Arkansas intelligencer., 1845-11-01
A PANTHER HUNT IN "oUR NECK.
BY TOBY SMALL

''ri''en expressly. for Tie ARKANSAS LtsHigencer.
"Wiil not our friend .TosY SMALL furnish US with
an account u the PaHtLsr HsRs.-Irks IEtsL Oct II.
Why Yes after so public and polite. or as m,
oft quoted friend blackboard BWy' would say
plain, open, CandId and uucouth" n request, Tob.
could do nothing less You shuud have it by al!
means, Mr.. lnlelllgencer, should the children 90
without their swcet.neals for it. BY the way.
you nav nj seen anything of my aforesaid friend
t"Awk"ard Billy down your way, have yua !
If you have, Just mention 1t TO Us Of our anX
iety. He left his bed and board sometime since
for parts no, mentioned. in search of hair-only
thnk-in search Of hair: and as he has not been
heard Of, 1t is presumed he has not found the com
modify ready manufactured and is stopping some.
where TO make it. II this be the case, he is put
ting himself 10 unnecessary trouble. But Ibis
isn't that Panther hun, by feet, says you, and |
say the same. It's an established fact, Mr.. In.
,eIIIgcncer, | believe, that there arc two very diff
icuh points in recitIng sory--the beginning and
the end ; in this instance, Of myself, however, ii
varies from the general rule, for | always find it
devsh dItiicult to commence and no trouble at
all 10 end. III roll up my sleeves, however, and
give YOU the best Turn I've got-hcre goes.
| You know Jim W. who hangs out in sour
Neck" He is hatchet.faced and hawk-bilIrd
which spoiIs his looks, that's fact, but does Mt
prevent him from being n clever follow. | met
him last summer in the "Pint.'
"Said |. how do you do, jim"
"HOdy" said he. He was tolerable shy, and
looked uneasy; knew what allied, bu! let on as
though dind'l.
"Why. what's the matter! you Iook depressed
hope nothing unfortunate has happened, you are
not hipped, are you!
NO" says he, raising his head to suit the word,
nothing unfortunate aint happenod-ant hpped
mother, but l'me moughty bad plagued.
Why, how now! come, come. untwlst!
"Now, you know well as do, your just
letting on you DON'T"
| assured him to the contrary. and urged MIN
10 acqualut mo with the cause which had pro-
duced so powerful an effect. -.
"Well" says he, hare been fooled, that's the
truth-every body knows ii, and if you don't,
had as well tell it to you myself, as any one else,
for hear ii you viii, before YOU nave ridden three
miles on this trail.
kept my face and he went on Zone evening
last harves., was a-tield with my hunds-n
the prairie tleld-Ii were gttlHg late, and | was
pushing TO get all my wheat in before night.
strange, unfamiliar noise, but hadn't paid much
attention 10 it. The last wheat was on the wagon,
and the team was about 10 move homewards, when
the SArilesI, koenest muse broke upon US that you
osor - i, was just like nothing ever hearn
atore. My boys, one and all, declared it waS a
painter, and mad one al !hat. Now, had never
seed q painter, nor never heard one neither, and |
always hearn tell, they make the damdesi
noiso of all varmlnts, just concluded it mought
be stray one, and no mistake. Well, while we
was thar settling what it was, and what we should
do, the varmlu! let loose again several times, one
straight after tother--them broke up our cogta-
ton, VIC hurried 10 the housc-thCre found
every thing IN uproar-women frightened and
screanlng-dogs barking, and tho cattle gathered
about following for dear life. Il was very ALARM.
tng tell you, and began to feel pretty consid- |
e.", era skeerd myself and amt ashamed TO own il.
ha' % IT, didn't well know, but mustered up
NY 'o'ee u"u U' nj ,nrd;ated, followed by four mig.
se'S' sA ,"ls' ,rs,J I"D dogs that was as
painters. as soon diskivered; for 6U.
the who!e Q! !!.a. dam tc!.om:, without making
least diskIvery.
The night was sorter darksh. and the briars
sorer ,hickish in the bottom. and reckon found
out what green briars war aforo got home, which
dam that pain!ur some. wien came 10 hnd my
face and hands striped like tus.te-nu9'gees legs
about "JM playing time" ii was just because
couldn't. | went 10 bed in bad humor, aud as
usual, lad bad dreams. thought my grey mare
was running thousand yards, agn Ike As
sorre, "lhc Ma;or," and he nbcn,inG her Just as
easy. | felt like wanted 10 get away, but
couldn't bulge a peg just then some one sad
Mas jim, tie painter bin IN de garden las! n'Shi,
and played old scratch with the lXngs." | dntI
start and jump like skeered people do Just rolled
over and over out o'bed and din'i raise fuss IN
the family--you know alters sleep behind and
had circumgyrated over the old woman and the
baby and such squalng as that young un kept
up, would have bin dislractng TO an old bachelor.
When come to my senses, which was purity soon
under the circumstances found ii was broad
day light, and grnnng Niger standing In the
door, declaring the painter had BIN IN the garden
the NIGHT afore, case he'd seen his signs Well,
reckon it war'nt long aforo was out, with MS.
GERS. dogs and lngns, and if we dn't beat up the
swamp tho night afore, We did 1t then. Every
rod of ground from Grand river, 10 the Nerd'grls
was ranSrcked, and if a painter had been in thar,
am heen 10 swear we'd found it certain. Long
,h,,; nine o'clock we fetched up n! the Ferry, and