Page:The autobiography of a Pennsylvanian.djvu/530

 vanted to puy a gun, den I dells 'em, if dey pring a gun home I vill preak it to bieces, and dat stopped 'em. Vonce I caught a rappit in a drap pehint de parn and den I vas sorry. And I nefer goes a-fishin',” he added. “Ven ve first moved to Schwenksville I said to my vife, ‘Now, I vill catch a mess of fish in de Berkiomen.’ Den I puys a net and sets it in de grick, and next morning sure enough it vas chust vull of fish. Den I sets it again and dere came a high vater and avay vent de net down to Philadelphey and dat ended my fishin'. I pelieve it is petter to let de rappits and de pirds and de fish go dere own vay, and I lets 'em alone.”

“My fadder,” said John, “he vas a strong man. Vy he could stant on de grount and chust take a horse by de mane and chump right on to de mittle of his pack. I haf seen him do it many a time ven he vas forty years olt. He say efery young man ought to be able to do dat much, but I nefer could. I could stant on a little hill and chump on to de horse's pack, but not from de efen grount.”

He pulled his long beard further down toward his suspender buttons, and a sly twinkle came into his blue eyes, which were fastened intently upon me. Finally he said:

“You got that Gebert blace awful cheap. You could not puild de house for twenty-five huntert tollars, and you got a parn and twenty-tree acres of lant peside. Olt Chonny Markley vas in too much of a hurry. But he vas tired of de whole pusiness and chust so he got rid of it, dat vas all.

“I must dell you a liddle story about dat blace. It vas maybe fifteen years ago ven de Pennsylbany Railroat sent a lot of enchineers up de Berkiomen Falley to lay out annodder railroat. Dese enchineers, dey stopped at olt Dafy Bean's davern. Olt Dafy, he feeds 'em efery morning wiss molasses pies and sugar pies and abble pies and blum pies and eferysing vat vas goot. So pefore dey goes avay 510