Book Description

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1920 edition. Excerpt: ... 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. "Some day," remarked Bill, "a cold...