humble archives, and its obscurity would be a blessing to those who made -it. As the world grows older it finds less to respect in the dusty tomes -that are filled with the story of human folly, selfishness and needless -bloodshed. - -Bill and I were enjoying a quiet smoke on the store platform one July -afternoon, and discussing his historical labors. - -“We’r livin’ in ter’ble times, an’ the things that’s happenin’ now mops -ev’ry thing else offen the map,” he declared, as he refilled his cob -pipe. “I see things in my paper ev’ry week that oughta be noted down in -my history, but I’m pretty near eighty, an’ if I try to put ’em all in -I’ll never git through. There’s too damn much goin’ on. They’r ditchin’ -the river an’ hell’s to pay up above. They’r blastin’ in the woods with -dinnymite, an’ some o’ them ol’ codgers that lives in them shacks up -above English Lake’ll be blown to kingdom come if they don’t watch out -an’ duck. They better wake up an’ come down stream. Say, d’ye see that -damn cuss comin’ over the bridge? That’s Rat Hyatt, an’ I’m goin’ to -jump ’im when ’e gits ’ere. He lost my dog I let ’im take. That feller’s -no good, an’ ’e’s ripenin’ fer damnation.” - -“Muskrat Hyatt” was a tall, raw-boned, keen-eyed ne’er-do-well sort of a -fellow, who had hunted and trapped on the river for many years. He lived -in an old house boat that had floated down stream during high water one -spring, and got wedged in among some big trees in the woods, about half -a mile above the bridge. He moved into it when the waters subsided and -found it an agreeable abode. - -“I hope the owner never shows up,” remarked Rat, after I knew him. “I -don’t think I’d like him. If the water ever gits that high ag’in an’ -floats me off, I’m willin’ to go most anywheres in the old ark so long’s -she don’t take a notion to go down an’ roost on the bridge with me.” - -He greeted us, with rather an embarrassed air, as he came up, and the -old man spent considerable time in attempting to extract some definite -information about “Spot.” Rat was evasive and unsatisfactory. - -“They ain’t no more patheticker sight than to see some feller that sets -an’ flaps ’is ears, an’ can’t answer nothin’ that’s asked ’im without -tryin’ to chin about sump’n else all the time,” declared Bill. “I don’t -care nothin’ about its bein’ hot. I want to know where in hell my dog -is.” - -“That dog o’ your’n’s all right,” said Hyatt. “I reckon ’e’s off some’rs -chas’n rabbits, an’ you needn’t do no worryin’. If anybody’s stole ’im -you bet I’ll git ’im an’ the scalp o’ the feller with ’im. If ’e aint -’ere tomorrer I’ll take a look around. A dog like that can’t be kep’ hid -long, an’ somebody’ll ’ave seen ’im. He ain’t no fool, an’ if ’e’s shut -up anywheres, you bet ’e’ll come back w’en ’e gits out.” - -“Well, you see that ’e gits out,” replied the old man with asperity. -“I’m done havin’ heart disease ev’ry time I don’t see that dog w’en I go -by your place, an’ I want ’im back where ’e b’longs. I didn’t give ’im -to you, an’ if you don’t know where ’e is you aint fit to have charge o’ -no animal. This aint no small talk that I’m doin’. Its the summin’ up o’ -the court.” - -Spot was a well trained bird dog. Hyatt had borrowed him from the old -man about two years before, and, as his facilities for taking care of -him were much better than Bill was able to provide, the animal was -allowed to remain at Hyatt’s house boat on indefinite leave. He slept -under the rude bed and seemed much happier there than at home. - -Hyatt was now in rather a delicate position. The dog had not been seen -in the neighborhood for over a week. An old trapper had come down the -river in a canoe and stopped for an hour or so at the house boat. He -announced his intention of leaving the country forever, and was on his -way to the Illinois where he hoped to find enough muskrats to occupy his -remaining days. He wanted a good quail dog, and, after much jockeying, -had acquired Spot in exchange for a repeating rifle and a box of -cartridges. The dog was tied in the front end of the canoe and departed -with his new owner. Hyatt had an abiding faith that Spot would return in -a few days, and that the stranger would be too far away down stream to -want to buffet the strong current to get him back. - -The dog’s homing instinct had proved reliable heretofore, as he had been -sold several times under similar conditions, and was now regarded as a -possible source of steady income by his thrifty guardian. - -Hyatt was careful not to sell the animal to anybody who was liable to be -in that part of the country again. Spot had once gone as far as the -Mississippi river with a confiding purchaser, and was away only a little -over two weeks. He was now expected back at any time, in fact he was -under the bed when Hyatt arrived home after the disagreeable reproaches -of Bill Stiles, and the next day the incident was considered closed by -both parties. - -The only pet that Bill had cared anything for in recent years, besides -his dog, was a one legged duck that he called “Esther.” The missing -support had been acquired by a snapping turtle in the river, and Bill’s -sympathies and affections had been aroused. During her owner’s absence -from his shack, Esther and her brown brood were confined in the hollow -base of a big tree, protected from the weasels and skunks by a wire -screen over the opening. - -By Saturday night Hyatt and Stiles had become quite chummy again. It was -very hot and we sat in front of the store with our coats off. Bill was -discoursing sapiently on topics of international import, when we saw -somebody down the road. - -“That ol’ mudturkle comin’ yonder with that pipe stuck in all them -whiskers, is Bill Wirrick,” he announced after further observation. “We -call ’im ‘Puckerbrush Bill,’ on account of ’is bein’ up in Puckerbrush -Bayou one night in ’is push boat, an’ tryin’ to make a short cut to git -back to the river. He got ’is whiskers tangled in the puckerbrush an’ -had to cut away a lot of ’em with ’is knife to git out. He’s between -some pretty big bunches of ’em now, but they aint nothin’ to what they -was. He had pretty near half a bushel an’ ’e used to carry ’is money in -’em. I s’pose ’e’ll begin tellin’ about all ’is troubles w’en ’e gits -’ere. That’s what’s the matter with this place, an’ it makes me tired to -hear all these fellers tellin’ their troubles w’en they oughta be -listenin’ to mine. My troubles has got some importance, but theirs don’t -interest nobody. - -“Hello, Puck,” greeted the old man, as Wirrick came up, “how’s things -down to the slough?” - -“Pretty slow; got’ny tobacco?” - -“Listen at ’im!” whispered Bill. - -[Illustration: - - “PUCKERBRUSH BILL” -] - -He was duly supplied, and took one of the hickory chairs under the -awning. Notwithstanding their reported depletion, his whiskers were -still impressive, and the warm evening breeze played softly and fondly -among the ample remnants. His mouth was concealed somewhere in the maze. -His pointed nose and watchful furtive eyes gave his face a peculiar foxy -expression. - -“Its a good thing you didn’t strike a prairie fire with them whiskers, -instid of a mess o’ puckerbrush,” remarked Bill, after a period of -silence. - -“I’m goin’ to mow ’em in a few days to cool off, an’ then raise a new -crop fer next winter. They’s lots more whar them come from,” replied -Wirrick. “I’ll git some whiskers that’ll make you fellers set up an’ -take notice ’fore the snow flies.” - -The mention of fire in connection with his whiskers must have suggested -something to Wirrick, for, when he appeared without them the following -week, he said that he hated a razor, couldn’t find any shears, and had -“frizzled ’em off with a candle.” - -Bill was shocked at his appearance. - -“You look like you was half naked. I see now w’y you been keepin’ that -ol’ mug o’ your’n covered up. You’ve got a bum face. You git busy an’ -git all the whiskers you can right away!” - -The next arrival was Swan Peterson, an aged Swede, who lived in a -dilapidated shack, festooned on the inside with rusty muskrat traps, -near the mouth of “Crooked Creek.” His liver had rebelled against many -years of unfair treatment, and his visage was of a greenish yellow. A -prodigious white moustache, that suggested a chrysanthemum in full -bloom, accentuated the evidence of his ailment. He was considerably over -six feet tall. The years of hardship and isolation had bent his mighty -shoulders and saddened his gray eyes. Peterson was cast in a heroic -mould. His ancestors were the sea wolves who roved over perilous and -unknown waters, and met violent deaths, in years when the Norse legends -were in the making, but their wild forays and stormy lives meant nothing -to him. He had no interest in the past or traditions to uphold. All he -now wanted in the world was plenty of patent medicine and whiskey to mix -with it, and in a pinch, he could get along without the medicine. - -The jaundiced Viking came slowly up on to the platform, looked us over -languidly, and commented on the general cussedness of the weather and -life’s monotonies. - -“I ban har fifty years, an’ I seen the same damn thing ev’ry year all -over again. It ban cold in winter an’ hot in summer. I eat an’ sleep, -an’ eat an’ sleep some more, an’ work hard all day, an’ then eat an’ -sleep—ev’ry day the same damn thing. I ban takin’ medicine now five -years, an’ I can’t git none that’s got any kick. Mebbe I got some o’ -them things that Rass Wattles says Wahoo Bitters’ll cure, but mebbe I -got something else that they didn’t know about when they mixed that -stuff. I find mixin’ half Wahoo an’ half whiskey ban some help, but I’m -goin’ to try some other bitters an’ mix in more whiskey. That whiskey -ban a good thing, an’ when I get a good thing I put a sinker on it.” - -[Illustration: - - SWAN PETERSON -] - -Old “Doc” Dust drove up in a squeaky buggy with an ancient top. His lazy -gray mare seemed glad to get her feet into the hollowed ground in front -of the hitching rail. - -Certain types in the medical profession are never called anything but -“Doc,” except when more profane appellations are required. Dust was a -befitting name for the old man, for he appeared to be much dried up. His -parchment like skin was drawn tightly over his protruding cheek bones, -and his emaciated figure seemed almost ready to blow away. A frayed -Prince Albert coat was secured with one button at the waist, and a rusty -plug hat was jammed down on the back of his head. These things were -evidently intended to impart a professional air, but they completed a -sad satire. The Doc looked like a hypocritical old scamp. - -Much human character, or the lack of it, may be indicated by a hat, and -the manner of wearing it, particularly if it is a “plug.” Worn in the -ordinary conventional way, a “correct” plug is supposed to provide a -roof for a certain kind of dignity, but usually it indicates nothing -beyond a mere lack of artistic sensibility. Tipped forward, it suggests -sulkiness, obstinacy, and self-complacency—a sort of sporty rowdyism, -when worn on one side—and disregard of the rights and opinions of -others, when it is tilted back of the ears. - -Of course the condition and the year of coinage of the plug enter into -the equation and complicate it, but even a very shabby plug is an -entertaining story teller. To a careful and discriminating student of -human folly, it is replete with subtleties. - -A Fiji Island cannibal, whose only wearing apparel was a plug hat, was -once made chief of his tribe on account of it. It was probably as -becoming to him as it had been to the spiritual adviser he had eaten. -Such dignity and distinction as it was capable of imparting was his. He -had attained what is possibly the apotheosis of barbaric head dress of -our age. - -Doc carried two medicine cases under his buggy seat on his professional -rounds. One of them was stocked with a dozen large bottles with Latin -labels, and the other with small phials containing white pills the size -of number six shot. If his patient preferred “Alopathy,” he or she got -it with a vengeance. If “Homepathy” was wanted, the smaller receptacle -was drawn upon. The “leaders” in the “Alopathy” box were castor -oil—calomel, and quinine. Aconite and Belladona–100, and Magnesium -Phos–10 occupied the places of honor in the other. - -Dust had weathered several matrimonial storms, and his last wife was now -under the wild flowers in the country cemetery, where the epitaph on the -unpretentious stone—erected by her own relatives—was more congratulatory -than sorrowful. - -“Doc” Hopkins, or “Hoppy Doc” as he was irreverently dubbed along the -river, was Dust’s only rival. The competition was bitter, and many -untimely ends were ascribed by each of them to the other’s criminal -ignorance. Hoppy Doc often told, with great relish, a story of Cornelia -Kibbins, Dust’s first wife, alleging that after a year of tempestuous -married life, she had fled to her father’s home late one winter night -for refuge. Her irate parent refused her an asylum. He had felt greatly -outraged when the wedding took place and never wanted to see his -daughter again. In answer to the plaintive midnight cry at his door, he -leaned out of a second story window and delivered a torrent of -invective. As he closed the window he shouted, “Dust thou art, and unto -Dust shalt thou return!” - -The suppliant disappeared, and evidently the worm turned, for Dust was a -physical wreck for a month afterwards. Old man Kibbins subsequently -declared that while his daughter “was a damn fool, she had fight’n blood -in ’er, an’ the Doc ’ad better look out fer squalls.” - -Dust was guyed good-naturedly by the occupants of the platform, as he -went into the store to get some fine cut. - -“What’s that you’ve got out there between them buggy thills, Doc?” -queried Hyatt. - -Bill winked at me and asked him if he had driven by his garden lately—a -delicate reference to the cemetery, intended to be sarcastic. - -Another stove pipe hat was brought by “Pop” Wilkins, an octogenarian. He -also wore it jammed well down behind his ears. The old man climbed -painfully up the steps with his hickory cane, and dropped into a chair -that Hyatt brought out of the store for him. He placed the ancient tile -under it, mopped his bald head with a large red bandanna, and looked -wistfully beyond the river. - -Pop had been afflicted with intermittent ague for several years. He was -once a preacher and a temperance advocate. He was placed on the -superannuated list by the Methodist conference, and had finally been -expunged as a backslider. He fell from grace and yielded to the lure of -strong waters. Once, after he had over indulged for several weeks, he -went and sat in sad reflection on the bank of the gloomy river at night. -Out of its depths came strange six footed beasts and multicolored -crawling things that terrified Pop and drove remorse into his soul. -Since that eventful night he had been more moderate, but he was still in -danger, and it was a question as to whether old age, ague, or J. -Barleycorn would get him first. - -My friend “Kun’l” Peets, who was a comparatively recent importation into -the river country, came over the bridge with a basket on his arm -containing a couple of setter pups that he wanted Posey to see, with a -view of possibly having them applied on his account at the store. He was -an ex-confederate from Tennessee, and seemed sadly out of harmony with -his surroundings. The pups were liberated on the platform and subjected -to much poking about and criticism by the experts. The Colonel -considered them “fine specimens of a noble strain,” but Wirrick thought -“they looked like they had some wolf blood in ’em.” Posey agreed to -accept the little animals in lieu of eight dollars owed by the Colonel, -with the understanding that they were to be kept for him until they were -a month older. Everybody understood his kindly consideration for the old -man, and knew that he had no earthly use for the pups. - -The assemblage in front of the store became more varied and interesting -with the arrival of other visitors. The chairs were exhausted and the -platform edge was entirely occupied. Bill Stiles had just commenced the -narration of a horse trade story, when an old man appeared in the -twilight on the bridge. He wore a long gray overcoat, although the -evening was very warm. The story stopped and interest was centered on -the slowly approaching figure. - -I asked Posey who he was. He bent his head toward me confidentially, -and, in something between a low whistle and a whisper, replied: -“S-s-s-s-t——‘the Serpent’s Hiss’!!!” - -We were in prohibition territory, and the old “bootlegger” was bringing -twelve flat pint bottles in twelve inside pockets of the gray overcoat -to break the drought at Posey’s store. - -He was an unbonded warehouse, and the reason for the mysterious -gathering on that particular evening was now apparent. - -He came slowly up the steps, and seemed embarrassed to find a stranger -present. I was introduced and vouched for by my friend Posey, and he -seemed much relieved. - -Conversation had been rather dull during the last half hour, but now it -had a merry note. The jaundiced Viking brightened up and wondered how -many bird’s nests had been constructed with the whiskers that Wirrick -had left up in the bayou. Time worn jokes were laughed at more than -usual. Some new insurance that Posey had acquired was regarded as -indicating a big fire as soon as business got dull, and Doc Dust was -told that he ought to keep the small bag of oats under his buggy seat -away from the medicine cases or he would lose his horse. - -“Well, time is flitt’n,” remarked the “Serpent’s Hiss,” as he rose and -departed for the barn lot behind the store. - -One by one, like turtles slipping off a log into a stream, those who sat -along the edge of the platform dropped silently to the ground and -followed him, and most of the occupants of the chairs joined the -procession. Like the oriflamme of Henry of Navarre, the gray overcoat -led them on through the dusk. - -The retreat to the rear was in deference to Posey’s scruples. He -preferred that the store itself should be kept free from illegitimate -traffic. - -The odor of substantial sin, and a faint suggestion of a dragon’s breath -was in the atmosphere when the crowd returned. Deliverance had come. -Aridity was succeeded by bountiful moisture, that like gentle rain, had -fallen upon thirsty flowers. - -The Colonel seemed in some way to be dissatisfied with his visit to the -barn, and was at odds with the owner of the gray overcoat when the -expedition returned. He had parted with a silver coin under protest. - -“Inate cou’tesy, suh, compelled me to pa’take of you’ah abundance, suh,” -he declared. “It was not that I wanted you’ah infe’nal mixcha, you mink -eyed old grave robbah,” he declared, as he left with his puppies. - -The old bootlegger’s name was Richard Shakes, but the obvious natural -perversion to “Dick Snakes” was too tempting to be resisted by the river -humorists. He was also frequently alluded to as “Tiger Cat,” a term that -seemed much more appropriate to the liquids he dispensed than to him, -for, outside of his questionable occupation, the old man was entirely -inoffensive and harmless. He was another member of the old time trapping -fraternity, and lived alone in a log house on the creek about two miles -away. - -He had a large collection of Indian relics, that he had spent many years -in accumulating, and he took great delight in showing them to anybody -who came to see him. The arrow and spear heads were methodically -arranged in long rows on thin smooth boards, and held in place by the -heads of tacks that overlapped their edges. The boards were nailed to -the walls of faced logs all over the interior of the cabin. - -Nearly everybody in the surrounding country had contributed to the -collection at one time or another, and it was being added to constantly. - -There were many fine specimens of tomahawk heads, stone axes, and other -implements, that had been fashioned with admirable skill. The old man -guarded his hoarded treasures with a miser’s solicitude, for they were -the solace of his lonely life. He had refused large offers for the -collection as a whole, and never could be induced to part with single -specimens, except under pressure of immediate necessity. - -There are few mental comforts comparable with those of absorbing -hobbies. They temper the raw winds and asperities of existence to a -wonderful degree, and offer a welcome balm of heart interest to lives -weary of continued conflict for mythical goals. We may smile at them in -others, but we realize their deep significance when they are our own. - -Poor old Shakes was but another example of one made happy by a harmless -fad, the joys of which might well be coveted by those whose millions -have brought only fear and sorrow. After it is all over the pursuit of -one phantom has been as gratifying as the quest of another, for they -both end in darkness. - -[Illustration: - - DICK SHAKES -] - -After sitting around for awhile, and listening to the enlivened -conversation, and the gossip of the neighborhood, that now circulated -freely, the old man bought a package of tobacco in the store, for which -he said he had “been stung ten cents,” and left us, with the overcoat, -from which the cargo had been discharged, hung lightly over his arm. - -The assemblage gradually dispersed. Wirrick, Hyatt, and the jaundiced -Viking went down to the river bank and departed in their “push boats.” -Doc Dust invited Pop Wilkins to ride with him, and they betook -themselves into the shadows. Tipton Posey relighted his pipe and Bill -Stiles resumed the story of the horse trade. - - - - - VI - MUSKRAT HYATT’S REDEMPTION - - -Except from a picturesque standpoint, “Rat” Hyatt was not an ornament to -the river country. Its meager and widely scattered social life, and its -average of morality, were more or less affected by his shortcomings. In -many communities he would be considered an undesirable citizen. He was -looked upon as a good natured “bad egg,” and as one industrious in the -ways of sin by his associates at Tipton Posey’s store, but the habitues -of that time honored loafing place always welcomed him, for he possessed -a reminiscent talent and a peculiar kind of dry wit and repartee that -helped to enliven the sleepy days. - -In this world much sin is forgiven an entertaining personality. - -There was always a feeling of incompleteness on the store platform when -Rat was absent, that nobody ever admitted, but when he arrived and took -his accustomed seat on the green wheel barrow, that was part of the -merchandise that Posey kept outside in the day time, the depressing -vacancy existed no longer. - -Bill Stiles’s temperamental discharges of ornate philosophy, and his -comments on life’s ironies and human folly, required a target, and this -was commonly the role assigned to Rat Hyatt. - -“I’m always the goat,” remarked Rat one hot afternoon, as we sat in the -shade of the wooden awning. “W’y don’t you pick on somebody that likes -to listen? I’ve been kidded by experts, an’ this long talk o’ your’n -seems kind o’ mixed up. The trouble with you an’ a lot o’ the other ol’ -mud birds ’round ’ere, is you open yer mouth an’ go ’way an’ leave it, -an’ fergit you started it.” - -“Now look ’ere, Rat,” replied Bill, “you aint got no call to talk back -to me. W’en I’m talkin’ to you, I aint arguin’. I’m tellin’ you how -’tis. I knowed you w’en you wasn’t knee high to a duck, an’ you aint got -brains enough to have the headache with. - -“That feller that you sold my dog to the last time was ’ere yisterd’y -askin’ ’bout you, an’ if Spot ’ad ever come back. He’d been up to your -place, an’ its a good thing fer you that you an’ Spot was off some’rs in -the woods. He told me what ’e traded you fer the animal, an’ I want you -to bring them things to me, fer it was my dog you got ’em with.” - -As Spot was asleep under the wheelbarrow, Bill’s equity in the repeating -rifle and cartridges, that Hyatt had received in exchange for him, -seemed rather hazy. The reason for Spot’s prolonged absence some months -before was now apparent to Bill, and, although the intelligent animal -had returned home, as expected, after being traded off, the old man’s -nurtured wrath was waiting for Rat when he arrived that afternoon. Hyatt -seemed in nowise abashed at the revelation of Bill’s knowledge of his -shady transaction with the trapper. - -[Illustration: - - “MUSKRAT” HYATT -] - -“If I hadn’t a knowed the dog ’ud come home, I wouldn’t a let ’im go. It -showed how much I trusted ’im w’en I let ’im go off with a stranger like -that. If that feller thought ’e c’d keep a fine dog like that away from -them that loved ’im, ’e oughta suffer fer ’is foolishness, an’ leave -sump’n in the country to be remembered by. Of course if sump’n ’ad a -happened to Spot, an’ ’e hadn’t a come back, I’d a given you the rifle, -but I knowed that dog was all right. You c’n have ’im back any time you -want ’im, if he’ll stay with you, but you hadn’t oughta jump on me as -long as ’e aint lost, an’ ’e’s in first class health.” - -“Its the funny ideas that some fellers ’ave about other people’s propity -that keeps the state’s prisons filled up,” remarked Bill. “It aint the -lyin’ an’ stealin’ that gits ’em thar, its gitt’n caught. If they don’t -git caught its jest called business shrewdness. You bilked that feller -out o’ that gun an’ you’r deprivin’ me of it w’en you used my dog to git -it with. You’r a fine man to trust anythin’ with, you are. If I had any -place to keep Spot I wouldn’t let you have ’im a minute. I c’n fill my -shanty with stuff by tradin’ ’im off, an’ then wait’n fer ’im to come -home, jest as well as you can, an’ it ’ud be all right fer me to do it, -but you aint got no such right, ’specially if yer goin’ to swindle -people.” - -After Bill’s assurance that he had told the deluded trapper nothing of -Spot’s return, and that he had gone off up the river, the conversation -drifted into channels that were less irritating. - -The old man’s mind became calm and he ascended the narrow stairway on -the outside of the building, to his room over the store, for a nap. - -“That ol’ feller oughta to have a phonygraph with ’is voice in it so he -c’d spin it an’ listen to ’imself speil,” remarked Rat after Bill had -left. “I used to often watch ’im when ’e was set’n quiet out ’ere by the -hour, with that dinkey hat pulled down in front an’ lookin’ wise, an’ -wonder what big thoughts was ferment’n up in that old moss covered dome -o’ his, but I found out after a while that ’e wasn’t thinkin’ about -nuth’n at all.” - -Rat wended his way down to the bank under the bridge, where he had left -his push boat, followed by the faithful Spot, and poled his way up -stream. When he reached the vicinity of the stranded house boat, where -he had lived for several years, he reconnoitered it cautiously. No -malign presence was detected. He looked over his bee hives that were -scattered about among the trees, and provided two or three week’s food -supplies for his chickens, and some young coons and weasles, that he was -raising for their fur in some wire cages under the house. He then packed -a few necessaries into his boat, and secured the door of the house with -a padlock. - -He was not quite satisfied that the trapper, who was looking for Spot, -had left the country, and he did not intend to take any chances. The dog -was ordered to lie down in the bow of the canoe, where he was carefully -covered. The intelligent animal complied cheerfully with all of the -arrangements. - -Rat then proceeded down the river for several miles to the big marsh, -where he did the most of his trapping during the late fall, winter, and -spring. - -He had two motives for his trip, besides the idea of avoiding a possible -visit of the trapper to the house boat. One was to see if the muskrat -population on the marsh had increased properly during the summer, and -the other was to visit Malindy Taylor, whom he deeply loved, and by whom -he was scorned as a suitor. - -Malindy was a peppery widow of about forty, who lived with her aged -mother in a small house beyond the marsh. She was the owner of a wild -duck farm, and conducted it with such success that Rat looked forward to -spending his declining days in peace and comfort if he could persuade -Malindy to take him into life partnership. - -Many hundreds of mallards and teal nested among the boggy places in the -marsh during the summer. The eggs were gathered, put into incubators, -and under complaisant hens on the farm. The ducklings were reared in -wired enclosures that prevented them from joining their kind in the -skies when the fall migrations began. During the game season, when they -were properly matured, they were skilfully strangled and shipped away as -wild birds at game prices. - -Rat had always willingly hunted nests and gathered eggs for his beloved. -He did odd jobs about the farm and participated in everything but the -harvest. Like Jacob of old, toiling for the hand of Rachael, Rat’s -industry, although intermittent, was sustained by alluring hope. - -Outside of her earthly possessions, it must be admitted that Malindy had -few charms. One of her eyes was slightly on the bias, and at times it -had a baleful gleam. Two of her front teeth protruded in a particularly -unpleasant way, as though she expected to bite at something alive. She -had an angular disposition, and her temper was not conducive to the even -flow of life’s little amenities. To use a Scotch expression, she was -“unco pernickity.” She was intolerant of human frailty in others, -especially of the kinds that entered so largely into Rat Hyatt’s -make-up, but divinities sometimes appear in strange forms. To Rat’s love -blinded eyes she was the one lone flower that grew in the dreary desert -of life’s monotonies. - -There is something about everybody that appeals to somebody, and this is -why there is nobody who cannot find somebody willing to marry them. - -Perhaps the streak of primitive cussedness in Malindy appealed to -compatible instincts in Rat’s heart, but be that as it may, he was a -faithful and much abused worshiper. - -When he reached the farther end of the great marsh, he threaded his way -through familiar openings among the tall masses of rushes and wild rice, -landed on the soggy shore, and pulled his canoe up among the underbrush. -He and Spot then took the winding path that led through the woods to the -duck farm, about a quarter of a mile away. - -He intended to stay at the farm, in seclusion, for a week or two, do -some work that he had long promised, and then put out his traps on the -marsh. He kept about a hundred of them in Malindy’s barn, when they were -not in use. - -About half way down the marsh a long tongue of wooded land extended out -into the oozy slough. It was known as “Swallow Tail Point.” This was -Tipton Posey’s favorite haunt during the shooting season. Thousands of -wild ducks and geese passed over it on their way up or down the river, -and in circling about over the marsh, which was a bountiful feeding -ground. Bill Wirrick spent much time on the point with Posey. They had a -little shack back among the low trees, sheltered so that it could not be -seen from the sky, and hidden from the water by the tall brush. - -These two worthies had solved at least one of life’s problems in this -secluded retreat, for they did not have to adjust themselves to the -convenience of anybody else. - -In the early morning, just before daylight, when the ducks began to move -over the marsh, and in the evening twilight, when the incoming flocks -were settling for the night, little puffs of smoke, and faint reports, -issued from the end of the point, and dark objects fell out of the sky. -They were diligently retrieved by Posey’s brown water spaniel. - -Occasionally wild geese would sweep low over the point, scatter and rise -excitedly, as the puffs of smoke took toll from the honking ranks. - -In addition to a big bunch of wooden decoys that floated in an open -space near the edge of the point, the wary birds were lured by -mechanical quacks and honks from small patented devices, operated by -their concealed enemies. - -Notwithstanding their civilized garb, and highly developed weapons, Tip -and Bill were barbarians. Their instincts were lower than those of the -carnivora of the jungle, for they killed not for food, or even for -profit, but for the joy of the killing. They did not bother about the -wounded birds that curved away and fluttered into the matted grasses and -rushes, to suffer in silence, or be eaten by the big snapping turtles -that had no ideas of sport. They exulted over piles of beautiful -feathered creatures, motionless and splashed with blood, many of which -were afterwards thrown away. - -Tip had devoted many of his idle hours to the invention of a new goose -call. The range of the ordinary devices seemed to him too restricted. -His theory was that if the volume of sound could be increased so as to -fill a radius of four or five miles, the distant V shaped flocks could -be lured to within gun shot of the point. - -After long meditation, and consultation with Bill Wirrick, they began -putting the plan into execution. - -They procured a pair of blacksmith’s bellows from a distant country -town, and some big instruments that had once belonged to the local brass -band. These things, in addition to some rubber garden hose, and a lot of -other miscellaneous material, were carefully covered in a wagon and -secretly conveyed to the point. - -Weeks were spent in the construction of the apparatus. The brass -instruments were arranged in the interior of a huge megaphone. Rubber -balls bobbed about intermittently within the capacious horns when the -air was pumped through them. The requisite volume of sound was attained, -but somehow the turbulent honks of the wild geese were not -satisfactorily imitated, although repeated adjustment and alteration -gave much hope of success. - -The experiments were conducted cautiously during the summer, when there -was nobody on the marsh, and no mention of the contrivance was made -around the store, for a cruel gauntlet of jibes and merciless humor -awaited the nonsuccess of the enterprise, if the wiseacres of the -platform ever learned of it. - -Rat Hyatt, although much interested in all that pertained to the marsh, -and its surroundings, had never suspected what was going on on the -point. He never had occasion to land there, and, by common consent, its -possession by Posey and Wirrick for shooting purposes was respected by -the few hunters who frequented the vicinity. - -Malindy Taylor had sometimes heard some terrible noises from the -direction of the point, but she was too far away to be much disturbed. -Both Posey and Wirrick had often referred to Malindy as “an old -fuss-bug,” although she was much younger than either of them, and they -probably would not have cared if they had scared her out of the country, -but she had little curiosity about things that did not affect her duck -farm. - -She and her mother had concluded that the uncanny sounds were produced -by donkeys in the woods, and doubtless this was also the opinion of most -of those who afterwards learned all of the facts. - -When Rat emerged from his retirement at the duck farm, he spent two or -three days puttering about through the water openings, setting his -traps. - -The furred inhabitants of the slough had builded their picturesque -little domes of stringy roots, rushes, and dead grass, and plastered -them together with lumps of mud in the quiet places, away from the river -currents that crept in sinuous and broken channels through the broad -wastes of sodden labyrinths. - -Hyatt was an intelligent trapper, and was careful not to depopulate his -grounds. He frequently moved the traps, so as not to exhaust the animals -in a particular locality. The little competition he had on the marsh -must have been discouraging to his rivals, for he always had more traps -at the end of the season than at its beginning, and the traps set by -others never seemed to be very productive, except to Hyatt. By degrees -each new comer was eliminated. - -Rat had finished a hard day’s work. He sat on some dry grass in the -bottom of his canoe, lighted a redolent old pipe, and decided to indulge -in a good smoke and a long rest before starting up the river. - -Twilight had come. The vast expanse of overgrown water was silent, -except for the low lullabies of the marsh birds among the thick grasses -and bulrushes. He sat for a long time and watched the smoke curl up into -the still air. The moon came over the distant rim of the forest that -bordered the great marsh, and one by one, the stars began to tremble in -the crystal sky, but it was not with the eye of the poet that Rat -regarded these things. The moonlighted river would be easy to navigate -on the trip home. - -Suddenly a flash of greenish light shot into the heavens in the north -west, and in a few minutes the entire horizon in every direction flamed -and shimmered with long gleaming streamers of rose and green beams that -touched fluttering segments of a corona of orange glow at the zenith. - -Rat had often seen the Aurora Borealis; he was familiar with sheet -lightning, and the electrical discharges of the thunder storms, but this -awful light was something new. - -It was a magnetic storm, one of those rare phenomena, that the average -person sees but once in a life time, and never forgets, caused by the -sudden incandescence of heavily charged solar dust in the earth’s -atmosphere. - -The play of the fitful quivering gleams through the firmament was a -sublime spectacle. The motionless air had the peculiar odor that comes -from an excess of ozone. - -Rat Hyatt was in the throes of mortal fright. The dog uttered a long -howl, and just at that moment—like a yell of demonic mockery out of -sulphurous caverns—the unearthly tones of Tipton Posey’s goose call -resonated from the woods on Swallow Tail Point, and reverberated beyond -the weirdly lighted waters. - -One or both of its builders had probably come to test the powers of the -unholy device, and were unabashed by the drama that glorified the night -skies. - -With blind instinct of self preservation, Rat rose to his knees and made -a faltering attempt to grasp his paddle, but his hands refused the -dictates of his palsied brain. He cowered as one in the presence of the -Ultimate. - -To him, in this appalling display of supernatural power, and the evident -impending end of all things, had come the agony of abject terror and -despair, and before it his rude conception of life collapsed. - -His past flashed before his distorted vision like a hideous nightmare. -His world suddenly lost reality. The human creatures in it changed to -throngs of fleeting phantoms, impelled by unseen forces. They glared, -grinned and gibbered at each other, as they hurried through the mist, -and vanished into the oblivion from which they came. - -In the realm of fear there are ghastly solitudes. They pervade dim -phosphorescent glows on ocean floors, and they brood in the desolation -around the poles. They creep into awe stricken hearts when the filmy -strands, that sustain the Ego on its frail human web are broken, and the -denuded spirit stands in utter loneliness at the brink of Chaos. - -In the course of an hour the wonderful radiance, that had transfigured -the heavens, and chilled the marrow bones of Rat Hyatt, ceased as -suddenly as it had begun. The frightful unknown sounds from the woods -were not repeated. - -Rat finally succeeded in getting on his feet. He pushed his canoe out -into the channel and started up stream, but it was a changed man who -swung the long paddle. His soul had been rarefied in chastening flames. -He was as one who had met his Maker face to face, and his only hope now -was that his life span might be mercifully extended until he could make -amends for the past. - -He reached the house boat in the early morning, much exhausted, and -threw himself on the rude bed, where his shattered nerves found partial -repose. - -His sleep was much troubled. He awoke with a sudden start late in the -afternoon, and, lashed by an avenging conscience, slid his canoe into -the river and hurried up stream to find the Reverend Daniel Butters, a -venerable preacher, who lived about six miles away. To him he would -carry his heavy laden heart, and in the consolations of religion seek -forgiveness and peace. - -The Reverend Butters was known far and wide as “Dismal Dan,” and was -referred to in Bill Stiles’s chronicles as “the Javelin of the Lord.” He -was an eccentric, heavily bewhiskered old character, who believed in the -Church Militant, and had exhorted, quoted reproving scripture, and made -doleful prophecies in the river country for two normal generations. - -In the little weather beaten country church, up the river, his small -audiences consisted of aged ladies and pious old settlers, who were -already saved, and did not need the rescuing hand. He preached -Calvinistic damnation in the belief that fear of hell was a more potent -factor in human redemption than hope of reward. - -His principal authority on hell was Jonathan Edwards, a fiery divine, -who glowed in Massachusetts about two hundred years ago. During his -eruptive period, Edwards’s sermons on damnation blistered and enriched -the sectarian literature of his time. Dismal Dan frequently resurrected -and reheated these old printed sermons, and hurled the sputtering embers -at his inoffensive listeners. - -He had not made a convert for many years. Of late his powers of -spiritual persuasion had languished, and, like his hearers, had become -atrophied. - -He was a revivalist who did not revive. He needed new and pliant -material, and when Muskrat Hyatt had told his errand he was welcomed as -one who had fled from among the Pharisees. Out of the wilderness of sin -a lowly suppliant had come. - -[Illustration: - - THE REVEREND DANIEL BUTTERS -] - -They talked of the mysterious and unknown light that had illumined the -heavens the night before, and the terrifying sounds that had come over -the waters. Dismal Dan pronounced it all to be a “manifestation.” He had -long expected signs and angry portents in the skies as a warning to -sinners. Probably his biased mind would eagerly have ascribed divine -origin to any natural phenomenon that shooed fish into his ministerial -net. - -They spent many days and nights in prayer and assiduous scriptural -readings. A far away look came into Hyatt’s eyes, and an elevation of -brow that did not seem to be of this world. The spiritual calm of the -neophite within cloistered walls was his. He had laid a contrite heart -upon the altar of his fears, and on it rested celestial rays. - -He interrupted the period of his reconstruction with a trip down the -river to visit Malindy Taylor. Just what passed at the duck farm was -never known, but, after three days, Malindy opened her heart of stone to -the penitent. They came up the stream in the canoe, and, as the -enraptured township correspondent of the county paper expressed it, -“they were united on the front porch in the sacred bonds of holy -matrimony, by the Reverend Daniel Butters, on the afternoon of Thursday, -the bridegroom being attired in conventional black, and the bride with a -bouquet of white flowers.” - -Rat betook himself to the duck farm with his bride. He removed all his -traps from the marsh, for he now considered the problem of his future -earthly existence solved, without the necessity of very much hard work. - -He made frequent visits to Dismal Dan, but kept entirely away from the -store. That place was a sink of iniquity that he desired to avoid. He -and the old man spent many hours together that were sweetened with -blissful discourse. Dismal Dan felt that a life time devoted to -expounding the gospels had found glorious fruition in the salvation of -Muskrat Hyatt, and he was greatly elated by the sustained piety of the -proselyte. - -He proposed to Brother Hyatt that they go together to the store, and, if -possible, “convert the bunch on the platform.” In his opinion a -successful attack on that citadel of sin would practically put the devil -out of business in the river country. - -Brother Hyatt willingly consented. He was without fear of ridicule. He -floated in an atmosphere of moral purity that the mockery of sinners -could not defile. - -They took a Bible, two old hymn books, and some lunch to the canoe, and, -accompanied by the trustful and devoted Spot, they proceeded down the -river. They stopped at the house boat and secured the gun and cartridges -that the trapper had left in exchange for the dog, and went on down to -the bridge. - -On the river they practiced some of the old hymns, in the rendition of -which Brother Hyatt displayed a woeful technique. They finally gave up -trying to sing them, and Brother Butters droned out the rhythmic lines -in a most doleful way, that Brother Hyatt soon imitated successfully. - -Brother Butters then outlined the form of exhortation that he would use -at the store, and instructed his assistant how he was to cooperate with -deep and loud amens, whenever big climaxes were reached. Minor climaxes -were to be left to Brother Hyatt’s judgment. He was to watch Brother -Butters, and when the forefinger was raised above the head, an amen of -more than usual sonorousness was to be forthcoming. - -Brother Hyatt had studied the hymn books industriously, and had selected -scattered verses that pleased him and seemed appropriate. They were -laboriously copied on loose sheets of paper. It was his intention to -introduce these snatches of hymns into Brother Butters’s sermon with the -amens, whenever possible, and they both considered that holy power would -thereby be added to the exhortation. The order in which the extracts -were to be introduced was considered on the way down, but the sheets got -somewhat mixed in Brother Hyatt’s pocket before it was time to use them. - -The enemies of Satan, with their carefully prepared batteries of pious -invective and Calvinistic hymns, landed safely under the bridge, late in -the afternoon. The canoe was pulled out. Brother Hyatt peeked over the -top of the embankment, and saw that the chairs on the store platform -were all filled, and that its edge was festooned with the usual -attendants. - -Tipton Posey, Pop Wilkins, Bill Stiles, Doc Dust, Bill Wirrick, “the -Jaundiced Viking,” “the Serpent’s Hiss,” and the other “regulars,” were -all there. The vineyard looked ripe and inviting. - -Bill Stiles hailed the proselyters cordially as they approached the -stronghold. - -“Say, Rat, whar you been buried all this time?” - -“Bill, they’s sump’n wonderful happened to me. I’ve got religion. A -great light ’as come to me, an’ I’ve repented of all my sins. I’ve -brought that gun an’ them catritches that I traded yer dog fer, an’ I -want you to find that feller an’ give ’em back to ’im. I done wrong, an’ -I want to square things up. Three or four times I sold Spot, knowin’ -he’d come home, but I’ve spent the money. I’m goin’ to git some of my -friends to pay back ev’ry cent, if I c’n find the fellers that bought -’im.” - -“That’ll make yer friends awful happy, Rat. Say, you cert’nly are a -pippin! What done all this?” - -“Never mind, Bill, you’ll see the light some day. No man knows w’en the -spirit cometh. Brother Butters an’ I are goin’ to hold some services out -in front o’ the store this afternoon. We want all the chairs fixed nice -an’ even. Brother Butters will preach, an’ I’m goin’ to line out hymn -passages ’long with the sermon. We aint got no music, but me linin’ ’em -out’ll be jest the same as if they was played in tunes, fer it’ll show -what they are. I hope that some o’ you fellers’ll bite at what’s -offered.” - -Rat was regarded with much concealed levity and mock respect, as he -arranged the chairs in a curved row, and further developments were -awaited with suppressed interest. - -Bill Stiles joyfully accepted the center of the row. Tipton Posey and -the Serpent’s Hiss were at the ends. After the chairs were filled the -rest of the audience sat along the edge of the platform and dangled its -feet. - -Brother Butters and Brother Hyatt brought out a box, which they placed -on the ground about twenty feet from the audience. Brother Butters -thought that a little distance would add dignity and solemnity. - -During the preparations the similarity of the chair arrangement on the -platform to that in the minstrel show at the county seat, which nearly -everybody present had attended during the preceding winter, occurred to -Tipton Posey. - -“Mr. Brown!” he called to Bill Stiles in the center. - -“Yes, Mr. Bones!” responded Bill, instantly catching the spirit of the -occasion. - -“Mr. Brown, why is this congregation like a ten penny nail?” - -“I don’t know, Mr. Bones, why this congregation is like a ten penny -nail. Why _is_ this congregation like a ten penny nail?” - -“Because, Mr. Brown, it’s goin’ to be driven in,” sagely replied Mr. -Bones, with a significant glance at the gathering rain clouds overhead. - -“Gentlemen, please shed yer hats!” said Brother Hyatt, as he pounded for -order on the box with a carrot that he had taken from a basket in the -store. “Brother Butters will now lead in prayer.” - -During the invocation, which was brief but heartfelt, Spot walked out -and stretched himself on the ground in front of the box. Brother Butters -and Brother Hyatt both ended the prayer with loud amens. - -“Here are the lines o’ the first hymn,” announced Brother Hyatt. - - “Blow ye the trumpet! blow - The gladly solemn sound— - Let all the nations know, - To earth’s remotest bound, - The day of Jubilee is come, - Return, ye ransomed sinners, home! - - And now the living waters flow, - To cheer the humble soul; - From sea to sea the rivers go, - And spread from pole to pole.” - -Brother Butters then began his discourse, most of which consisted of -written extracts from old Calvinistic exhortations. - -“Our sermon this afternoon is on the subject of the eternity of hell -torments, and the text is from Matthew 25–46: “These shall go away into -everlasting punishment.”” - -Brother Hyatt:—“A-A-MEN!—Now feel ye the sting of the lash of the -prophet!” - - “Lo, on a narrow neck of land, - Twixt two unbounded seas I stand, - Yet how insensible! - A point of time, a moment’s space, - Removes me to yon heav’nly place, - Or shuts me up in hell!” - -Brother Butters:—“You have a glorious opportunity today that may never -come again. The door of mercy is opened wide, but the path that leads to -it is long and narrow. A slight swerve leads to the fiery pit. Many come -from the east, the west, the north, the south, and many fall. We may -conceive of the fierceness of that awful fire of wrath if we think of a -spider, or other noisome insect, thrown into the midst of glowing coals. -How immediately it yields, and curls, and withers in the frightful heat! -What pleasure we take in its agonizing destruction! Here is a little -image of what ye may expect if ye persist in sin, and a picture of the -place where pestilential sinners wail.” - -Brother Hyatt:—“A-A-MEN!—Oh, hear ye the happy message!” - - “Since man by sin has lost his God, - He seeks creation through, - And vainly hopes for solid bliss, - In trying something new.” - -Brother Butters:—“The thought comes to me that the row of sinners in -yonder chairs typifies sin in its vilest form—that of a snake. Tip at -one end suggests the tail, and Dick Shakes, whom ye call ‘the Serpent’s -Hiss,’ at the other, represents the loathsome head. It was a snake that -carried sin into the Garden of Eden. It is a snake that confronts the -Lord’s servants at this meeting, and, in my mind’s eye, I see that -writhing serpent, breeze-shaken and hair-hung, over the yawning abyss of -hell!” - -Brother Hyatt:—“_Can you beat that?_” - - “Oh, blissful thought! - There seems a voice in ev’ry gale, - A tongue in ev’ry op’ning flower!” - -Bill Stiles:—“This is hot stuff!” - -Brother Butters:—“How will the duration of torment without end cause the -heart to melt like wax! Even those proud, sturdy, and hell-hardened -spirits, the devils, tremble at the thoughts of that greater torture, -which they are to suffer on the day of judgment. The poor damned souls -of men will have their misery vastly augmented.” - -Brother Hyatt:—“A-A-AMEN!—They will get the limit!” - - “Oh, Lord, behold me, - And see how vile I am!” - -Brother Butters:—“The fierceness of a great fire, as when a house is all -in flames, gives one an idea of its rage, and we see that the greater -the fire is, the fiercer is its heat in every part, and the reason is, -because one part heats another part.” - -Bill Stiles:—“If that rain don’t come pretty soon you fellers’ talk’ll -set fire to that box!” - -Brother Hyatt:—“The mockery of sinners availeth not! Now listen to -another verse!” - - “I love to tell the story, - ’Tis pleasant to repeat - What seems each time I tell it, - More wonderfully sweet.” - -Brother Butters:—“We have seen that the misery of the departed soul of a -sinner, besides what it now feels, consists in amazing fears of what is -yet to come. When the union of the soul and the body is actually broken, -and the body has fetched its last gasp, the soul forsakes the old -habitation, and then falls into the hands of devils, who fly upon it, -and seize it more violently than ever hungry lions flew upon their -prey.” - -Brother Hyatt:—“A-A-MEN!!!—Oh, what a finish! They are no ice hunks -there!” - - “Fresh as the grass our bodies stand, - And flourish bright as day— - A blasting wind sweeps o’er the land, - And fades the grass away!” - -Brother Butters:—“We now come to the joy of the saints in heaven who -behold the sufferings of sinners and unbaptized infants in hell. They -shall see their doleful state, and it will heighten their sense of -blessedness. When they shall see the smoke of their torment, and the -raging of the flames, and hear their dolorous shrieks and cries, and -consider that they in the meantime are in the most blissful state for -all eternity, how they will rejoice!” - -Brother Hyatt:—“Oh, listen ye to the comforts of the church! Oh, speed -that happy day!” - - “Hark! Hark! The notes of joy - Roll o’er the heav’nly plains, - And all the seraphs find employ - For their sublimest strains!” - -Brother Butters:—“The scriptures plainly teach that the saints in glory -shall see the doleful state of the damned, and witness the execution of -Almighty wrath.” - -Brother Hyatt:—“A-A-MEN!” - - “Oh, the transporting rapturous scene, - That rises to my sight!” - -Brother Butters:—“The sight of hell torments will exalt the happiness of -the saints forever, and give them a more lively relish of the joys of -their heavenly home. The righteous and the wicked in the other world -will see each other’s state. Thus the rich man in hell, and Lazarus and -Abraham in heaven, are represented as seeing each other in the 16th -chapter of Luke. The wicked in their misery will see the saints in the -kingdom of heaven.—Luke 13–28–29. ‘There shall be weeping and gnashing -of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, and all the -prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out.’” - -Brother Hyatt:— - - “The seraphs bright are hov’ring - Around the throne above— - Their harps are ever tuning - To thrilling strains of love! - They’ll tell the sweet old story - I always loved so well! - Oh, let me float in glory - And hear sinners wail in hell!” - -Brother Butters:—“Now come we to the procrastination practiced by the -average sinner, and in Proverbs 27–1 we find the words, ‘Boast not -thyself of tomorrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.’” - -Brother Hyatt:— - - “The lilies of the field, - That quickly fade away, - May well to us a lesson yield, - For we are frail as they!” - -Brother Butters:—“Dear friends, tomorrow is not our own. There are many -ways and means whereby the lives of men are ended. It is written in the -book of Job, chapter 21, verse 23, that ‘One dieth in his full strength, -being wholly at ease and quiet.’” - -Brother Hyatt:—“A-A-MEN!—Now listen ye unto these words!” - - “Melt, melt, these frozen hearts, - These stubborn wills subdue; - Each evil passion overcome, - And form them all anew!” - -Brother Butters:—“Oh, ye unregenerates, that wallow in sin and -wickedness on that platform! God despises you, and the flames await you! -Go down upon your accursed knees tonight and beseech salvation. This is -Friday, Saturday may be too late, and everything in the way of grace may -be gone!” - -Brother Hyatt:—“Slim chance fer this bunch! It’s you to the red hot -hooks!” - - “Hark! What celestial notes, - What melody do we hear? - Soft on the morn it floats, - And fills the ravished ear!” - -Brother Butters:—“How can you be reasonably quiet for one day, or for -one night, when you know not when the end will come? If you should be -found unregenerate, how fearful would be the consequence! Consider and -harken unto this counsel! Repent and be prepared for death! The bow of -wrath is bent, the arrow is made ready on the string, and nothing but -the restraint of Almighty anger keeps the arrow one moment from being -made drunk with your blood!” - -Brother Hyatt:—“A-A-MEN!! A-A-MEN!!—Oh, ye tight wads of iniquity, -loosen up, fer this is the last call!” - - “Let floods of penitential grief - Burst forth from ev’ry eye!” - -Brother Butters:—“Be prepared for the opening of the eternal gates of -pearl that are bathed in the light that shines for the meek and the pure -in heart. The blessings of repentance are now before you. The choice of -taking or leaving is yours!” - -Brother Hyatt:—“Nuthin’ could be fairer than that!” - - “Oh, Bless the harps that played the tune, - That brings us together this afternoon!” - -Brother Butters:—“Be prepared for that awful day of judgment, when the -paths that lead to heaven and the paths that lead to hell are divided by -the width of a hair!” - -Brother Hyatt:—“A-A-MEN—A-A-MEN!!!” - - “There is a fountain filled with blood, - Drawn from Immanuel’s veins, - And sinners plunged beneath that flood, - Lose all their guilty stains.” - -At this point the rain descended out of the kindly skies, the flaming -oratory was extinguished, and everybody retreated into the store. It was -getting dark, and while the services were not completed, the exhorters -felt that much spiritual progress had been made. - -Most of the regulars departed silently when the shower was over. - -“Say, Rat, was that you down on the marsh the night we tried the goose -call?” asked Bill Wirrick. “I seen somebody out near the channel w’en -them funny streaks was in the sky. Since it all come out about the goose -call we don’t try to keep it dark no more. The fellers ’round the store -got onto it, an’ they’ve been devillin’ the life out o’ me an’ Tip. The -dad gasted thing wouldn’t work an’ we’ve took it apart. We tried to make -it sound like a flock o’ geese, but it sounded more like a flock o’ -thunder storms. Them sky streaks that night was a funny thing. They’s a -paper here some’rs that’s got it all in. Lemme see if I c’n find it. Tip -had it yisterd’y.” - -Wirrick finally found the newspaper. Hyatt took it to the dim kerosene -lamp and spent some time studying the long account of the magnetic -storm. It was explained by scientific authorities, and bemoaned by the -interests it had affected. The telegraph and telephone companies had -been put out of business for several hours, and commerce had suffered -while Hyatt’s soul was being purified in celestial fires. - -Disillusionment came. As long as the things that were going on in this -world were natural, and could be explained, Rat saw no reason for -worrying about the next. A cherished idol was shattered; his piety was -dead sea fruit. - -With the calmness of a cool gamester, who has thrown and lost his -all—slightly pale, but with firm and deliberate step, he went behind the -door and secured the rifle and cartridges he had asked Bill Stiles to -restore to the swindled trapper. With no word of farewell to those -around him, he lighted his long neglected old pipe, reeking with sin and -nicotine, whistled to Spot, and walked away down the path to the river -bank where the canoe had been left, and disappeared. - -Brother Butters went out on the platform and looked longingly after him. - -Night had fallen upon the river. Somewhere far away in the purple gloom, -that softly lay upon its dimpling and restless tide, was a lost sheep. -Its fleece had become black, but it was more precious than the ninety -and nine that were still within the fold. - - - - - VII - THE TURKEY CLUB - - -“We’re goin’ to take you up the river to the Turkey Club tomorrer,” -announced “Rat” Hyatt, as we left Posey’s store one night. “There’s -goin’ to be some doin’s there that you’ll like, an’ you’ll meet a lot o’ -people you never seen before, an’ prob’ly some you won’t never want to -see ag’in.” - -We had spent the evening with the usual group that clustered around the -smoky stove when the weather rendered the platform outside -uncomfortable. It was late in the fall and Thanksgiving was only a few -days away, but Indian Summer still lingered, with its purple days and -frosty nights, and I was loth to leave the river country while it -lasted. - -The council around the stove often varied in composition, but not in -character. It was always picturesque, not only in its light and shade -and color, but in the primitive philosophy, spontaneous wit, original -profanity and ornate narrative that issued from it. - -On this occasion “Pop” Wilkins had told, with much circumstantial -detail, a long story about his old plug hat. He said it “was minted -about thirty years ago some’rs down east,” and was bought for him by -subscription by the congregation over which he at that time presided. -The hat was in the Allegheny river a couple of days during its journey -to his address, but when it finally got to him the congregation had it -all fixed up so that everybody said it was just as good as new. Since -then he had only had to have it repaired twice. He had a great affection -for it, on account of its old associations, and hoped that it would be -buried with him when he died—a hope that was shared by all present. The -old plug was an echo of years long departed and a never-failing butt of -merry jest. The tickets of all the raffles that had ever been held in -that part of the country, that anybody could remember, had been shaken -up in Pop’s hat. - -The old man’s story had reminded his listeners of others, and it was -quite late when Posey remarked that he was going upstairs to bed, and -“to keep things from bein’ carried off” he was “goin’ to lock up.” - -At ten the next morning five of us started up stream in three of the -small boats that were usually attached to stakes under the bridge. Hyatt -and I were in his duck canoe, which he skilfully propelled with his long -paddle. Posey and Pop Wilkins followed, in a leaky green craft with -squeaky oars. Far in the rear Bill Stiles stemmed the gentle current in -his “push boat,” which he declared was never intended for anybody but -him. This idea had been generally accepted along the river, for Bill’s -boat was the only one for many miles up and down stream that had never -been borrowed or stolen. The fact that it was so “tippy” that nobody but -Bill seemed to be able to sit in it without being spilled into the river -accounted for its immunity. - -[Illustration: - - “BILL” STILES -] - -“Some day,” remarked Bill, “a cold wet stranger’ll come to the store to -git warm, an’ tell some kind of a story about fallin’ offen the bridge -into the river, but ev’rybody’ll know what’s happened. Nobody that’s -acquainted ’round ’ere’ll ever try to navigate with my push boat.” - -He called the craft “The Flapjack.” The roughly lettered name appeared -in yellow paint on each side of the bow, and to his subtle mind, it was -a sufficient warning to the unwary. He said that the name was also -lettered along the bottom of the boat underneath, “an’ anybody that -wants to c’n take e’r out’n the river an’ read it. She won’t keep ’im -wait’n more’n a few minutes.” - -The river was low and we scraped gently over a few sand bars on the way -up. After proceeding about two miles we came to a wobbly and much -patched bridge, on which were several figures. A fringe of cane fish -poles drooped idly from its sides. The figures were motionless and would -remain so until the Turkey Club activities began. - -“Here’s where we git off,” said Hyatt, as we turned in near the bridge. -We waited for the rest of the flotilla to come up. When our party had -all arrived we climbed a zig-zag path and walked along the road to the -little gray church a few hundred feet away. It was here that the -Reverend Daniel Butters—“The Javelin of the Lord”—was wont to expound -the gospels, formulate dreary doctrines, and to depict the frightfulness -of damnation to his superannuated and docile flock. - -So far as human faith and opinion could influence the destinies of any -of these aged and serene believers, their spiritual safety had been -assured for many years. They went regularly to church, principally -because they wanted to be seen there, and because they had nothing else -particularly to do or think about Sundays. Alas, how the ranks of -worldly worshipers would dwindle were it not for these things! - -Like that of many preachers, the voice of Butters was of one crying in a -desert to passing airs and unheeding sands. There were none to succor or -uplift, and none to be beckoned to the fold. They were all in, and -further effort was painting the lily and adding perfume to the rose. The -strife was won, but yet he battled on. The great tide of human error -flowed far beyond his ken, and he could drag no spiritual spoil from its -turbid waters. - -In fancy his religious establishment might be likened to a cocoon, into -which none might enter, and from which none might emerge, except in a -new and glorified state. - -Some mournful Lombardy poplars stood in front of the unpainted -structure, and on one side was the little cemetery, with its serried -mounds and conventional epitaphs. A weeping willow wept near the center -of the plot, some rabbits hopped about near the broken fence at the -farther side of the enclosure, and a stray cow fed peacefully among the -leaning slabs. - -“There’s a lot o’ people represented in that flock o’ tombstones,” -observed Hyatt, as we turned in from the road, “an’ they’s a lot o’ -cussedness out there that it’s a good thing to have covered up.” - -Both physically and spiritually the old church was a dismal remnant, but -it was the regional social center. The building was utilized in many -profane ways that saddened the pious heart of the Reverend Butters, but -to him, its crowning desecration was the Turkey Club. - -The membership of this unique organization comprised practically all of -the male population within eight or ten miles up and down the river—and -Sophy Perkins, of whom more hereafter. Most of the small politicians of -the county were affiliated with the club, and used it for such -propaganda as from time to time befitted their objects and petty -ambitions. Originally its purpose was to foster and finance the annual -“turkey shoot.” This popular event usually just preceded Thanksgiving, -and was the occasion of a general holiday. - -During the forty odd years of the club’s existence it had gradually -broadened the scope of its early activities until it became more or less -identified with pretty much everything of a local public character. Its -only rival as a social focus was Posey’s store. - -Under its auspices the Fourth of July, golden weddings, and other -anniversaries, were celebrated. Dances, amateur theatricals, old -settlers’ picnics, tax protest meetings, lectures, political “rallies,” -“grand raffles,” dog and chicken fights, greased pig contests, quilting -bees, ministerial showers and other affairs were “pulled off” during the -year. The ministerial showers were about the only functions that the -Reverend Butters did not consider unholy. - -There were special meetings for discussion of diverse subjects, -including the mistakes of congress, advice to the President, the tariff, -the oppressions of capital, the tyranny of labor, prohibition, the negro -question, restriction of immigration, Shakespeare criticism, the Wrongs -of Ireland, and a host of other things that generated heat and lasting -acrimony. The meetings sometimes approached turbulency when some -over-zealous orator gave vent to unpopular ideas, or made statements -that seemed to justify somebody in the audience in calling him a liar. -Few participants ever left convinced of anything in particular, except -the correctness of the opinions they had brought with them. - -We found a gathering of about a hundred club members and numerous small -boys in the grove back of the church. We strolled about through the -crowd and I was introduced by my companions to a number of their old -friends. - -Bill was the official head of the club and deservedly popular. To the -small boys he was a deified personage. His constitutional title was -“Chief Gobbler,” and he bore it with easy grace and a quiet air of -_noblesse oblige_. His opinion prevailed on club matters, except when -Sophy Perkins was in contact with the situation, and this was most of -the time. - -Sophy was the secretary, treasurer, general manager, board of directors, -and, to her mind, constituted the greater part of the membership, -although her duties were supposed to be merely clerical. All her life -she had yearned for something besides her husband to regulate and -superintend, and the Turkey Club had been a godsend. - -She was a somewhat attenuated female, on the regretful side of fifty. -Her physiognomy was repelling and expressed characteristics of an alley -cat. There was a predatory gleam in her narrowly placed greenish eyes. -They bespoke malignant jealousy and relentless cupidity. She seemed -enveloped by an atmosphere—vague and indefinable—that prompted cautious -and immediate retirement from her vicinity. In private conversation she -was commonly referred to as “The Stinger,” and the soubriquet seemed to -have been justly earned by a badly speckled record of secret intrigue -and underhanded methods. Anonymous letters, petty trickery and duplicity -in manifold forms were included in the misdeeds that had been tacitly -laid at Sophy’s door. - -She was of that female type that demands all male privileges, in -addition to those of her own sex, and she often took advantage of the -fact that she was a woman to do and say things that she would probably -have been knocked down for if she had been a man—one of the most -contemptible forms of cowardice. - -Her shortcomings were legion, but nobody else was available who was -willing to carry the burden of the clerical duties of the club, and she -was allowed to run things to her heart’s content. Her main reward was -the occasional mention of her name in the county paper, in connection -with the activities of the club. She treasured the carefully garnered -clippings and gloated over them through the dreary years. To her they -were precious incense, and, while they gratified, but never satisfied -her vanity and hunger for notoriety, they were the compensation of her -narrow and disappointed life, and the food of her impoverished and -selfish spirit. - -She was without the consolations of religion, the resources of culture, -or the sweet recompense of children’s voices, to soften the asperities -of her fruitless existence. The gray hairs had come and there was no -love around Sophy, for she had sent forth none during the period of life -in which temples of the soul must be builded, if kindly light beams from -their windows, and there be fit sanctuary for the weary spirit in the -after years. - -Successive official heads of the club, who seemed to be attracting more -public attention than Sophy, were submarined, made officially sick, and -retired gracefully. The supply of these official heads finally became -restricted, and for the past few years Bill’s incumbency had been -undisturbed, although he frequently threatened to “throw up the job.” - -J. Montgomery Perkins was a subdued helpmate. He was an inoffensive -little man, who was always alluded to as “Sophy’s husband,” and when -this happened somebody would usually exclaim sympathetically, “Poor -Perk!” - -Of late years the club had suffered from “too much Sophy Perkins.” -Interest had begun to lag and apathy was creeping over the membership. - -“You want to look out fer Sophy,” confided Hyatt, before I had met her. -“She’s got a lot o’ wires loose in the upper story, but she knows where -the ends of all of ’em are when they’s anything in it fer her.” - -Promptly at 2 P.M. Bill pounded with a big stick on a board that was -sustained at the ends by the heads of two resonant barrels. The confused -hum of voices ceased and the eyes of the scattered groups were upon him. -Sophy whispered to him that he was now to announce the opening of the -shoot. It was Bill’s intention to do this anyway, but Sophy thought it -better that she should take part in what was going on. Substantially his -remarks were as follows: - -“Gentlemen and One Lady: This ain’t no time fer a long speech. The -annual turkey shoot o’ this club’s now on, an’ anybody that’s paid ’is -dues an’ ’is entrance fee c’n git in on the game. Ten fat an’ husky -birds are in them boxes, an’ the boxes are fifty yards from the rope -that’s stretched between them two trees, an’ that’s the shoot’n stand. -The chair has made the meas’erments. The birds’ll keep their heads poked -up out o’ the holes in the tops o’ the boxes to rubber at the scenery, -an’ they gotta be killed by a bullet in the head er neck. Hit’n ’em -through the boxes don’t go this year like it did last. Them stone piles -is to protect ’em up to the tops. Any eggs found in the boxes after the -shoot’n belongs to the winners. Ev’ry shooter’ll have ten shots for ’is -dollar, an’ ’e must stand an’ shoot without rest’n ’is rifle on anything -but ’imself. No bullet bigger’n yer thumb’s allowed. If you bust the -bird’s head, er break ’is neck, it’s yours, an’ if you don’t hit nuth’n -in the first ten shots you c’n buy more chances as long as the turkeys -an’ yer money last. The money from the shoot’n’ll go to pay fer the -fowls, an’ if they’s any live ones left after the show, they’ll be -auctioned off to the highest bidders, if they don’t git insulted by the -low bids an’ fly off with the boxes. - -“I guess I’ve told all they is to say, but if they’s anything anybody -don’t understand, er if anybody’s got any kick comin’, speak up. Oh, -yes, I fergot to say there’ll be a booby prize of a little tin horn with -a purple ribbon on it, fer them that can’t shoot should be allowed to -toot. If they ain’t no objection the shoot’n’ll now commence.” - -With another loud bang on the board the address closed and the crowd -drifted toward the taut rope. - -“Hold on there!” yelled Sophy Perkins, frantically waving a small book. -“Nobody’s paid a cent yet!” - -“You fellers’ll have to ante up before any blood runs!” shouted Bill as -he again pounded the board. - -Nineteen contestants qualified at the barrel behind which Sophy -presided. Her fishy orbs lighted up at the sight of the money, which she -deftly deposited in her stocking after modestly turning her back to the -crowd. - -“She’ll chaperone that cash to the day o’ the resurrection if somebody -don’t kep tab on it,” said Hyatt in an undertone as the proceeds -disappeared among the mysteries of Sophy’s apparel. “We’re goin’ to put -rollers under that old girl some day, but we can’t do it till we c’n git -somebody else willin’ to do the work.” - -Posey and Hyatt were provided with firearms, and Pop Wilkins had brought -an old-fashioned muzzle loading rifle with a long barrel, which he -handled with much tenderness. - -“I used to shoot lady-bugs offen the edges o’ the leaves on the tops o’ -high trees with this old iron when I was young an’ spry, an’ mebbe I’ll -hit sump’n with it today,” he declared, as he ambled over toward the -shooting stand. - -“I didn’t bring no gun, an’ I won’t do no shoot’n,” remarked Bill. “It -wouldn’t be dignified fer me as head of the club, an’ it wouldn’t be -fair fer the rest fer me to shoot. It ’ud be like swip’n candy from -little boys.” - -As Bill had not been known to kill anything with a gun for over twenty -years, his explanation was accepted without comment. - -Mr. Joshua T. Varney appeared at this stage of the proceedings, and -offered to take two dollars’ worth of chances and pay three dollars -premium if he could have the first trial and twenty successive shots. As -it usually took a great many shots to hit a turkey’s head at fifty -yards, his proposition was accepted after some discussion. - -“Josh” Varney was a traveling salesman, who for several years had -periodically visited Posey’s store, on his rounds through the county, -and sold supplies adapted to the general country trade. - -He was a smooth faced man of about forty, with keen gray eyes, a good -story teller, and from him radiated the assurance and suavity of his -kind. He had always been a “good mixer,” and was considered an all -around good fellow. He had joined the club two years before, but had -never attended a “shoot.” - -He went to his buggy, that stood near the roadside among numerous other -vehicles, and returned with a small repeating rifle. He then stepped -over to the rope and began shooting at the bobbing heads above the -boxes. In this way hundreds of venerable gobblers and dignified hen -turkeys had lost their lives in past years through innocent curiosity as -to the doings of the outside world. - -The birds were all dead when Mr. Varney had fired fourteen times. Quiet -but well chosen profanity troubled the air when the tenth bird succumbed -and the performance was ended. - -Bill again belabored the board and announced the end of the contest. - -“Gentlemen, you prob’ly notice that the shoot’n’s all over! Sump’n has -been done unto us, an’ somebody has had an elegant pastime. This ain’t -been no turkey shoot, it’s been a horr’ble massacre, an’ after this all -Deadwood Dicks’ll be barred, unless they git a mile away when they shoot -at anything ’round ’ere. We better kill our turkeys with axes after -this, an’ only sell the chance o’ one whopp. We ain’t got but one booby -prize, an’ I guess you all better take turns blowin’ on it. This ain’t -been no kind of a day, an’ it’s come to a sad end. The club’ll now -perceed to its annual business, an’ as the day is nice an’ warm we might -as well do it out doors ’stid o’ goin’ in an’ muss’n up the church. -Sophy, what you got on the fire that ’as to be ’tended to?” - -“They ain’t no business that I can’t ’tend to myself,” replied Sophy -grimly. “The treasurer’s report’s been left home by accident, an’ they -ain’t nuth’n else to come up, ’less somebody wants to pay dues, or you -want to ’lect some new members.” - -With this she favored me with a stealthy sidelong glance and I was -thereupon proposed for membership by Rat Hyatt, who added that I seemed -to be the “only outsider present from a distance that hadn’t -hornswoggled the club durin’ the past hour.” - -Sophy’s talon-like fingers closed quickly on the two-dollar bill that I -handed her as the first year’s dues, after my election and the formal -adjournment of the meeting. - -While I was entirely out of sympathy with the turkey shoots, I was glad -for several reasons to become a member. - -After most of the crowd had dispersed I was solemnly conducted into the -church and informed that, in order to become a full-fledged member, -certain things must be imparted to me to complete my initiation. I was -then told that all “Turkeys” knew each other by certain grips and -cabalistic words. The “grip” consisted of shaking hands with three -fingers only, representing the three front toes of a turkey. The -“countersign” was “Pop-Pop!” signifying rifle firing at the annual -shoot. The countersign, loudly uttered, with three fingers held aloft, -constituted “the grand high sign,” and I was told that I must always -relieve any brother Turkey who hungered or thirsted, and made such a -sign. With my promise to remember all this, the ceremony, which my -instructors, Bill and Rat, considered very humorous, was ended. - -The Reverend Butters had been a sorrowful spectator of the proceedings -of the afternoon, but his furrowed face brightened when Josh Varney -gracefully presented him with one of the big dripping birds that he was -carrying to his buggy. In prayer before his congregation on the -following Sunday he expressed humble gratitude with the words, “Out of -the iniquities of the world, O Lord, has sustenance come to the body of -thy servant, and beneath a cloak of sin have Thy blessings been -transmitted unto Thine anointed one.” - -The relations between the old preacher and Rat Hyatt had been slightly -embarrassing since Rat’s conversion and sudden backsliding of the year -before, and they had little to say to each other when they met. Rat was -now regarded as a hopeless loss and a minute part of hell’s future fuel -supply. He considered his former spiritual comforter “a busted wind -bag,” so there seemed little left to say on either side. - -On the way back to the boats I reflected on the degrading entertainment -of the afternoon. Outside of what Pop Wilkins called “the horning in of -that turkey pirate,” the day was considered a success. The well aimed -bullets had thrilled the spectators with savage joy, for somewhere in -the heart of nearly every average human abides the primitive lust for -blood. The marksmanship might just as well have been exhibited on -inanimate and unsuffering targets. The helpless turkeys in the boxes -gratified the baser instincts to the extent of their limitations, and -when they were all dead the crowd went home as happy as if it had been -to a bull fight, a prize ring, or to any other brutal spectacle -disguised by pretended admiration of scientific ability. On the way back -down the river, our boats kept close together and there was much -discussion over the day’s events. - -Pop Wilkins delivered a long tirade against Varney, and wound up by -modestly admitting that probably he would have beheaded all of the birds -with his squirrel rifle if he had had the opportunity, so after all it -was merely a question as to who shot first. - -“That feller c’d prob’ly thread needles with that damn rifle,” observed -Bill. “I’ve read o’ fellers that had telescope eyes an’ a sixth sense -that somehow couldn’t miss nuth’n they ever shot at. They c’d plunk -holes wherever they wanted to, like they was use’n a gimlet. I wonder -what ’e wasted them four extry catritches fer? Prob’ly so’s to make a -nice sociable feel’n all ’round an’ make ’em think it wasn’t quite so -raw. He prob’ly goes to shoots all over the country an’ sells the -plunder in the market.” - -The chill winds of a desolate winter had swept through the naked woods -along the river, and a balmy May had come, with its tender unfolding -leaves of hope and perfumed blossoms, when Josh Varney again appeared on -the scene. - -“Well! Well! How’s everybody?” he shouted genially as he drove up in -front of Posey’s store one forenoon with a roan horse and a smart new -buggy. - -“We’re slowly git’n well. Say, Perfessor, you ain’t got no gun with you, -have you?” queried Bill, as the pair shook hands. “’Cause if you have -they’s a lot of us that’s goin’ to hide some poultry.” - -“Now, look ’ere Bill, you don’t want to be sore ’bout that little -shoot’n last fall. I gave all them turkeys to some poor people, an’ they -done a lot o’ good. I just happened to hit ’em, an’ I couldn’t repeat -that performance in a hundred years.” - -“You bet you couldn’t ’round ’ere if we seen you first,” replied Bill. -“I’d hate to furnish turkeys fer you to shoot at fer a hundred years, an -I’d hate to be the poor people wait’n fer you to feed the birds to ’em. -Say, what you got up yer sleeve this trip? Sump’n still funnier, I -s’pose.” - -Posey was busy with a customer, and Varney remained with us on the -platform. He produced some murky and doubtful cigars that Bill declared -looked like genuine “El Hempos” and we smoked and talked for some time. -Pop Wilkins joined us, and Sophy Perkins arrived at the store to -purchase some calico. She bestowed a reserved nod and a feline glance on -Varney, and greeted the rest of the party with scant politeness. She -stood just inside, near the entrance, and utilized the time Posey was -spending with his other customer in listening to our conversation. She -soon became so absorbed in it that she forgot all about her calico and -remained riveted to her point of vantage. Posey respected her -preoccupation and busied himself with other things after his first -visitor had left through the side door. - -The chairs outside were tipped against the long window sill, and the -party was making itself comfortable in the spring sunshine. Varney was -relating a wondrous tale, and was fully aware of the acute eavesdropping -within. Many of the romantic touches in his discourse were apparently -for Sophy’s benefit. - -“I got a long letter from a friend of mine,” said Josh, as he felt -through his inside pockets, “an’ I wish I had it with me, but I guess -I’ve left it somewhere. He’s making a trip ’round the world an’ ’e -writes me that in India he ran across a marvellous breed of turkeys. You -know turkeys originated in India, an’ they come from there first about -five hundred years ago. These strange birds he writes about live away up -in the Himalaya mountains and are pure white. They’re much larger than -ordinary turkeys, an’ their color adapts ’em to the snowy peaks, an’ -protects ’em from the natives when they pursue ’em out o’ the valleys, -where they go to eat frogs along the water courses. They live almost -entirely on frogs when they c’n git ’em. When they’re disturbed they -wing back to the frozen heights, an’ sometimes don’t come down for a -year. When they’re hunted up there they fly from crag to crag an’ -they’re almost invisible, an’ its a funny thing, but their meat’s all -white, too. They ain’t no dark meat on ’em like there is on common -turkeys. - -“They lay enormous eggs an’ the eggs generally have two yolks. Sometimes -twins hatch out of ’em. The double yolks give an extra amount of -vitality to the young turks, which is necessary up among the cold rocks -where they’re hatched. - -“The eggs have a delicious spicy flavor that comes from the spearmint -and other pungent plants that the frogs nibble along the streams. The -eggs are highly prized by epicures, an’ there’s a Frenchman livin’ in -Bombay that pays two rupees apiece for all ’e c’n git of ’em. He makes -what ’e calls ‘_omelets de frog secondaire_,’ or something like that, -with ’em, an’ ’e says there’s nothing like ’em. With him its hen eggs no -more. - -“There’s a sacred caste in India called the Brahmins, and they believe -that these white turkeys are what they call reincarnations of a -supernatural race of beings that ruled the earth before man existed. - -“Somebody ought to import some o’ them turkeys an’ breed ’em in this -country. Along a river like this they’d find plenty to eat an’ they -wouldn’t be no expense at all. My friend writes that ’e hopes to bring -two or three back with him when ’e comes home, an’ I’m anxious to see -’em. Oh, yes, come to think of it, I put a photograph in my pocket book -that was in the letter.” - -Varney thereupon produced a kodak print of a stately white bird. Some -figures in oriental costume, somewhat out of focus and indistinct, were -grouped back of it in the picture. Varney explained that these were -Brahmins and native hunters. - -Sophy peeked over the pile of straw hats in the window and had a good -look at the photograph as Varney deftly held it so that it could be seen -from that direction without appearing to do so. - -We were greatly entertained by the story. - -“Say, Perfessor,” asked Bill, “what do them fowls an’ their young ones -feed on when they don’t git offen the snow an’ go down fer frogs? Do -they have to have the frogs fer their complexions?” - -“That’s the strange part of it,” replied Varney. “You see they sort o’ -lead double lives. Nature is wonderful in all her works. In the -Himalayas there’s a small red mosquito that has never been found except -away above the timber line. They have ’em out west in this country, too. -They sometimes cover the snow so thick that it looks like blood, an’ the -little turks patter ’round on the drifts an’ eat ’em with voracity, an’ -the big ones do, too.” - -“‘Voracity,’ what’s that—sump’n their mixed with?” asked Bill. - -“No, it means their awful appetite.” - -“I’d s’pose them skeets ’ud make the turkey meat taste kin’ o’ nippy an’ -prickly, sort o’ red-pepper like,” observed Bill, winking solemnly in -our direction. “It oughta be hot stuff.” - -“The insects make the finest kind o’ food for ’em,” continued Varney, -ignoring Bill’s gentle raillery, and the incredulous smiles of the rest -of us. “When the mosquito crop’s extra good they get so fat they can’t -fly or run very far, and are easily caught. When they’re lean they c’n -run like a race horse. The bird that’s in the picture weighed nearly -seventy pounds when ’e was captured. He couldn’t fly, an’ ’e was chased -into a cleft in a big rock and a net was slipped over ’im. The man that -caught ’im was named Bungush Swamee, an ’e was a famous hunter. You see -everybody has funny names in India.” - -“What was that Bungush feller doin’ up there with a net?” asked Pop -Wilkins. “Did ’e s’pect to find fish?” - -“No, he took it up there for that very purpose. He wanted to catch ’is -birds alive, without injury, so ’e c’d sell ’em to the museums an’ -menageries. One year he caught seven an’ shipped ’em to the Zoo in -Bombay, an’ that’s how that Frenchman I just spoke of happened to try -the eggs. They laid ’em in the Zoo and the keeper o’ the Zoo was a -friend o’ his. - -“You askin’ about expecting to find fish up there reminds me that my -friend said in ’is letter that another way they had o’ catching the -birds was to lay out set lines over the snow with big fish hooks on ’em. -They fastened ’em to the jagged rocks an’ left ’em out three or four -days. They baited the hooks with frogs they’d brought up from down -below. The frogs, of course, froze, but the turkeys would swallow ’em, -an’ when the frogs thawed out inside their crops they’d be stuck with -the hooks. My friend wrote that one man got three on one line once an’ -had a terrible time pullin’ ’em in over the rough ice and snow. They -have some awful snow storms up in them mountains. Sometimes it snows for -years without let’n up, an’ the snow gits to be half a mile deep, so you -see there’s lots of uncertainties.” - -At this point Bill removed his tattered hat and bowed reverently to -Varney. - -Pop Wilkins remarked that he had often caught turkeys on fish lines, but -his custom had been to troll for them through the open fields with spoon -hooks, or use a pole and line with a casting bait when the birds were in -the trees. Although he had never tried set lines on snow, he had no -doubt it would work. - -The subject was changed, and Sophy, after making her purchase, departed -without looking in our direction. - -“That feller’s the oiliest liar I ever heard,” declared Bill, after -Varney had transacted his business and gone, “an’ e’ tells int’restin’ -lies, too. It beats me how ’e does ’em. It’s a sort o’ natural gift, -like singin’ an’ drawin’ pitchers, an’ I love to hear ’im throw it. Most -liars ’ud stop when they seen it wasn’t soakin’ in an’ people was git’n -weak, but the Perfessor keeps right on ’till the goose flesh comes. Say, -Pop, you an’ me’ll have to ferment sump’n to drown ’im with when ’e -blows ’round ’ere ag’in. Let’s tell ’im one that’ll put ’im out o’ -business for six months.” - -“All right, Bill, you be thinkin’ of it. You’re sump’n of a past master -yourself. I’m goin’ home to rest. I got enough for one day.” - -Varney chuckled quietly to himself as he crossed the bridge, for with -his story he had woven a web of many meshes, and to it he hoped time -would bring valuable spoil. He knew that he could rely on Sophy’s -cupidity and insatiable curiosity to “start something,” and when he came -again it was his intention to amplify and strengthen the ground work he -had laid. - -A week later the firm by whom Josh was employed received a mysterious -letter asking all about him. It came from the county seat, and was -afterwards ascertained to have been written by one of Sophy’s -acquaintances, undoubtedly at her instigation. This was a characteristic -and favorite form of strategy with Sophy, and was quite recognizable to -Josh when the letter was shown to him. The reply that he suggested was -sent by his obliging employers. It contained the assurance that Mr. -Varney was a gentleman of high repute. He had sold their goods for -several years, and they considered his honesty and ability above -question. - -In due course of time Sophy began to agitate the idea of getting “some -of those wonderful white foreign turkeys” that she had “accidentally -heard about” into the neighborhood. She thought that the club ought to -take the matter up. - -Bill assured her that “the Perfessor was handin’ out bunk the day that -things was bein’ accident’ly overheard inside, an’ anything from ’im ’ud -be ’bout like what ’e put over at the Thanksgivin’ shoot.” - -This spirit of opposition only stimulated Sophy, and the subtle Josh had -calculated on it to a nicety. He knew that the seed was now in fertile -soil and he calmly awaited the harvest. - -In a month he came again, and incidentally mentioned that his friend who -wrote him about the Himalayan white turkeys had arrived in New York. He -had started home with three birds, but two of them had been sickened by -the roll of the ship on the way over, and had died just before getting -into port. The one that survived the voyage was the remarkable gobbler -that was in the picture he had shown on his last trip to the store. - -“This bird’ll cause a lot of excitement in this country,” he declared. -“They call ’im Hyder Ali, an’ ’e’s named after a famous Mohametan -general that fought in Asia a good many years ago. This man Hyder Ali -pretty nearly cleaned the English out of India once an’ they had a hot -time getting ’im canned. There’s been ships an’ perfumery an’ race -horses an’ brands o’ cigars an’ lots of other things named after ’im. He -was one of the most famous men that ever lived in that part of the -world.” - -By degrees the imaginative and romantic Josh succeeded in creating an -atmosphere of avid interest in everything relating to Hyder Ali, the -marvellous fowl from beyond the briny seas, and he intended to intensify -this atmosphere to the point of precipitation at the proper time. - -A couple of weeks later Varney told Posey that he had bought the -Himalayan gobbler from his friend, but did not know what to do with him -for a week or ten days, as the man that was going to take care of it for -him was away. It was arranged that the gobbler was to be brought to the -store and temporarily installed in the chicken yard near the barn. - -On the following Saturday afternoon, when Josh well knew that there -would be a full attendance at Posey’s, that gay and debonair gentleman -came in a light spring wagon. He was accompanied by a young man with a -thick “O’Merican” accent, who drove the rig, and whom he introduced as -Mr. Flaherty. Interest immediately centered on the big box, perforated -with many auger holes, that stood in the wagon back of the seat. - -The vehicle was followed by the agitated and curious crowd, as it was -driven back to the chicken yard. The box was tenderly removed and placed -inside the wire netting enclosure by Varney and Flaherty. - -The appearance of Hyder Ali had been skilfully timed. The composite -effect of Varney’s discourses on the subject of this wondrous bird had -been to produce psychologic conditions that he considered quite perfect -for his dark purposes. He knew that the halo of prestige and romance, -that had been patiently made to glow around Hyder Ali, would become -still brighter when that peerless bird burst dramatically upon the -rustic stage. - -Out of the opened door of the box there came, with delicate mincing -steps and regal mien, what, to that crowd, was almost a celestial -vision. He was an enormous bird. With the exception of his eyes, he was -pure white, even to his carunculated neck wattle and comb. The eyes were -of a deep pink, and gleamed like iridescent opals in their snowy -setting. The slender comb dangled and hung jauntily on one side, like -the tassle on a Turkish fez, and it imparted a rakish oriental air. The -head was crowned with a dainty little wisp of airy feathers that would -have fluttered the heart of the most obdurate of hen turkeys. The -shifting light revealed pearly half-tones in the snowy raiment. He was -immaculate and would hardly have seemed out of place on a pedestal. Many -strange and queer things have stood on pedestals in this world, both in -fact and fancy, and Hyder Ali would have ranked very far from the lower -end of the scale. - -He paused on being released from what to him must have been a -humiliating confinement, looked disdainfully at his surroundings, and -nonchalantly acquired a fat green tomato worm that decorated a nearby -leaf. - -He walked slowly, and with lordly dignity, about the enclosure, -apparently conscious of the wonder and admiration he was attracting. He -seemed like some rare exotic—entirely foreign to the strange environment -into which an indiscriminate fate had thrust him. - -“Let joy be unconfined! We’ve got Hyder Ali!” shouted Bill, half -sarcastically, as he joined the awe stricken crowd. He had arrived too -late to witness the unloading, but he was impressed with the fact that -Varney had, at least in some measure, “made good.” However, the demon of -distrust still lingered in his heart. He had never seen or heard of -anything that looked like Hyder Ali before, but was disposed to restrain -his enthusiasm and await further developments. - -Sophy Perkins came late in the afternoon and was in a highly flustered -state. She spent a long time at the chicken yard with her wistful eyes -riveted on the distinguished guest. To own that bird would crown her -futile and disappointed life with bliss. She longed for its possession -as one who beseeches fate for the unattainable. - -Seemingly in response to her fervent gaze, Hyder Ali spread his tail -feathers into vast fan-like forms over his downy back. His pink eyes -glistened with alluring and changing beams from amid the fluffy white -array of distended plumage, as he turned slowly round and round, posed, -and strutted, quite human like, before Sophy’s bewildered vision. - -His prolonged gobbles, as he majestically patrolled the chicken pen, had -for her an ineffable musical charm. - -She had once read a syndicated story in a newspaper magazine supplement, -in which reincarnation and transmigration of souls figured in a -supernatural and flesh creepy plot. After she had heard Josh Varney’s -allusion to reincarnation in his first talk with us at the store, she -had hunted it up and reread it carefully. In the woful and sobby tale a -beautiful princess and her affinity discovered that they had once loved -as shell-fish, and through countless ages had periodically met in other -strange forms, which did not happen to be identical until the time of -the story, when they met in a phosphorescent light in the dusty tomb of -a Manchu ancestor. - -During her second day’s visit to Hyder Ali a mysterious and indefinable -thrill had crept into Sophy’s sterile heart. She pondered much over the -resistless fascination that the bird exercised over her, and suddenly -became obsessed with the idea that this was possibly the reincarnation -of a soul mate that she might have had in some far off previous -existence, somewhere in the star swept æons that were gone, that had -drifted through the ages in various forms, until predestination had -again brought them face to face. She had a hazy idea of the theory of -reincarnation, but she had an instinctive feeling that, if there was -anything of that sort, this was probably it, and a long lost affinity -was before her. - -The “loose wires in her upper story” that Rat Hyatt had mentioned at the -turkey shoot began to rattle hopelessly on the subject of the white -gobbler. - -Into her mind there came a desperate resolve to acquire that bird, by -fair means or foul. All of her persistence, and every form of artifice -and cunning of which she was capable would thenceforth be devoted to -that end. - -After Hyder Ali had sojourned a week in Posey’s pen, attended with -adoration, and fed with selected worms, corn meal mush, and other -dainties by the faithful Sophy, Mr. Flaherty came with his little spring -wagon and took him away. He said that the man who was to keep him for -Mr. Varney had returned home, but he did not say where he lived. - -Thus was Hyder Ali dangled temptingly before the Turkey Club, and -tantalizingly whisked from sight. Varney was eagerly questioned when he -came again, but his manner was very reserved. He seemed willing to talk -volubly on any subject but the gobbler, the only thing anybody wanted to -hear about. He finally said that he had paid three hundred dollars for -the bird and intended to exhibit him at the county fairs in various -parts of the state during the fall, charging a small admission fee to -make it profitable. - -Sophy was anxious to know if he would sell the bird, and, after talking -it all over with her, the reluctant Josh consented to a “grand raffle” -for the turkey, provided three hundred chances could be sold at one -dollar each. He felt that exhibiting the bird around the country might -be a good deal of a job, although he regarded it as a fine thing from a -financial point of view. If he was to part with Hyder Ali he would -rather that he would remain with his friends along the river, as he was -very fond of all of them, and they might talk over the county fair idea -later. - -It was agreed that when all of the chances were sold the drawing should -be held under the auspices of the Turkey Club in the yard back of -Posey’s store, where Hyder Ali was to be brought. - -Numbered tickets, corresponding to the names in Sophy’s sales book were -to be deposited in a hat. Josh Varney, as the owner of the turkey, was -to hold the hat. Sophy was to be blindfolded, and to draw forth the -tickets one by one, until the contents of the hat were exhausted. They -were to be handed to somebody else who would call off the numbers and -cancel them in the book. The last ticket in the hat was to win Hyder -Ali. - -The chances were all sold within a week, some purchasers taking as many -as a dozen. Just before the supply was gone Josh and his friend Flaherty -each took ten and the book was declared closed. - -Sophy was only able to buy seven, but she hoped that they would be -sufficient for her purpose. - -Every able bodied person, and some who were not, who lived within ten -miles and could by any means get to the store, was there on the day of -the drawing. - -Hyder Ali arrived in his perforated box and was reinstalled in the -chicken yard, where he walked about in lonely majesty, while his destiny -was in the balance—the cynosure of many anxious and covetous eyes. - -A platform had been improvised with four big drygoods boxes in the yard, -high enough for everybody to see what was going on. Mr. Varney stood on -it and announced the conditions. He acknowledged the receipt of the -proceeds of the raffle, and stated that the bird now belonged to the -winner. - -The three hundred numbered tickets were then produced by Sophy. She -handed them to Varney to deposit in the ancient plug hat that Pop -Wilkins had obligingly loaned for the occasion, in accordance with time -honored custom. Pop, with the sun reflecting from his bald head, stood -on the platform, adjusted his brass rimmed spectacles, and made ready to -call off the cancellations. - -Varney ran through the tickets several times and counted them to see if -they were all there. His numbers were from 281 to 290. He mixed the -tickets over thoroughly inside the hat with his hand, and the -blindfolded Sophy began drawing. She had carefully bent all of her own -tickets in such a way as to enable her to identify them by touch, and -had no doubt that she would own Hyder Ali within the next twenty -minutes. There was excited buying and selling, at big premiums, of -numbers remaining in the hat as the contest narrowed down, and there -were frequent delays in the drawing to accommodate the speculators. Six -of Sophy’s tickets had come out. None of them were bent and cold chills -raced up and down her spine. Her agile and nervous fingers had carefully -avoided a well bent ticket near one side of the grimy interior of the -hat. When she drew out a flat ticket next to it, she learned to her -horror that it was her last number. With a faint heart she reached for -the other, hoping that there had been some error in her count, but the -last ticket was number 294, and it belonged to Mr. Flaherty. - -It was evident to her that the wily Josh had discovered the bent -tickets, and while he was handling them over inside the hat he had -managed to straighten them all and bend Flaherty’s. Whatever other -artifice Josh might have had in reserve had he not discovered the bunch -of bent tickets will always be a mystery, but he certainly had no -intention of leaving Hyder Ali in the river country. - -Sophy removed the handkerchief, under which she had found no difficulty -in peeking during the drawing, and looked upon Josh. - -Human eyes have seldom glittered with the venomous and deadly glow that -he now saw in Sophy’s orbs. Such eyes might have blazed through a -labyrinth in a jungle upon one who had seized a tiger cub. Backed by -courage the look would have portended murder. - -Sophy at once realized the hopelessness of her position, for no specious -protest was possible. She had encountered an adept in an art in which -she was but a tyro. It was all over and she was compelled to smother her -impotent wrath. - -To the crowd, ignorant of the little drama on the platform, everything -had seemed entirely regular. None of them had ever had a ghost of a -chance of getting the turkey, but they were good natured losers. Pop -Wilkins carefully restored the old stovepipe hat to his shining dome. -While regretting that he had not won Hyder Ali and that that remarkable -bird from foreign lands was not to remain in the community, he declared -that there was now nothing to do but congratulate the winner. - -“That’s what we done at the turkey shoot last year,” remarked Bill in an -undertone, as we watched the perforated box being loaded on to -Flaherty’s spring wagon. - -Varney tactfully refrained from assisting in the loading. “I hate to -part with that bird,” he declared, “but business is business an’ there -’e goes!” - -Sophy continued to look upon him with a steely and viperous glare, but -he did not appear to notice her. They each knew that the other -thoroughly understood the situation, and there were no ethics that were -debatable. Sophy knew that Flaherty was a man of straw, and that she had -been skilfully robbed of the fruits of her chicanery. Varney regarded -her discomfiture with the generous benevolence of a victor. - -Sophy believed that all moral logic, and every other kind of logic, -entitled her to Hyder Ali. She considered that in addition to the loss -of the bird, she had been swindled out of the seven dollars she had paid -for her worthless chances. - -She justified her own dishonesty to herself by the conviction that she -had worked hard enough for the club to have the turkey anyway, and as -long as some ticket had to be left until the last, it might just as well -be her’s as anybody’s. It was all a matter of chance anyway, and, as it -turned out it would have been much better for everybody if Hyder Ali -could have been kept in the neighborhood with her instead of being taken -away. She considered that she had suffered a great injustice, and that a -defenseless woman should be thus robbed and maltreated was to her the -acme of outrage. - -Varney had his own rig with him and left for the county seat soon after -Flaherty and his spring wagon had departed in an opposite direction. The -precious pair was gone—with Hyder Ali, and two hundred and eighty -dollars of tangible profits. - -A melodious gobble was faintly heard far away on the road while Flaherty -was still in sight. It might have been a wail of sorrow and farewell. - -“I s’pose,” remarked Bill, “that Hyder Ali’s yellin’ fer help. He’s -prob’ly ’fraid them two jay birds’ll send ’im back to them Brummins an’ -that Bungspout Swammy fish net man in India, where ’e’ll git ’is crop -chilled with them frozen frogs, but ’e needn’t worry. I didn’t buy no -chances fer I didn’t think there’d be any show for a white man with Josh -an’ Sophy up on them boxes, an’ they wasn’t. I thought they was goin’ to -be sump’n doin’ when I seen Sophy eyein’ Josh. She looked like she -wanted to squirt some lye at ’im. Sophy’s got a bad eye. She c’n sour a -pan o’ milk that’s twenty feet off by jest lookin’ at it in a cert’n -way. - -“Them kewpies ’ave finished the cookin’ this time an’ we’re done good -an’ brown. I don’t think they’ll be ’round any more ’less Josh comes to -sell us a striped elephant next year, an’ if ’e does I ’spose we’ll buy -it. I don’t think we wanted that misquito fatted bird anyway. He didn’t -look to me like ’e was healthy.” - -Sophy was ill for a couple of weeks and visited the store but rarely -during the rest of the summer. - -“She looks like she’d been licked,” observed Rat Hyatt. “She don’t seem -to have no pep any more. I met ’er on the bridge the other day, an’ when -I spoke to ’er she answered as nice an’ polite as anybody, instead o’ -lookin’ at me like I was a skunk, an’ pass’n on the way she used to do.” - -During the latter part of August Sophy chanced to see a copy of a weekly -paper that was published in a small town about fifty miles away. In it -was an announcement of a “grand raffle,” to be held the following week, -“for a wonderful white turkey imported from Siberia at great expense, -the like of which has never been seen or heard of in this country.” - -The article went on to say that “this is a great event that is about to -take place in our midst, and ye editor blushingly owns to the soft -impeachment of having taken ten chances with his hard earned pelf. We -hope to win the splendid prize, but if we fail we respectfully ask -anybody who is in arrears on their subscription to please call at our -holy editorial sanctum with some mazuma, for though ye ed. toys with the -trailing skirts of fickle fortune, yet must he eat.” - -Sophy kept her own counsel and prevailed on Pop Wilkins to lend her his -horse and two seated buggy for a few days to enable her to visit a sick -relative who lived some distance away. She was gone a week, and when she -returned Hyder Ali was in the buggy. His beautiful head protruded -inquiringly from the top of a gunny sack in which he was carefully -secured. Sophy drove home with her prize, returned the rig to the -obliging Pop, and walked loftily into the store, on her way back, to -make some purchases. - -She was a changed woman, and victory was on her brow. She greeted the -loiterers about the store, but, as Posey expressed it, “she spoke from -above.” - -Naturally the neighborhood was in a ferment of curiosity. - -“How’d you git ’im?” asked Bill pleasantly. - -“I caught ’im on a fish line,” she replied grimly. - -Beyond this she refused any explanations and her attitude was regarded -as the height of cruelty. She said it was nobody’s business but her own, -and no further light was thrown on the subject. - -Early in the fall a band of gipsies came and camped on a grassy glade in -the woods not far from where Sophy lived. They remained several weeks. -The men traded horses with the nearby farmers, and the women went about -the neighborhood in their picturesque costumes, begged small articles, -and told fortunes. - -One morning Sophy was horrified to find that Hyder Ali was gone. She at -once suspected the gipsies, and rushed to their camp, but the Romany -folk had departed. She found a long white feather on the ground that -undoubtedly had come from her cherished bird. She at once enlisted all -the help she could get. The assistance of the sheriff was invoked and -the trail of the gipsies was taken by a large party. They were located -about fifteen miles away. Thorough search revealed no trace of the -missing property. The gipsies were confronted with the tell-tale -feather, but denied all knowledge of it. There seemed to be nothing -further to do and the matter was dropped by the sheriff. - -In November, just before the annual turkey shoot, Mr. Roscoe Plunkett, -of the firm of Plunkett & Mott, whose goods Varney had sold for several -years, came to Posey’s store to check up their account. He said that his -firm had suffered considerable losses through the shady and sinuous -methods of Varney, and that he was no longer with them. They had delved -deep into his history before he came to them and found that he had a -rancid past. It was checkered with a couple of jail confinements, but he -had managed in each case to obtain his freedom after trial. He had been -a champion rifle shot, and had given exhibitions of trick shooting in a -wild west show for a year or two. Of late he had been mixed up with a -man named Flaherty. They had found a farmer in the southern part of the -state who had an albino turkey—one of those rare freaks of nature, due -to deficient pigmentation. It was a beautiful gobbler of abnormal size. -They bought the bird for twenty-five dollars, and, since that time they -had been going about the country raffling it off. One of them had always -won it. - -During the previous week a friend of Plunkett’s, who was a commercial -traveler, had written him that he had met Varney in Michigan, and that -Flaherty and the white turkey were with him. - -This new light on the general cussedness and dark ways of Josh Varney -came too late to be of any benefit to Sophy. She had gone to live with -some relatives in a small town in Iowa, taking her illusions and her -bitter hatreds with her. Her henpecked husband had mercifully been -relieved of his earthly troubles, but this had not seemed to disturb her -as much as her other afflictions. She had become completely disgusted -with her surroundings, and had sought new fields for her restless -propensities. - -“It’s too bad Josh don’t know she’s a widow,” remarked Bill, “fer them -two might git married now, if they wanted to.” - -Bill labored long in lettering out the notice of the next annual turkey -shoot, which he tacked up in the store. - -There was a full attendance when the day came. The weather was again -pleasant, the blood letting was satisfactory, and no untoward incident -marred the joy of the occasion. - -When the shooting was over Bill pounded officially on a barrel top and -called the business meeting to order. - -“The first thing to be done at this meet’n is to ’lect a new Chief -Gobbler, fer this one has now resigned. This chair has quit, an’ now -pays its parting respects to all the members. I say now that this chair -has been blasphemed an’ jumped on fer five years. Nothin’ has ever been -done right. Ev’rybody has cussed the chair right an’ left, an’ the chair -has never peeped or said a word back. In quit’n this hon’able office -this chair now makes answer to all them sore heads that’s been -criticize’n it fer all these years, an’ that answer is _BAH!!!!_ - -“Now we’ll perceed to nominations fer the chair’s successor.” - -A Voice:—“I nom’nate Mr. Bill Stiles fer the ensuin’ year, an’ I move it -be made unimous.” - -The Chair:—“Is there no other nominations?” - -Another Voice:—“I nom’nate Mr. Josh Varney, an’ I move it be made -unimous.” (Chorus of cat calls.) - -A voice from the rear:—“I move that the chair stops smokin’ when it’s -presidin’ an’ I move we adjourn!” - -The Chair:—“If that feller back there thinks ’e c’n run this meet’n -better’n it’s bein’ done, let ’im come up in front. This chair’s goin’ -to do its smokin’ while it’s alive instid o’ wait’n ’till afterwards -like some people. We gotta have some dignity about this thing, an’ you -fellers keep quiet! Now who makes any more nominations?” - -After some further parliamentary bickering, the reluctant Bill was duly -reëlected, as usual. - -“Now,” he continued, “havin’ got this turr’ble weight offen our chests, -the next business’ll be the ’lection of a new boss, fer Sophy Perkins -has left us. She’s gone way off some’rs where the winds are blowin’ an’ -she’ll never come back. Mr. Posey has been suggested fer new secretary -an’ treasurer. Does anybody nominate ’im?” - -“He’d be a good man to take in the money, but he’d make a hell of a -secretary!” shouted somebody in the crowd. - -“Never mind, does somebody nominate ’im?” continued Bill. - -“How d’ye know Sophy’ll never come back?” demanded another voice from -the rear. - -“How do I know? How do I know anything? Shut up!” replied the chair with -asperity. - -Mr. Posey modestly declined his impending honors, but was elected. - -“The next business,” announced Bill, “is the report o’ the chair on the -case o’ Mr. Josh Varney. Some o’ you’ll prob’ly faintly recollect of ’is -havin’ been among us some time ago.” - -He then related the story of Plunkett, revealed the sins of Varney in -all their sable hues and commented caustically on the soft headedness of -the victims of that artful tactician. - -“All you fellers has been just as easy marks fer Josh as them ten -turkeys in them boxes was a year ago. Some day we may ketch the -perfessor, but knowin’ ’im as I do, I don’t b’lieve we will. He bruised -a lot o’ gold shekels out o’ this bunch with that pale fowl, an’ besides -’e made us feel bad.” - -Mr. Rat Hyatt was now recognized by the chair. - -“Fer years,” said Rat, “all of us has called Sophy Perkins ‘the -stinger,’ an’ she was a stinger, but I now move you, Mr. Chairman, that -that title be hereby shifted offen ’er an’ put on that pink eyed turkey -man.” - -The motion was unanimously carried and ordered spread upon the records -that Sophy had left at the store. - -The meeting then adjourned. - -As we left I casually mentioned the fine weather we were having. - -“Yes, it’s been a phenonomous year,” replied Bill, thoughtfully. - - - - - VIII - THE PREDICAMENTS OF COLONEL PEETS[1] - - -Near one of the picturesque bends of the river, about half a mile above -the beginning of the Big Marsh, was the home of Col. Jasper M. Peets, a -doughty warrior, who had fought valiantly for the Lost Cause, and was -spending his declining years in a troubled twilight. - -Footnote 1: - - The author acknowledges his indebtedness to Mr. T. H. Ball, of Crown - Point, Ind., for a portion of the material used in this story. - -The Colonel was an exotic. Perverse fates had transplanted him into a -strange clime. All that anybody along the river knew of his history, up -to the time of his arrival, had come from his own lips, and none of it -was to his discredit. - -I had made his acquaintance at Posey’s store, where he frequently came -for supplies. Muskrat Hyatt cautioned me not to have anything to do with -him. - -“That feller’s bad medicine,” he declared. “He’s worse’n I am, an’ -that’s sayin’ a whole lot. If you ever go down to his place, you keep -yer cash in yer shoes an’ don’t you take ’em off while you’re there.” - -The little farm, with its dilapidated house and barn, had come to the -Colonel as an inheritance from a distant relative whom he had never -seen. The old pioneer, who had died there, had spent years of toil, -patient and unremitting, in clearing the land and coaxing a precarious -livelihood from the reluctant soil. He had left no will and the Colonel -was the nearest surviving relative. - -The Colonel explained that this “fahm” and a “small passel of land down -south” was all that he now possessed in the world. The “iron heel of the -oppressah” had destroyed everything else. His “beautiful mansion on the -Cumbe’land,” and all his “niggahs,” had been lost in the fury of the -conflict. His “pussonal fo’tune” was a wreck. - -He was over seventy, and quite gray, but his erect military figure and -splendid health somewhat belied his years. He was rather indolent in his -movements, but as he sat in his hickory arm chair before the stone fire -place, the lights that played over his storm beaten features pictured a -warrior in repose. - -His heavy moustache was trained down in horseshoe fashion on each side -of his chin, and then twisted outward in a way that gave his face a -redoubtable expression when he frowned. He would often stand before the -three-cornered piece of mirror attached to the outside of the house, -combing and recombing the bellicose ornament, and observing it -attentively, until he achieved particular curves at the ends that -pleased his fancy. Apparently he affected a formidable facial aspect, -becoming to one who had led charging men. - -[Illustration: - - COLONEL JASPER M. PEETS -] - -Evidently he had somewhere received a fair education, but outside of -fiction, a field he had widely covered, he seemed to have little -interest in books. His former environment had left a romantic polish, -heightened by a florid imagination. His character had been moulded by -the traditions of the south and they were the only religion he had. His -vanity was delightful, and he had the heart of a child. Little gifts of -tobacco and cigars made him happy for hours, and there was a subtle -lovable quality about him that radiated even in his foibles. - -The old house stood on the rising ground, among tall elms and walnuts, -about two hundred feet from the river. It had never been painted. Some -of the clapboards and shingles were missing and others were loose. When -the wind blew, stray currents permeated the structure, and there were -mournful sounds between the walls—like the moanings of uneasy ghosts. - -The little log barn was decayed and tenantless, with the exception of a -few scraggly hens and a vicious looking old game cock. The Colonel had -bought him somewhere and annexed him to his estate—possibly as a -concession to his early sporting instincts, or for sympathetic reasons. -They were both warriors of better days. - -In an enclosure beyond the barn were half a dozen young razor backed -pigs. These noisy shoats were a continual source of irritation to the -Colonel. He declared that he would shoot the two sopranos and let the -other pork loose if Seth Mussey, who looked after them, did not put -muzzles on them or find some other way of keeping them quiet at night. -The Colonel did not do any “wo’k on the fahm.” This was attended to by -Mussey “on shares.” Mussey lived a quarter of a mile away, and was the -only neighbor. The “shares” were not very remunerative, but, added to -the Colonel’s other small resources, they made existence possible. - -A narrow path led down to the river bank, where the Colonel kept his row -boat and a small duck canoe which he propelled with a long paddle. The -landing consisted of a couple of logs secured with stakes, and overlaid -with planks. During high water in the spring the landing usually floated -away and a new one was built when the freshets subsided. There was an -air of general shiftlessness about the place that would have been -depressing to anybody who did not know its eccentric proprietor. - -He spent much of his time fishing on the river in the summer and early -fall until the ducks began to come in. During the game seasons he acted -as host, guide and “pusher” for duck hunters, who sometimes spent weeks -with him. They had rare sport on the big marsh, but were compelled to -suffer some hardships at the Colonel’s house. He did the cooking, or -rather he heated the things that were eaten, and some of them baffled -analysis. - -One of his guests once told of a “mud-hen hash” that the Colonel had -compounded, in which there were many feathers, and of some “snapping -turtle soup” where all was lost but the adjective. The complaining -visitor had slept on the floor, with a bag of shelled corn for a pillow, -and the unholy mess, with a cup of doubtful coffee, had been served for -breakfast, but he soon got “broken in” and learned to put up with these -things if he wanted to shoot ducks with the Colonel. - -The various dishes, when cooked for the first time, could usually be -identified, but succeeding compositions were culinary by-products, and -afforded few clues to their component parts, except to a continuous and -very observant guest. - -I once ate some “fish chowder” with the Colonel, which, if it had been -called almost anything else, would have been really very good. I never -knew the ingredients, and doubt if its author could have reconstructed -it, or have given an accurate account of its contents. Some one has -aptly said, “if you want to be happy don’t inquire into things,” and the -injunction seemed quite applicable to the Colonel’s fare. - -There are many accidents—both happy and sad—in cookery. A wise cook is -never free with recipes, for, in any art, formula dissipates mystery -that is often essential to appreciation. Some cooks enter where angels -fear to tread, and when the trip is successful the glory is properly -theirs. Their task is thankless, and malediction is upon them when they -fail. They are in contact with elemental instincts, and their occupation -is perilous, for they are between an animal and its meat. - -One stormy night we sat before the crackling fire. The loose clapboards -rattled outside and the big trees were grumbling in the wind. Water -dripped from the leaky roof and little streams crept across the floor. - -I had come down the river in a small rowboat, and intended to spend a -week fishing for bass in the stream and sketching in the big marsh. - -“You must pa’don the appeahance of things ’round heah,” remarked the -Colonel. “Theah is a lot of fixin’ up to be done, and the weatheh has -been so pleasant lately that that infe’nal Mussey has had to wo’k out -doahs. If this weatheh stays bad he will come in heah an’ straighten -things up.” - -He had queer notions regarding work. There were some things that he -would do diligently, and others he considered beneath his dignity. The -line of demarcation was confused, and I was never quite able to be -certain of it. He cooked and partially washed the dishes, but never -swept the floors, or fed the chickens and shoats at the barn. He never -repaired anything except under urgent necessity, and his idea of order -was not to disturb anything after he had let go of it. - -“You may be interested to know, suh, that I have been occupying my -spaiah time writing my memoahs,” he continued. “I have collected the -scattehed reco’ds of my careah. I have no descendants, an’ I may say to -you confidentially, as one gentleman to anotheh, that I do not expect -any, suh, so theah will be nobody to take pride in my literary wo’k -afteh I am gone, but the gene’l public, but as a paht of the history of -the south, durin’ its period of great trial, I think my memoahs would be -valuable. - -“I am going to put my memoahs in the fawm of a novel, suh, an’ I have -had to mix up a lot of otheh people in it who ah, to some extent, -fictitious, so my book will be a combination of fact and romance. I have -thought it all oveh. I am of the opinion that a book to be populah must -be a story. It must have a plot, and somebody must get married on the -last page. I am writing such a story, suh, and am weaving the main -incidents of my careah into the plot. In this way I will get my history -befoah a great many people who nevah read memoahs. I will gild what is -the real pill, so to speak, by dipping it into the bright hued watehs of -romance. - -“I am having a great deal of trouble with my plot, suh. Theah is a -fellah in it by the name of Puddington Calkins. I want to kill this -cussed Calkins, but if I kill ’im I will have nobody to marry to the -mystehious veiled lady that I see in the dim distance. She is gliding -towa’d the web of my plot, but I do not yet know whetheh she comes upon -an errand of vengeance, or to demand justice foh her child. This veiled -lady is pe’fumed with tube rose, suh, and I hate to leave her out, foh, -with the exception of bou’bon, tube rose is my favorite odeh, and that -reminds me, suh—pahdon me just one moment.” - -The Colonel arose and went to the cupboard. He brought forth a tall -bottle, poured a liberal dose into a tin cup, and swallowed it with -impressive solemnity. - -“That bou’bon came f’om Tennessee. It was sent to me by an old friend -who was related to Jedge Benton of Nashville. When the Jedge died he had -two bar’ls of this noble fluid in his cellah, and one of them was left -to my friend in the Jedge’s will. It had been twenty-foah yeahs in the -wood, suh. I was fo’tunate enough to be presented with some of that -wonde’ful whiskey. I am sorry, suh, that you do not indulge, foh you ah -missin’ something that puts spangles on a sad life, suh! - -“Most people drink whiskey foh its alcohol, and such people, suh, should -pat’onize a drug stoah. A gentleman drinks it foh its flavah, and that -reminds me, suh, that birdy cannot fly with one wing, an’ if you’ll -pahdon me I’ll take anotheh.” - -After replacing what was left of the “bou’bon,” the Colonel stuffed some -fragrant tobacco into a much darkened cob pipe, contemplated the -ascending wreaths for a while, and reverted to his novel. - -“The plot of that story is a pe’plexity to me, suh. I think of things to -put in it when I am out on the rivah, and when I get back I fo’get what -they ah. I am going to get some moah papeh and write the whole thing -oveh. Maybe I will kill that infe’nal Pud Calkins and I will myself -marry that female whose face is concealed. Somebody must marry her or -she will be left without suppo’t at the end of the book. People will -nevah buy my memoahs. They will look in the back, and if theah is no -wedding theah, they will cast the volume aside. - -“That Pud Calkins is much on my mind, suh. He is a predicament. He wakes -me f’om my slumbehs, an’ sits beside me at my humble meals. He has -dammed up the flow of my fancy in my novel, suh. I have nevah read a -novel that had anything like him in it. He is a damned nuisance, suh, -and he has got to go. - -“The next time you come down I would like to read to you what I have -written. It is too much mixed up now, but I will have it all in o’deh -when you come again. And anotheh thing that bothehs me is my chestnut -filly that I rode durin’ the wah. I have got to have her in the story. I -rode her through battle smoke and oveh fields of ca’nage. I was at the -head of my men, suh, an’ ev’ry fall of her hoofs was on dead Yankees -that fell befoah ouah onslaught. It would break my heaht if Pud Calkins -should evah ride that hawss, even in a story, and yet Pud Calkins was on -the field where I fell covehed with wounds, and he rode some hawss home -to tell the tale, and if he had some otheh hawss, I would have to leave -my filly out, foh only one live hawss was left at the end of that -cha’ge, and that was the one I fell f’om, an’ Great Gawd, man, I -couldn’t kill my filly! - -“Of co’se my hawss will succumb in my memoahs to the immutable laws of -natcha, but that must appeah as the reco’d of the actual fact, afteh the -wah was oveh. She will not die by my hand, even in fiction—no, suh! I -will kill Pud Calkins a thousand times first, suh! - -“The prepahation of all this written matteh has been a great labah to -me, but it has occupied many houahs that would othe’wise be unbeahable -in this Gawd fo’saken country. I sit heah by my fiah and wo’k with my -pen, but this Pud Calkins is always by my side, suh.” - -Barring a few unavoidable discomforts, I spent a very pleasant week with -the Colonel. The fishing had been good, and there was a world of -interest and joy in the stretches of the great marsh, teeming with wild -life, and filled with the gentle melodies of hidden waters. - -I paid mine host his modest bill, bade him good bye at the landing, -rowed up stream, and, after spending a day with Tipton Posey at Bundy’s -Bridge, left the river country. - -It was six months before I returned. I sought the Colonel and found him -much changed. A trouble had come upon him. His eye had lost its lustre, -he had an air of listlessness and preoccupation, and he looked older. - -It seemed that there had been great excitement in the county after my -departure, and the Colonel had been the storm center. - -When we had finished our simple evening meal, and had lighted our pipes -before the fire, the Colonel handed me a copy of _The Index_, the weekly -paper, published at the county seat. Its date was about four months old. - -“I would like to have you read that, suh, and then I will hand you -anotheh.” - -On the front page were some glaring headlines: THE BURGLARY!!!—THE -EXPLOSION!!!—THE PURSUIT!!! I read the account with deep interest, which -was as follows: - -“On Monday morning of June 10th a crowd assembled in front of the County -Treasurer’s office at the Court House, amid very unusual circumstances. -Nearly seven thousand dollars were known to have been in the safe -Saturday night, and now as the anxious citizens crowded through the -door, they saw a ruined open safe, and abundant evidences of a fearful -explosion. A steel drill, some files, and an empty can that had probably -contained the explosive compound, were scattered about on the floor. The -rugs were in a pile near the safe, where they had probably been used to -muffle the explosion. The money was gone. - -“It was learned that a stranger of singular appearance, and marked -individualities, with a gray coat, a heavy gray moustache and long chin -whiskers, who entered the town last Friday, and had been observed by -many of the citizens during Friday and Saturday, had deposited at the -Treasurer’s office, for safe keeping, a box represented to contain -valuables. This box, made of tin, some eight inches in length and five -in width, was deposited on Friday, and taken out on Saturday morning. It -was again deposited on Saturday afternoon, to be called for on Monday -morning. - -“The county treasurer, the Hon. Truman W. Pettibone, had gone fishing on -Thursday and expected to remain away until Tuesday, as is his custom -during the summer months. - -“The mysterious stranger was waited on by Mr. J. Milton Tuttle, the -courteous and well known clerk in the treasurer’s office. Mr. Tuttle’s -charming daughter has just returned from a visit to her aunt in Oak -Grove township—but we digress. J. Milton Tuttle had no suspicions, and -retired at evening to his home and his interesting family. - -“The stranger was thought by several citizens to have taken the evening -train, but was seen lurking around town, with a slouch hat pulled well -down over his eyes, at a late hour Saturday night. He entered the Busy -Bee Buffet at eleven o’clock and was served by Mr. Oscar Sheets, the -gentlemanly bartender. He immediately departed. It is supposed that he -spent the night in some barn. - -“It was ascertained that the tall and singular looking man, in the gray -coat, who appeared to be disguised, was seen on Sunday morning to enter -the front door of the Court House. This door, as is well known, is -usually left open on Sunday for the convenience of Sunday callers who -wish to read the legal notices on the bulletin board in the hallway. - -“Miss Anastasia Simpson, an unmarried lady, living near the Court House, -noticed particularly that the stranger was very distinguished looking. -She watched from her window for his reappearance, which did not take -place until three in the afternoon, when he departed seemingly in a -state of great perturbation and excitement. - -[Illustration: - - MISS ANASTASIA SIMPSON -] - -“It was ascertained that Mr. Wellington Peters, proprietor of the -prominent and well known low priced hardware store bearing his name, and -whose business is advertised in our columns, while standing on the -corner talking with a traveling man near the hotel, heard a dull booming -sound from the direction of the court house, at about 2:45 P.M., but -thinking that it was boys making some kind of a racket, he paid no -attention to it. Several other prominent and well known citizens heard -the same sound at the same hour. - -“The tall and mysterious stranger was seen by Miss Simpson to walk south -after leaving the court house. She went to another window to further -observe him, but he had disappeared. - -“The little tin box which the artful and designing robber had left ‘for -safe keeping’ with J. Milton Tuttle, and which he locked up in the safe, -was opened and found to contain nothing but a bag of sand. - -“It was evident to all that the tin box was a subterfuge. It was used as -an excuse to visit and inspect the ‘lay of the land’ in the office of -the treasurer of our county. - -“About noon, on Monday, a posse was formed by the Hon. Cyrus Butts, our -gentlemanly and efficient sheriff. The posse, consisting of three -prominent and well known citizens, Oliver K. Gardner, Silas B. Kendall -and Elmer Dinwiddie, accompanied by the sheriff, made a circuit of the -town. They ascertained that the mysterious stranger had stopped at the -pleasant little home of Mr. Mike Carney, the genial and well known -butcher of our town, and asked for a drink of water, which was given -him. He had then taken a southerly direction along the section line -road. The posse procured Toppington Smith’s mottled blood hound and put -the intelligent animal on the trail of the fleeing burglar. The pursuit -continued for about twelve miles. The fugitive was evidently making a -bee line along the section road for the river marshes. A team was met on -the road, with a load of baled hay, and impressed into service. All of -the bales but two were unloaded and left by the roadside. The two bales -were retained on the wagon for use as a barricade in case of a revolver -battle with the burglar. - -“Drivers of teams, met along the route, reported seeing a man enter the -woods before they met him, and go back into the road a long ways behind -them after they had passed. The variations in the course taken by the -hound confirmed this. - -“About ten o’clock at night there was a full moon. The trail left the -road and led into some thick underbrush, near a small slough. Some smoke -issued from the brush, where the fugitive had evidently built a fire and -expected to spend the night. The place was surrounded and the posse -cautiously advanced, but the burglar was gone. It was thought that the -cunning malefactor had got wind of his pursuers, that he had turned -aside and lighted this fire in the brush with a view of delaying and -baffling those behind him with artful strategy. - -“The hound left the brush, and a few minutes later a tall figure, with a -light gray coat, was seen a few hundred yards away on a bare ridge in -the moonlight. It was unquestionably the fugitive and the hound was with -him. The posse opened fire with revolvers, but at such a distance it was -futile. The man and the dog disappeared over the ridge into the woods. -The burglar had escaped, and the dog had evidently joined forces with -him. - -“Further pursuit that night was considered hopeless. The posse slept at -a farm house and resumed the search Tuesday morning. They found the dog -tied to a tree near the edge of the big marsh, there were tracks in the -soft mud at the margin of the slough, and an old boat belonging to a -farmer in the vicinity was gone. There were marks in the mud showing -where the boat had been shoved out to the water. - -“The pursuit was abandoned and the posse returned home. A full -description of the robber was sent broadcast, and it is thought that his -capture is only a matter of time. - -“Up to the hour of going to press there are no further particulars to -record, but we hope that before our next issue, justice will triumph, -and the burglar with his ill gotten booty will be within its grasp.” - -“And now, suh, will you please cast youah eye oveh this reco’d of -infamy,” requested the Colonel, as he handed me a later copy of the same -paper. - -The next account was headed: - - “ARRESTED!!!—PRELIMINARY - HEARING!!!—HABEAS CORPUS!!!” - -and it read as follows: - -“We are able to announce that the crafty and resourceful robber of the -county treasurer’s office, who so successfully eluded the grasp of his -pursuers, and made good his retreat into the river marshes, has probably -been apprehended. - -“The evidence seems to indicate that one Col. Peets, who lives on a -small farm on the river, above the marsh, is the culprit. - -“He was captured there by the sheriff, the day after our last week’s -issue was in the hands of the public. He offered no resistance. The -information that led to his capture was received from Mr. Tipton Posey -who keeps the well known general store near Bundy’s Bridge. Mr. Posey -stated that the description of the robber, printed in this paper, -exactly fitted Col. Peets, with the exception of the chin whiskers, -which he thought were false. - -“This paper is invariably modest and unassuming. It vaunteth not itself, -but we may say, without undue self glorification, that it was the -thoroughness of the journalistic work of this paper that made the -description of the robber available, and that this capture is therefore -exclusively due to the enterprise of _The Index_. Our circulation covers -the entire county. Our advertising rates will be found on another page. -Our subscription rates are two dollars a year, cash, or two fifty in -produce—strictly in advance. - -“Col. Peets claims to be an ex-officer in the Rebel Army. He bears a bad -reputation along the river, and is said to be a man of immoral -character. - -“The prisoner was securely lodged in the county jail, and, after the -usual legal forms, he was brought before the Justice of the Peace for -preliminary hearing. - -“When the morning of the examination came, the court was thronged as it -never has been before. The ladies crowded the room as they had never -done at any court during our existence as a county, while the trial -progressed, manifesting a strange interest, which has never been -exhibited till now, for or against any prisoner. And yet not so strange, -for a remarkable prisoner appeared before them. He was tall, strongly -built, with a heavy moustache, and pale—as though just recovering from -an illness—marked in his individualities, a man of martial bearing, whom -one would expect to recognize among ten thousand. - -“Every female eye was uninterruptedly focussed on this striking looking -man during the entire hearing. He was claimed to be the same stranger -who had blown open the safe and abstracted the seven thousand dollars of -the county’s money. The loss will of course have to be made good by the -treasurer or his bondsmen, if the plunder is not recovered from the -thief, and much sympathy is felt for the Hon. Truman W. Pettibone, who -has long borne an enviable and unsullied reputation in our midst. - -“Several of the ladies present were to appear among the witnesses in -behalf of the state and for the defense. The question under -consideration was the identity of this tall mysterious looking prisoner -and that tall disguised stranger who was unquestionably responsible -before the law for the astounding burglary. - -“The counsel for the state was the Hon. John Wesley Watts, our brilliant -and alert county attorney. The prisoner was represented by W. St. John -Hopkins, whose very name smacks of irreverence for the Holy Writ. He is -a young aspiring sprig of the law who has recently come into our midst. - -“It seems that this man Hopkins, who parts both his name and his hair in -the middle, volunteered to defend the prisoner without compensation, -probably for the purpose of showing off his talents. The prisoner was -without counsel, and claimed to have no funds with which to hire one. -They seemed to be suspiciously good friends in court. Whether or not a -part of the loot from the exploded safe has covertly changed hands in -payment for certain legal services during the past few days, it is not -within the province of this paper to determine, or even hint. - -“The examination continued during Wednesday and Thursday, excellent -order prevailing in the court room. Many citizens gave strong testimony -both for and against the prisoner. The public were deeply interested in -the solution of the question, and there were strong and conflicting -opinions as to the identity of the prisoner in the minds of all present. -The progress of the examination, as numerous witnesses were examined who -had seen the prowling and disguised stranger, and who now saw the -prisoner, brought distinctly to notice the great difference which exists -in the observing power of different individuals. Many thought that if -the prisoner had on a gray coat, and had a long chin beard, in addition -to his moustache, they could absolutely swear to his identity. Others -thought that the stranger had worn false whiskers and had particularly -noticed it at the time. - -“J. Milton Tuttle did not think that the chin whiskers were false, or -that the prisoner was the man who left the tin box for safe keeping. He -was quite positive that he would recognize the man if he ever saw him -again. - -“Miss Anastasia Simpson, the unmarried lady, whose eyes were glued on -the mystic stranger in the vicinity of the court house, and whose eyes -were glued on the prisoner during the entire course of the trial, swore -absolutely that he was not the same man. Possibly the reasons that -prompted such positive testimony may be best known to herself. - -“The prisoner, under the whispered advice of young Hopkins, declined to -go upon the stand, which in itself, in the opinion of most of those -present, was conclusive evidence of guilt. - -“The state’s attorney made an able and scholarly address to the court, -and presented a masterly review of the evidence. - -“Hopkins contented himself with claiming that no evidence had been -adduced to justify the court in holding his client. No false whiskers or -gray coat had been produced, and no witness had positively sworn to the -prisoner’s identity. On the contrary, the only witness who had conversed -with the alleged robber, Mr. J. Milton Tuttle, had failed to connect him -with the crime, and Miss Simpson, who had long and carefully observed -both men, had declared under her solemn oath that they were not the -same. - -“He claimed that the cord that held his client was a rope of sand, and -had the effrontery to comment sarcastically on the account of the -pursuit of the flying burglar that appeared exclusively in our last -week’s issue. He indulged in sardonic levity at the expense of the -public-spirited posse, and remarked that it was queer that its dog had -shown a preference for the society of an alleged thief. He suggested -that the two bales of hay, that were retained on the pursuit wagon, were -better adapted for food for the posse than for a barricade. - -“The outburst of indecent laughter that greeted this impudent sally was -promptly suppressed by the court, who threatened to clear the room if -anything of the kind was repeated. The court sternly rebuked the -offending attorney, and cautioned him to confine his remarks strictly to -the merits of the case before the court. - -“Hopkins apologized to the court and claimed that humor was a malady of -his early youth and that he had never been entirely cured. - -“The court retired to its library and took the case under advisement for -an hour, during which time the crowd waited in anxious suspense. When -the court returned it held Col. Peets to the Circuit Court—placing his -recognizance at three thousand dollars, in default of which the prisoner -was remanded to the custody of the sheriff. - -“Much satisfaction was expressed at the decision of the court. Judge -Mark W. Giddings, our able and learned Justice of the Peace, is a man of -lofty attainments and an ornament to the bench. He has one of the finest -law libraries in the county. He is of fine old New England stock, his -ancestors having come over in the Mayflower. He is one of the oldest and -most valued subscribers to this newspaper. - -“The press forms of this issue of our paper were held until proceedings -in this case were disposed of, that the inchoate attorney representing -the prisoner, began before the court now in session at the court house. - -“He asked for a writ of _habeas corpus_, and his client has been turned -loose on the community! - -“We may say, that while it may be that no jury would have convicted this -man Peets, who admits that he was once an enemy of his country, and -while the testimony was strongly conflicting, the opinion is strong in -this community that the honorable Justice of the Peace rendered a -perfectly just decision. - -“The opinions of this journal have always been impartial, and, under the -circumstances it is far be it from us to express one, but not to mention -any names, there is a certain fresh young lawyer in this town who has a -tendency to be a smarty, and a cute Aleck, and to butt in on things that -do not concern him. - -“It may be to his interest to lay a little lower. A word to the wise is -sufficient. - -“In addition to this, there is a certain alien resident in this county, -of military pretensions, who lives by the sobbing waters of a certain -river—and again we do not mention names—who had better not be caught -wearing false whiskers when he visits this town.” - -“And now,” said the Colonel, with a patronizing wave of his hand after -he had given me a still later copy of the paper, “I desiah you to look -at this account of the sequel of this distressing affaiah.” - -On the editorial page I read: - - “A PUBLIC OUTRAGE!!! - -“It is far from the desire of this journal to discuss the personal -interests or affairs of its editor and proprietor. _The Index_, as the -public well knows, has ever been the fearless advocate of fair play for -every citizen, and for every human being, however humble, before the -law. Its motives have always been above reproach. Notwithstanding the -fact that it is the county’s greatest newspaper—unselfishly devoted to -the public interest—it never blows its own horn. It rarely mentions -itself in its own columns. It scorns to publish matter in its own -interest, but the time has come when its clarion voice must be raised to -such a pitch that it may be heard throughout the length and breadth of -the county, so that the public conscience may be awakened, and forever -make impossible a repetition of such an outrage as occurred in front of -the post office on last Saturday afternoon. - -“As is well known by all, the editor of this paper, who is also its -proprietor, was publicly attacked by Col. Peets, the scoundrel and -erstwhile prisoner at the bar of justice, who figured so prominently and -so exclusively in the affair of the robbery of the safe in the county -treasurer’s office some weeks ago. - -“A handful of our whiskers was seized and twisted away by this vile -miscreant, with the supposedly funny remark that he wanted them for a -disguise. - -“We were forced to our knees on the dirty sidewalk and commanded to -apologize for certain statements that have appeared in our paper. - -“We were belabored with a rawhide whip and kicked into the gutter by -this burly old brute. - -“As humiliating as these things are it is necessary to mention them in -order to properly lay before the public the frightful enormity of the -outrage. - -“It is, and always has been the policy of this paper, to hew to the line -and let the chips fall where they may. _The Index_ thinks before it -strikes, and it never retracts. - -“If editors are to be publicly assaulted—if their persons are not -sacred—if the freedom of the press is to be trammelled and muzzled by -supposed private rights of individuals, and their likes and dislikes—if -publishers are to be beaten up or beaten down with impunity, or with -rawhide whips, and are to be coerced into cowardly silence by fear of -personal violence—then our republic, with its vaunted ideals, is a -stupendous failure. - -“Far be it from us to complain, or put forth our private wrongs, but we -consider that we have been a martyr to the lawlessness of this -community, and to the fearless and outspoken attitude of our paper. - -“An attack upon the person of the editor of a newspaper is an attack -upon the sacred foundations of human liberty. - -“The public will be glad to know that the execrable villain and ruffian, -who assaulted us, is now immured in the county jail, where he was sent -by that wise and upright Justice of the Peace, the Hon. Mark W. -Giddings. - -“It is to be devoutly hoped that when the term of his just imprisonment -expires, his presence in the county will be no longer tolerated. - -“For the miserable cowards and loafers who witnessed the premeditated -violence upon us in front of the post office, and did not interfere, -this paper has the most withering contempt. Their craven names are -known, and this journal will remember them. - -“To Constable Hawkins, who arrested the assailant, this paper—on behalf -of the public—extends its thanks. Constable Hawkins is an officer of -whom our town may well be proud. We wish him a long life of health and -happiness. We may mention, parenthetically, that Constable Hawkins and -his charming wife Sundayed with us two weeks ago and a delightful time -was had by one and all. - -“To the misguided and mentally unbalanced females, who are daily sending -flowers and sundry cooked dainties to the county jail, this paper has -nothing to say. With the exception of one of them, who was a witness at -the trial, and who shall here be nameless, they all have male relatives -whose duty is plain. The names of these women are known and will be -preserved in the archives of this paper for future reference. There are -certain rumors being whispered about on our streets, that, from high -motives of public policy, will not find a place in our columns until -later. - -“The sheriff is being quietly and severely criticized by many citizens, -whose good opinion is worth something to him at election time, for -permitting these indulgences to a criminal in his charge. - -“We have always given our unqualified support to Sheriff Butts when he -has been a candidate, and we hope that we will not be compelled to -change our opinion regarding his fitness for the office. He will do well -to ponder. The eye of _The Index_ is upon him. - -“The editor of this paper is pleased to announce, to relieve the public -mind, that we are recovering from our undeserved injuries, and will soon -be ourselves again. We feel deeply indebted to Dr. Ignace Stitt for the -wonderful professional skill with which he attended us. The Doctor’s -practice is increasing rapidly, and he is now the foremost physician in -our county. His office is over Ed Bang’s drug store, and he is among the -most valued subscribers of this paper. - -“We and our wife thank our kind friends who have sent us watermelons, -and other delicacies, during our confinement. - -“As a stern challenger of injustice, and an alert defender of the right, -_The Index_ will ever, as in the past, be in the forefront. Its battle -axe will gleam in the turmoil of the conflict, and on it will shine our -mottos—_Sic Semper Tyrannis_, and _Honi soit qui mal y pense_.” - -I laid the paper down with the conviction that if the Colonel’s life -previous to his arrival in the river country had been as rapid as he had -been living it since he came, his “memoahs” would be quite a large -volume. - -“Now, suh,” said he, “I want to relate to you the inside history of that -robbery, suh. I want to show you how it is possible foh a puffectly -innocent man, with puffectly good intentions, to get into a predicament -in this Gawd fo’saken no’the’n country. - -“I was of co’se compelled, much against my wish, to hawss-whip the -editah of that rotten sheet. He was not a gentleman and I could not -challenge him, suh, and it was matteh of pussonal honah. The facts ah -substantially as he states in that sizzling angel song that you have -just read. - -“I want to say, suh, that I nevah spent a moah pleasant thi’ty days in -my life than I spent in that jail. I was theah in a good cause, and I am -sorry it was not sixty days. The sheriff treated me with puffect -cou’tesy, and I was called on and congratulated by many people who had -strong private opinions of that editah. - -“Those noble women made my incahceration a pleasuah, and I may say, suh, -without vanity, that I have nevah been oblivious or insensible to the -effect that I have always had upon ladies. Soft and beseeching eyes have -been cast upon me all my life, suh. I discovered in that jail that iron -bars cannot destroy beautiful visions. - -“I was provided with papeh, and I was enabled to do a great deal of wo’k -on my memoahs, and I have included in them the events of the past few -months, but what I sta’ted to tell you was the unrevealed facts of that -robbery, suh. - -“In odeh that you may get a clear idea of just what happened, I must -take you back to the awful days of ouah wah. Theah was a high bo’n -southe’n gentleman in my regiment, suh, named Majah Speed. He came f’om -one of the best families in Tennessee. Theah was a most unfo’tunate -pussonal resemblance between us, and even when we were togetheh, ouah -best friends could ha’dly tell us apaht. In o’deh not to continue to -embarrass ouah friends, we drew straws to decide who should raise a chin -bea’d in addition to his moustache. The Majah lost, and I still have my -military moustache without any hawsstail whiskehs to spoil it. I may -say, suh, that I have no doubt that my moustache had its effect in -making my stay at the jail delightful. - -“The Majah and I have always kept ouah correspondence up. He came to see -me just befoah that explosion at the cou’t house. He was in that town -when it took place, and he was the man who was pussued by that posse and -that damn dawg, whose favah he won with a piece of bologna sausage. - -“Afteh the Majah entered the ma’sh he came directly to my house and -explained the whole affaiah. We sunk the boat he came in with some -stones in the rivah. - -“That infe’nal Milt Tuttle, who was the cle’k in the treasurer’s office, -was the scoundrel that got the money. His folks came f’om Tennessee, and -he knew the Majah. He was aweah that the Majah’s circumstances weah much -reduced, and that he had lost what he had left in the wo’ld at ca’ds. He -knew that the Majah would do almost anything to retrieve his fo’tunes. -The love of money was always the trouble with the Majah, but we all have -to be tolerant of the weaknesses of ouah friends, suh. - -“That scoundrel Milt Tuttle sent money to Tennessee foh my friend the -Majah to come up heah. He did not know me, or that I knew the Majah. -When the Majah came no’th he came directly to see me and spent several -days at my place. We went down on the ma’sh togetheh. He told me about -Milt Tuttle and said he would come back and pay me a longeh visit a -little lateh. - -“My friend Majah Speed went to the county seat, and the da’k scoundrelly -plan of Milt Tuttle was laid befoah him. In a moment of weakness the -Majah fell, and consented to blow open that safe and divide what he -found with Milt Tuttle. The tools and the explosive compound were hidden -in the office by Milt Tuttle, and during several visits he explained to -the Majah how he was to proceed. He gave him a duplicate key to the side -entrance of the office around the end of the hall, and a map of the -route he was to take afteh he had finished his wo’k, and on this map was -the place wheah he was to leave half of what he found in the safe. He -was to cross the ma’sh and make his way south to Tennessee afteh it was -all oveh. - -“You can imagine the astonishment and chagrin of the Majah when he found -the safe empty of funds, afteh he had wo’ked all day to blow it open. He -was ho’nswoggled by this infe’nal thief of a Milt Tuttle. He had taken -ev’ry cent befoah the Majah came, and left the Majah in the lu’ch to -face all the consequences, and to get away the best he could. - -“When the Majah came to me that night, and told me his tale, I was -astounded. Of co’se I do not approve of robbery, but the Majah had -committed no robbery. He had taken absolutely nothing f’om that safe, -and he was as innocent of robbery as a child unbawn. Milt Tuttle was the -thief, and on his ill gotten wealth he went off somewheah fo’ his -health, but he was stricken by a vengeful providence with pneumonia, and -he is now dead, and theah is no way of proving his dasta’dly connection -with the affaiah. - -“I told the Majah that he had been made a cat’s paw, and that he had -betteh go home as fast as he could. He was without funds, and, -unfo’tunately, I did not have any to lend him, so he sta’ted fo’ the -south on foot. That was the last I saw of the Majah, and I had a letteh -f’om one of the fo’mah officers of ouah regiment, that the Majah is now -dead. I assume, suh, that he died of a broken heaht, all on account of -the villainy of that dehty thief of a Milt Tuttle. - -“When I was unjustly and unfo’tunately dragged into that affaiah, I -could have told the whole story, but I felt bound to protect my friend -the Majah, who fought undeh me fo’ foah yeahs. He twice saved my life on -the field, and foah such a man, no matteh what his failings might be, I -was bound to make any sacrifice. I could have gone on the stand and -pointed my fingah at the thief, but of what avail? The attorney who -represented me in those disgraceful proceedings advised me to keep my -seat, as the state had no case whateveh. That mutton headed old bi’led -owl that was supposed to be a cou’t, bound me oveh, but I was soon -released, and my friend’s secret was not in jeopa’dy. - -“I have now expiated the penalty of the No’the’n law fo’ whipping that -rascally editeh. My atto’ney also pounded him to a jelly. It is my -intention to hawss-whip Tipton Posey, foah he was the one that sta’ted -the talk that resulted in all those legal proceedings, and during the -thi’ty days that I am in jail foah that, it is my intention to complete -my novel, in which, as I told you, is to be woven my memoahs. - -“It is a good thing fo’ Milt Tuttle that he had pneumonia, foah if he -was not deceased I would fill him full of holes fo’ the dishonah he -brought on my friend the Majah, and then I would leave the no’th -fo’evah. - -“I shall nevah blacken the memory of Majah Speed by using his name with -the story of the blowing open of the safe in my book. I shall use -anotheh name, suh, and his secret shall be fo’evah safe and his memory -will be unta’nished, fo’ the Majah nevah stole a dollah. He can stand -befoah that greateh cou’t, wheah he has now gone, with a guiltless and -stainless soul.” - -I was much interested in the Colonel’s narrative, and after talking over -some of the details, we retired for the night. - -I had quietly enjoyed the naive reasoning, and the chivalrous devotion -of the Colonel to his war time friend. There was pathos in the tale of -sacrifice, and, several times I saw moisture in the old soldier’s eyes, -as he dilated upon the cruelty of his position in the affair of the -safe. - -His conceptions of right and wrong were refreshing, and his penchant for -taking the law into his own hands was evidently going to get him into -more predicaments, but it was useless to argue with him. I felt sorry -about Posey’s coming castigation, but as Tip was abundantly able to take -care of himself, I concluded not to worry over it. - -On our way down the river the next morning, the Colonel reverted to -Major Speed’s ill-starred visit. - -“I presume that you would think, suh, that the interests of the living -ah paramount to those of the dead, and that I ought to tell Majah -Speed’s story to the world. His memory and the memory of that black -heahted vahlet, Milt Tuttle, would suffeh, and Tuttle’s ought to suffeh, -but my vindication would be complete. Natu’ally I do not enjoy being -looked at askance, and I sometimes think that I ought to remove the -stigma that now rests on my name.” - -I advised him to let matters remain as they were, inasmuch as he could -produce no proof of the facts, and little would be gained by stirring up -the affair. - -“But I do not need proof of facts, they would have my wo’d of honah, -suh!” - -I explained the uncertain value of a “wo’d of honah” in that part of the -country. I refrained from telling him that I thought his reputation -would not be much improved by his explanation, for he would at least -still be regarded as an “accessory after the fact” because of his -admission of the protection to Speed. - -“By the way, Colonel,” I asked, in order to change the subject, “what -did you finally do about Pud Calkins?” - -“Pud Calkins? I killed him, suh, at Vicksbu’g. That cuss disappeahed -entiahly f’om from memoahs while I was in jail, and I assuah you, suh, -that I heaved a sigh of relief when that man fell. I can now go ahead -with my combination novel and memoahs without his bobbing up and down in -the plot every time I sit down to write.” - -It occurred to me that the casualties among those whom the fates whirled -into the Colonel’s orbit were becoming rather numerous. - -“I am vehy sorry to tell you that when you come down heah again, you -will probably not find me,” he continued. “I am in a vehy bad -predicament about the place where I live. As you know, I inherited that -place in good faith, but I find theah has been a mo’tgage on it that I -didn’t know anything about. The damned editeh of that scurrilous sheet -has in some way got possession of that mo’tgage. I am unable to meet its -obligations, suh, and I must move, probably this winteh. I will go back -to Tennessee, wheah the sun shines without expense to anybody, and wheah -a gentleman commands respect even though he is unfo’tunate. I may have -to walk to Tennessee, but I will make a sho’t call at the home of that -buzza’d that runs that newspapah, the evening that I go away, suh!” - -The Colonel and I had spent happy days together, and it was with genuine -sadness that I bade him farewell a few days later. He was a mellow old -soul, ruled by emotions, and not by reason, drifting aimlessly on a sea -of troubles, totally lost to every consideration except his childish -vanity and the memories of a threadbare chivalry. He easily adjusted his -conscience to any point of view that conformed to his interest, and -suffered keenly from sensitiveness. Fate had thrown him into an -environment with which he could not mingle, and it was perhaps better -that he should go. When all else failed, there was a world in his -imaginative brain in which he could live, and woe to those who have not -these realms of fancy when the shadows come. - -When I visited the river the following spring I arranged with my friend -Muskrat Hyatt to provide me with the shelter of his stranded house boat, -and to act as “pusher” and general utility man in my expeditions on the -river and marsh. - -“Rat” was always interesting, and I anticipated a delightful two weeks. - -One of the first trips we made was down to the Big Marsh, where we -intended to camp for a day or two on a little island that was scarcely -ever visited. It was thirty or forty yards long and half as wide. There -were a few trees, some underbrush and fallen timber on the islet. The -place was deserted, except for a blue heron that winged away in awkward -flight as we approached. There was no reason for stopping there, but a -wayward fancy and a desire to see the vast marsh in its different moods. - -After we landed I asked Rat about the Colonel. - -“The Colonel’s place was sold under a mortgage last fall, an’ that ol’ -maid that swore fer ’im at the trial bid it in, an’ its in her name, an’ -now the Colonel’s married the old maid, so there y’are. - -“That ol’ feller come down to the store one mornin’ an’ him an’ Tip had -a fight, an’ Tip got licked. The Colonel an’ Seth Mussey had come in a -buggy, an’ they was goin’ on from Tip’s to the county seat to see the -editor of the paper. It was all about that safe blowin’ case, an’ the -Colonel accused Tip of start’n all the talk about ’im. Bill Wirrick an’ -me got a rig an’ went to the county seat, fer we thought the Colonel was -goin’ to lick the editor ag’in an’ we wanted to see the fun, but the -editor was out of town. The Colonel went up to see the ol’ maid an’ they -was married the next day. I guess she had some money, fer they took the -cars an’ said they was goin’ down south. - -“The Colonel went to the postmaster an’ told ’im to tell the editor, -w’en ’e got home, that if ’e ever put the Colonel’s name in ’is paper -ag’in, er any name that sounded like his, he’d kill ’im, an’ I guess the -editor b’lieved it, fer ’e didn’t mention nothin’ about the wedd’n w’en -’e got back. - -“People don’t think the Colonel blowed open that safe after all. He -never flashed no wealth around afterwards, and the way he beat up that -editor fer sayin’ things about ’im, sort a squared ’im up.” - -We erected our little tent, and Rat busied himself with collecting fuel. -He attacked a long hollow log with his axe. When it was split open we -found an old gray coat, that had at some time been stuffed into the -decayed interior. We laid the coat out on the ground and Rat extracted a -discolored brass key from one of the pockets, and a wad of hairy -material, that proved to be a set of false chin whiskers. In a damaged -manilla envelope, that we found in an inside pocket, was a certificate -of the honorable discharge of Jasper Montgomery Peets, as a private in -the Confederate Army. - -The mildewed relics, with their eloquent though silent story, were -convincing. - -“I s’spose ’e thought that gray coat was gitt’n too pop’lar with -possees, an’ ’e concluded to shed it,” remarked Rat. “Say, wasn’t that -feller a peach?” - -I agreed that he was. - -I sat for a long time on the sloping bank of the islet, and mused over -the soul mates that, like migrating songsters, had winged their way to -the balmy southland when the leaves had fallen, and the skies had become -gray. I thought of Anastasia’s hungry heart, and the precarious resting -place it had found. - -The Colonel’s “plot” had certainly been woven to a consistent end; the -“mystehious veiled lady” had glided into its web, and there was a -wedding on the last page. - - - - - IX - HIS UNLUCKY STAR - - -I had stopped on the old bridge in the twilight to look upon the glories -of a dreamy afterglow, and the gnarled tree forms that were etched -against its symphony of color far away down the river. Just above the -bands of purple and orange the evening star was coming out of a sea of -turquoise, and its radiance was creeping into the waters below the -trees. I heard a light foot fall behind me. - -“Excuse me, mister, have you got a match?” - -I turned and saw an odd looking little man, of perhaps fifty, with a -squirrel skin cap and ginger colored hair and beard, who laid down a -burden contained in a gunny sack, and approached deferentially. - -As I produced the match he brought forth a virulent looking pipe that -seemed to consist mostly of solidified nicotine. - -“I don’t seem to have no tobacco neither,” he continued ruefully, as he -fumbled in his pockets. - -I gave him a cigar, a portion of which he broke up and stuffed into his -pipe. He carefully stowed the remainder in his vest pocket and began to -smoke composedly. - -I asked him if he lived in the neighborhood. - -“No, my place is about two miles from here. I’ve ben up the river after -some snake root that’s wanted right away by the man I do business with. -My name’s Erastus Wattles an’ I get all kinds of herbs around ’ere fer a -man that sells ’em to the medicine makers somewheres down east.” - -We sat on the bridge rail and talked for some time, and I became much -interested in my new acquaintance. He spoke in a low voice, and his -manner seemed rather furtive. He told me much of the herbs and rare -plants that grew in the river country, and of his attempts to cultivate -ginseng. “Certain influences” had repeatedly caused failures of his -crop. - -“That’s a fine scene out yonder,” he remarked, and the splendid glow of -Jupiter in the western sky led to a subject that I found had enthralled -his life, and his eyes quickened with a new light as he told me his -story. - -When he was a young man he had studied for the stage, but had made a -failure of this, and had gone to work on an Ohio river steamboat as a -clerk. A very old man, with long white whiskers and green spectacles -came on board at Louisville late one night. He wanted to go to Cairo, -but lacked a dollar of the amount necessary for his boat fare. He stated -that he was a professor of astrology, and offered to cast the horoscope -of anybody on the boat who would supply the deficiency. After an -eloquent exposition of the wonders of astrology by the professor, -Wattles furnished the dollar and the date and hour of his birth. - -Amid the jibes of the other employees on the boat he received his -horoscope just before the landing was made at Cairo. The aged seer -departed down the gang plank and disappeared. - -This was the turning point in the life of Erastus Wattles. - -He sought a secluded place on the boat and studied the several closely -written pages of foolscap, that were pinned together and numbered, and -found that the old man had done a conscientious and thorough job. - -Wattles extracted a large worn envelope from an inside pocket. It -contained the document, which he said he always carried with him, and he -asked me to read it. - -On the first page was the circle of the horoscope, divided into its -twelve “houses,” and above it was the “nativity” with the “sidereal -variation” noted. - -In the “delineation,” which occupied the remaining pages, were black -clouds of misfortune. If Wattles had selected his hour of birth he could -not have found one in the whole gamut of heavenly chords when his -entrance into the world would have been more inopportune. - -Mars was “on the ascendant in Taurus” and was his “significator” -and “ruling planet.” Its position in relation to the other -“malefics”—Saturn, Uranus and Neptune—all of which were above the -horizon, was most disastrous. Two malefics were “poised upon the -cusp of the House of Money,” indicating that Wattles “would go -broke, and remain so during life.” The moon was also in a hostile -square at the time. - -The hoary headed astrologer had “dived into the Abyss of Futurity, and -through a glass darkly” he had seen “a pale light.” It illumined a life -of hopeless sorrow and futility. Ever and anon the blood red eye of Mars -gleamed with a baleful glow upon the destiny under consideration. When -Mars was off duty Saturn took up the malign rod, which was yielded to -Uranus and Neptune when he passed temporarily into other fields of -astral activity to indicate misfortunes of other people. - -Periods of deep perplexities were apparent—when Wattles must not engage -in new ventures, or talk with men over sixty, or with women under -forty—when he must not deal with farmers, or have anything to do with -people with red hair or bushy eyebrows. He was not to ask favors, -travel, trade, write letters or marry, when the moon was in its first or -last quarter, or have anything to do with surgeons or tradesmen when the -moon was in conjunction with Saturn. Flying pains in limbs and joints, -warts, boils, and accidents to the head were indicated at these periods. -New enterprises might be undertaken when the sun was in Leo, but not if -Neptune was stationary in Aries at that time, or if Venus was -retrogressing in Cancer or Capricorn. - -When Jupiter and Venus were together in Libra there would be -particularly distressing periods for Wattles. When Jupiter passed into -Sagittarius there might be temptation to make merry, but in the midst of -mirth he must remember death, for almost fatal accidents, and possibly -severe illness were indicated for these times, which were pregnant with -calamity. - -A certain retrogression of Uranus in Leo in the fifth year after the -casting, with the sun hyleg, Mars in Aquarius, and the moon in -Capricorn, indicated a liver complaint, with pains in the back and head, -an almost fatal accident from an explosive compound, and interference in -his affairs by a fat person—probably a female with a retreating chin, -whose significator would be the malefic Neptune. A minor sub-related -transit “might change this female to a dark haired woman with pointed -features, who would spread strange reports with a bitter tongue, but in -an unknown language.” - -No illnesses, accidents or women materialized in that year, and Wattles -thought they were all side tracked by a retrogression of Mercury in -Virgo. - -The influence of an evil minded woman, whose ruling planet was Saturn, -was indicated during the eleventh year. Long arms, freckles and a high -instep were suggested, as Antares would be in Gemini when she came into -the sketch. Wattles had assumed that this peril had been fended off by -an unsuspected transit. He had stayed in the woods as much as possible -while Antares was in Gemini, and had spoken to no female during the -eleventh year, but afterwards learned that the postmistress, who -answered the description, had told an inquirer that no such man as -Wattles lived in that part of the country. Somebody had tried to find -him with a view of making a large herb contract, which had been thereby -lost, so, after all, the indication was correct. - -Under the heads of “Heredity,” “Mental Faculties,” “Moral Qualities,” -and “Disposition,” it appeared that Wattles possessed most of the -characteristics of a goat. The “cause” was “obscure” but assiduous -effort might gradually overcome some of the tendencies. - -In the twenty-second year, which was yet to come, the two malefics, -Saturn and Neptune, would retrograde in Taurus. Mars and the Moon would -be in Aquarius, and this would probably mean that Wattles would have an -affliction of the stomach, and would lose one or both legs if he waded -in unclear waters. - -There were so many things to look out for that he was dazed with their -complexity. He was horrified by the “variations” and “transits of evil -omen” that were possible in unexpected quarters when the rest of the sky -was apparently free. Temporizing signs and harmless transits were rare. -Malign conjunctions and oppositions were leading features of every month -in the calendar. - -At one of the periods, when the moon and Ceres would be in opposition, -and Venus “in trine” with Neptune, Wattles would die of an unindicated -disorder. - -He had certainly got his dollar’s worth. With Mars careering continually -through the Zodiac, and all the other malefics falling into conjunction -and opposition at the most fateful times, he saw little prospect of -escaping an astrological coil that reeked with woe. For him there was no -balm in Gilead, or anywhere else in the universe. Like many others he -let the blessings of existence take care of themselves, and was -concerned solely with its ills. Apparently he was hopelessly enmeshed, -but instinctively he struggled on. - -The far seeing sage delineated a collateral variation indicating that -the subject of the horoscope would, within a year after its casting, -become a disciple, and possibly a practitioner, of a certain ancient -science that had to do with the heavenly bodies, but the indication was -not quite clear as to its name. - -Impelled by this covert and ingeniously mystic suggestion, Wattles had -procured all the literature he could find on the subject of astrology, -and had studied it carefully. He hoped that he might find error in his -horoscope, but the more he studied the more he believed. He had been -touched with a hypnotic wand and had drifted into the toils of a -remorseless power. - -The opinion expressed by one of his friends on the steamboat that “the -old party who cast the horoscope was probably drunk” had no weight with -Wattles. There were too many confirmations of planet positions and -significations in the astrological almanacs and related literature that -he had succeeded in accumulating. - -There was a postscript at the end of the delineation. Somewhere in the -realms of infinite space the white bearded prophet felt the presence of -a strange and malign star, that, for lack of data at hand, could not be -named. Its unknown orbit dimly intersected the fate lines of Wattles. At -some crisis in his affairs it would unexpectedly become manifest and -would have a woeful significance. - -Wattles pondered long upon the missing star in his horoscope, and had -vainly sought it in his studies. There appeared to be nothing in his -books that could lead to a solution, and the unknown malefic besieged -his soul with a haunting fear. - -“I got to keep track of all them heavenly bodies, and if that damn star -ever shows up I must get a line on it,” he declared, as he folded up his -horoscope. “I’ve got all the almanacs, and I know where ev’rything is -all the time. I’ve studied astrology ’till I’ve ben black in the face, -and I’m an expert caster. I’m goin’ to cast horoscopes right along now. -There’s my significator comin’ up, an’ its in Aquarius now,” he -remarked, and he pointed to Mars that had just scaled the tree tops in -the east. - -He offered, “for the small sum of fifty cents,” to sell me an unlabelled -bottle of brown liquid, which he said was “an excellent tonic” that he -made himself. He called it “Wahoo Bitters.” I made the purchase and -placed the precious compound on the bridge rail. - -He took a small book from his pocket, which he consulted for a moment, -and then invited me to visit him if I would come at a particular hour on -Thursday of the following week. This I promised to do if possible. He -told me how to find his house, gratefully accepted another cigar, and -bade me good night. He then softly mingled with the shadows of the woods -with his bag of roots. I pushed the Wahoo Bitters gently over into the -river and continued my walk. - -He was a strange and pathetic figure. Naturally superstitious, he had -become imbued with illusions, that for ages have lured the imaginations -of those who have reached blindly into the unknowable and found only the -Ego—the “ruling star” in all horoscopes. Verily, to man, the luminary of -the greatest magnitude in the universe is himself. Not content to be -silly over little things, he must needs prowl among the constellations -and there spin the web of his puny personal affairs, as in theology he -assumes the particular concern of the Almighty with his daily doings. - -Ancient as astrology is, it is not as old as conceit. - -I was curious to know more of Wattles. At heart I scoffed, but concluded -to keep my engagement and ask him to cast my horoscope. On the appointed -day I made the little journey. The road led through the woods for a mile -or so to a big oak tree that Wattles had described. Here a narrow path -left it and followed the course of the river to a long bayou. Beyond the -end of the bayou I found some high ground on which perhaps an acre had -been cleared. Near the farther edge of the clearing was an unpainted -single story house with low eaves. There was some queer looking frame -work, and a small platform on the roof. - -As I approached the door I was confronted with cabalistic -characters—painted in black on the wood work. The signs of the Zodiac -appeared around the rim of a roughly drawn circle. On a blue background -at the top of the door were four stars and a crescent moon in yellow. I -assumed that the stars represented the malefics in Wattles’ horoscope. - -In response to my knock, he opened the door. - -“Well, I’m glad to see you!” he exclaimed. “I didn’t think you’d come. I -thought mebbe you might size me up for a queer bird after all that talk -we had on the bridge. Set down an’ make yourself comfortable.” - -He flung a villainous looking maltese tom cat, that he addressed as -“Scorpio,” out of a crippled rocking chair, and I occupied the vacated -space. - -As Scorpio fled through a hole in the bottom of the door, that -apparently had been cut for his benefit, I noticed that he was much -scarred. One ear was gone, his left eyelid was missing, there were bare -places on him where the fur had been removed, evidently with violence, -and his tail was not complete. These things imparted a sinister aspect, -and I did not like him. He looked like a thoroughly bad cat, and was -probably a malefic. - -It would seem fit that a cat found amid such uncanny surroundings should -be black instead of maltese, but as this is a veracious chronicle it is -necessary to adhere to facts. - -We spent some time in desultory conversation before I mentioned the -ostensible object of my visit. - -“Now,” said Wattles, “before I do anything about your horoscope, I want -to show some I’ve ben casting,” and he began pulling over some papers on -his shelves. - -While he was doing this I looked around the strange room. - -A row of bottles on one of the shelves contained various small reptiles -with filmy orbs that peered out through alcohol. From the end of the -shelf a stuffed badger stared fixedly and disdainfully, with dull glass -eyes, at a moth eaten coon that returned the gaze from a pedestal in a -darkened corner. A dismal and tattered owl occupied a perch above the -coon. One of his glass eyes had dropped out, but with the other he -regarded the offending badger sadly. - -A dried snake skin, with several dangling rattles, was tacked on the -wall back of the stove, with a few Indian relics—bows, arrows, and a -spear head—that were arranged on each side of it. Some butterflies with -broken wings, and beetles, impaled on pins, were scattered through the -spaces around the relics. A number of colored botanical prints and -astronomical charts were pinned on the walls, and there were cobwebs in -the upper corners that appeared to be inhabited. - -Some bunches of withered herbs and a broken violin hung above the -window. On a table near it was a violet tinted globe of solid glass, -about six inches in diameter. It was mounted on a block of wood. Wattles -afterwards explained that this was a “magic crystal of marvellous -power,” and that it “pictured prophetic visions under certain -influences.” - -The air in the room had a pungent musty odor, as of dried roots and -plants, and I thought that a pile of small sacks back of the stove might -contain something of the kind. - -Wattles finally produced copies of the horoscopes and I was pleased to -find among them those of my friends Tipton Posey, Bill Stiles and “Rat” -Hyatt. - -As Wattles traded at Posey’s store, his horoscope had probably been -exchanged for merchandise. - -Posey’s nativity was exceptionally fortuitous. Jupiter was his -significator, and the other benefics were advantageously placed at the -hour of his birth. In the delineation it appeared that there were few -blessings that would escape him as long as he was kind to friends and -not too fond of money. His historical parallel was a certain ancient -Persian king, who, after a long and happy reign, was suffocated in a -shower of gold. - -He would be fortunate in his dealings with all those who had to do with -medicines of any kind. It would always be safe for him to extend credit -when any of the benefics were above the horizon, and at any time that -the sun was in Aquarius, Scorpio, or Leo. It would be a bad time for -Posey to ask for money, or to try to collect debts of any kind, when -Mercury was in opposition to Mars, when the moon was full, or partially -so, when the sun was in Virgo, Taurus, or Aries, or when two or more of -the malefics were above the horizon. Persons born under Posey’s planet -were tactful and magnetic, had much power over the minds of others and -were model housewives. They were proud, dignified and conservative, -intolerant of wrong, and well adapted to fill representative positions. -Usually they had piercing intellects and triumphed in all things. They -were at times inclined to avarice, and to be suspicious of others, and -this must be strongly guarded against. There was a dark warning against -the acquirement of too much wealth. - -In his magic crystal Wattles dimly saw a figure that looked like Posey, -but the head was that of some kind of a beast. It sat upon a rock with a -big bag of gold, with which it had climbed a weary hill. Beyond was a -shady bower among the trees, under which dwelt happy hours. The way was -blocked by two black rams, that signified opposition. The figure could -not go on, for its fair form had been changed by the winning of the -gold. - -Far beyond the bower was a wonderful city with brilliant domes. Its -towers sparkled with ruby and pearl, and unto this bright city the -figure could never go, because of its brutish aspect that betokened -greed. - -Bill Stiles’s ruling star was Saturn, and his nativity was questionable. -The planet’s position, with regard to the moon and Mars in Leo, -indicated a Master Spirit, subject to many variations of fortune. The -tendencies were modified by the benign presence of Arcturus and Venus in -Aries at his natal hour. Two famous Roman emperors had almost identical -nativities. Bill was studious, veracious, instinctively noble and -imperious. He had an iron will, abhorred deception in others, and was -stern and able. He would be warlike and refractory when Mars was in the -square of Saturn. When his significator was in Aquarius, he would be -liable to serious errors of judgment, and he would have great potency -for evil. He would succeed in undertakings that would bring fame. -Certain literary work, upon which he was now engaged, was likened to -that of the ancient Jewish historian Josephus. At some period when -Mercury and Venus were in opposition, and the moon was in Capricorn, -Bill would fall to rise no more. - -Venus was ascendant in Virgo when Rat Hyatt came into the world, but the -watchful eye of Saturn in Leo was upon him. The benign love star was not -allowed to monopolize his fortunes. There were three malefics in -strategic sectors that betokened danger. The moon was coyly ensconced -with respect to Venus, and thus neutralized the dire influences to some -extent. Counterparts of Rat’s characteristics, indicated by planetic -conditions at his birth, were found in Richard Coeur de Lion and Marcus -Aurelius. They evidenced one “skilful in command, ambitious, cautious, -strenuous, obstinate, active, yet indolent at times, versatile, -inventive, acute and self confident, busy in all things, terrible in -anger, intrepid and invincible when roused, loyal to friends and modest, -yet fond of applause.” - -There were many dark spots in the picture, aspected by the moon, that -were fraught with peril, and Hyatt must beware of the angry Saturn. Mars -was also an interfering factor. Rat must never go below a certain bend -in the river during a waning moon, or in the summer time, and must shun -women with protruding teeth. (An obvious allusion to Hyatt ’s friend, -Malindy Taylor, whom Wattles admired from afar.) - -In a vision in Wattles’s crystal, while Rat Hyatt was under -consideration, there appeared a tall skeleton, with a helmet and a fiery -spear. It wore a breast plate on which was inscribed “_Sent from God_.” -The bony arms waved the spear, and the crystal was suffused with red. - -The interpretation was that Hyatt would be wanted in the near future. - -In another crystal vision, a slowly moving figure, with a sorrow -stricken mien, and a halo above its head, approached a water’s edge and -contemplated men who drew a net. When the meshes came upon the sand the -figure stooped, took from them one of the fish, and cast it back into -the sea. A darkness then came upon the face of the waters. - -Wattles divined that this signified something in connection with Hyatt, -and that “the fish was no good.” - -As I finished reading the horoscopes the tom cat Scorpio returned -through the hole in the door and crawled under the stove with a chipmunk -he had caught in the woods. - -“That crystal was at one time in India,” explained Wattles, as he placed -the horoscopes between the leaves of a big book. “The Buddhists used it, -and it was stolen by a desecrater of a temple, who fled to Italy. There -it was used by a great astrologer and magician for over fifty years. -From Italy it went to England and into the possession of the world -renowned Zadkiel. After that it went to New York by inheritance. I -bought it from a man in Cincinnati for two dollars. He did not know what -it was, but I did, for it was fully described in some books I have. I -believe it to be the celebrated Lady Blessington crystal that was -exhibited in London before all the nobility in 1850. I will show you how -it works.” - -He placed the crystal on the window ledge, and into a little pan, -between it and the light, he poured some gray powder from a wide mouthed -bottle. He lighted the powder and a pale yellow smoke ascended. He then -covered his head and half of the globe with a black cloth, as one would -do in focussing a camera. In this way all light was excluded except that -which passed through the smoke and crystal into the darkened space under -the cloth. - -“I am not expecting to see any visions now,” he continued, “but for all -that there may be one there.” He was silent for some time and then asked -me to look. - -I carefully adjusted the cloth and gazed upon the luminous orb. Owing to -the wreaths of smoke on the other side of the globe, there were weird -filmy changes in the field of light. A dark indistinct form seemed to -wander in the dim depths of the crystal. The movement ceased near the -center. - -I told Wattles what had happened, and asked him to interpret it, but he -made no reply. I withdrew the cloth and found that the mysterious -apparition had been produced by the blurred magnification of the -silhouette of a blue bottle fly that was crawling about on the light -side of the crystal. - -Wattles said, in a regretful, kindly tone, that the influences were not -quite right for the visions. He had found by the test that I was a -skeptic, and, when looked into by unbelievers, the crystal remained -clouded and never “visualized.” I accepted the explanation humbly. - -“Now,” said he, “I want you to see my observatory.” He took a long -marine spy glass from behind the books on the shelf and we ascended a -rickety ladder to a trap door in the roof, by means of which we reached -an enclosed platform over the house. - -“By get’n’ up here I command a better horizon than I would from the -ground,” he explained, as he adjusted the spy glass into the top of some -revolving frame work. From the low seat near it he could inspect the -heavens to his heart’s content. Through the glass I scrutinized a flock -of turbulent crows around some tree tops beyond the river a mile or so -away, and it appeared to be an excellent instrument of its kind. - -In this humble eyrie I could fancy Wattles communing with the stars on -quiet nights, listening to their spiritual voices, gazing with -apprehension upon the hovering malefics, and searching the immutable -heavens for the missing orb of his horoscope. - -Like the Chaldeans of old upon their lonely watch towers in the dawn of -history, he contemplated the bejewelled scroll, and beheld the endless -processions of mighty planets that, in his belief, cycled through -infinity to fashion minute destinies on the distant speck of earth. The -flying shuttling spheres were weaving the mottled fabrics of the fates -of men, and, among them was the frail and ill-starred web of Wattles. -After all, was he of less consideration than all the others who assume -the creation of the universe to be a vast design for the final glory of -humanity? - -We descended from the platform, and Wattles conducted me to his -“labertory,” a small room at the rear of the house. - -Several large kettles were scattered about, and, on a low platform was a -large alembic. A big stove stood near the chimney. Stacked along the -shelves were baskets of dried leaves, flowers and berries, piles of -various herbs, bundles of wild cherry and wahoo bark, and bags of flag -and snake roots. - -The tom cat Scorpio had followed us and he sniffed suspiciously around a -barrel in the corner, in which there were probably mouse nests. - -“This is where I make them celebrated Wahoo Bitters,” Wattles announced -proudly, as he pointed to a row of filled bottles on one of the shelves. -“I got the formula from Waukena, the old Injun squaw that used to live -up in Whippoorwill Bayou. All the Injuns used to take it when they got -sick, but they didn’t ’ave such improved ways of makin’ it as I got. -They used to drop red hot stones in with the things its made of, and I -think that killed part o’ the edge the bitters ought to have on ’em when -they’re done. They didn’t know how to combine certain chemical -diffusions and decant ’em off the way I do. I sell a good deal o’ them -bitters around ’ere. Posey keeps ’em at the store an’ there’s lots of -other places where they have ’em in the stores.” - -We left the “labertory” and I heard the sound of a swift scrape along -the floor. I inferred that Scorpio had made a seizure. - -Wattles kindly asked me to have some lunch with him. It was more of a -“feed” than a repast. Late in the afternoon I finished my rather -prolonged but interesting visit. - -Wattles wanted to show me his garden, and we walked out into the -clearing along the edge of a deep ravine back of the house. Some of the -vegetables in the garden had struggled hard for existence. - -“Look at them beets!” he exclaimed ruefully. “I planted ’em under -exactly proper lunar aspects and I ain’t got a damn beet in the patch.” - -He promised to leave my horoscope at Posey’s store in about a week. I -thanked him for his many courtesies and departed. I noticed that he did -not invite me to make him another visit. - -It happened that nearly six months elapsed before I was in that part of -the country again. I inquired at the store for my horoscope and found -that it had been left according to agreement. It was a thrilling -document and I found much amusement in it. - -I had a chat with Posey out on the platform, and he told me that my -astrological friend had got into all kinds of trouble. - -“That feller was a pippin,” he declared; “the slickest that ever lived -around ’ere, an’ we’ve had some pretty good ones. He was foregathered by -the officers for makin’ queer half dollars up to his place an’ the devil -was to pay. The coins was finished up so fine you c’d hardly tell ’em. -He shipped ’em out with the herbs ’e sent to some feller away off, an’ -it was a long time before they traced ’em. He had a little furnace in -the cellar under ’is house that ’e went down into through a trap door in -the floor, an’ they was a tunnel from the cellar out to the side of the -ravine back of the house that ’e’d dug to git away by if anybody ever -come after ’im. - -[Illustration: - - THE SHERIFF -] - -“That Wahoo Bitters fluid ’e made was hot stuff. It was about -three-quarters bad alcohol. You c’d take three er four fair sized doses -an’ you’d want to go out an’ throw stones at yer folks. Ev’rybody was -buyin’ it. Old Swan Peterson took it reg’lar an’ half the time ’e didn’t -know ’is name. I used to leave Bill in charge o’ the store when I went -off duck shoot’n. He slep’ upstairs, an’ would always ’ave a spell o’ -sickness while I was away, an’ ’e’d come down in the night an’ drink up -the stock. He’d git a skinfull an’ sometimes he’d stay corned three -days. They wasn’t no money in that an’ I had to quit carryin’ it. All -the owls in the woods up and down the river hoot ‘Wahoo-Wahoo’ an’ that -always advertised ’is dope, but I guess ’e made more money in ’is little -furnace than ’e did out o’ Wahoo. - -“Them dizzy dreams ’e wrote about us fellers made me think ’e was looney -fer awhile, an’ that the moon ’ad addled ’im when ’e was roostin’ up -among them sticks on top of ’is coop at night, but you bet there wasn’t -nuth’n looney about ’im. He had a wise head, all except git’n away with -it.” - -Posey’s story was rather lengthy and involved, but it seemed that a -quiet and thorough investigation of the affairs of the versatile Wattles -had been made by a government detective. His place was visited one day -during his absence. The small furnace, some moulds, and other -counterfeiter’s paraphernalia were discovered, and several hundred -excellent imitations of Uncle Sam’s legal tender and Pullman porter tips -were found hidden under rubbish that concealed the entrance to the -underground exit from the cellar. The opening in the ravine was well -protected from observation by vegetation. - -Two secret service men, accompanied by the sheriff, had come quietly up -the river in a boat late one night. One of the party stole up the path -along the bayou, one approached through the ravine, and the other -remained with the boat at the entrance to the bayou. - -Wattles heard suspicious sounds and his lights went out. He crept -noiselessly through his secret exit, and at its end he saw the missing -evil star of his horoscope. It was on the vest of the officer who -awaited him at the mouth of the tunnel. - -With the three malefics who came in the boat, poor Wattles, ever a child -of misfortune, and the accursed of the heavenly spheres, went forth to -meet the vengeance of the law, and the scarred tom cat Scorpio was alone -with the visions in the crystal. - - -[Illustration: THE END] - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES - - - 1. P. 232, changed “Sic Semper Tyranus” to “Sic Semper Tyrannis”. - 2. Silently corrected typographical errors and variations in spelling. - 3. Anachronistic, non-standard, and uncertain spellings retained as - printed. - 4. Enclosed italics font in _underscores_. - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's Tales of a Vanishing River, by Earl Howell Reed - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK TALES OF A VANISHING RIVER *** - -***** This file should be named 61017-0.txt or 61017-0.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/6/1/0/1/61017/ - -Produced by Richard Tonsing, ellinora, and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.) - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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