The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1851-05-31
Deacon Smiths Bull |;
OR MIKE FINK IN A TIuur pLAc

ta.'' ." aii Whia aPpeftainlng 10 human
prowess itwas even said that the animals in his
neighborhood knew tho crack of his rias and
would take to their secret hiding placss ON ths
first intlmation that Nike was about. Yet s,rany.
though true, he was but little known beyond his
immediate Settlement
When we knew him he was an old map-tb.
blasts OF seventy winters had silyersd Ger his
head and taken the elasticity from his limbs; vet
III the NLole of his life was Nike never worsted.
except upon one occasion To use his own Ian.
enage he neyer '.sin IN used mp to any thing that
travelled on two legs or four" bat once
That oace We want said Bill Slasher, rs somc
dozen Of us sat in the lar room Of the old tavern
in the settlement
Gin to US now, Mike-you've promised long
enough and you're old now, aud needn't care,"
continued Bill.
Right right. Bill" said Mike. but well open
with fteker all round fast it'll kind o save my
leelins, reokon--'
Thar, that's good Better than tother barrel
if any thing"
"Wen, boys commenced Mike, "you may talk
o your scrlnmagcs, light places, and sieh like
ana subtract EN- all together in one all mighty
hlg uh, aud they halnt no more to be compared 10,
The one l wur IN, than dead kitten to an old she
bar. I've iuut all kinds o voriniuts, from an In.
gun down TO rattlesnake and never wac wilu
t0qult lust but this once-and twas with a bull,
"You see. BOYS, it was AN awful hot d,u i,
August, and ! lYur nigh runnn off into pure ill.,
when war thinking that dip in the creek rnout
say" me. Well, thar was,a mighty nice place in
Old Deacon Smiths meder for that partic'lar biz.
.lncsS. list hauled tho Old red shirt over my
head, and war thnkin' how scrump,ious feller
o my size would feel II wtllcrin' round in that ar
water and was jest bout goin' in when seed
the old Deacon's bull maxim II B lipe 10 wbar
stood.
Il knowd the pli cuss, for he'd skar'J mara
people than all the parsons o the settlement anil
cum mighty near KILN few. Thinks |, Mike,
you're IN rather a tiqht MACE. vet yo,r ,;n's n,
or he'll be u dryin them biz horns o his in your
bowels afore that time. Well you'll have TO try
the old yarmnt naked. reckn.
"lhe bull war on one side O. the creek, nnd on
tother, and the way he made the sile t1y for /.
while, AS if lie war q diggin' my grave. war dis.
trcssin
Come on, We bcllerin' old hea,hin, said !. and
don't be a standin thar; for, as the old Deacon
says o the devil, yer not comely TO look on
This kind o reachd his understandin'. and
made him more wi,hous: for he hoof.d little
like, and made drive And ~ don't like to
stand many bodys way, gin him plenty of sea.
room! So he kind o passed me by and came cut
IN tother side; and as the captain o the Mud
Swamp Rangers would say, bout faced for ano-
ther charge
Though war ready f,r i'm this time. he come
mighty nigh runnin foul q me SO made up
my mind the next time he went out he wouldn't
he alone. So, when he pas,'d grappled his tail
and he pull'd me out on the siIr,' and as soon as
we were both a top Of the bunk, old brindl.
atoppd and war about cummiu' round agin " hen
',,4uI n ~ .,,tl.
well, reckn this kind o riled him, for he fiIst
stood stock still and looid at me for spell, and
then commenced PAWN aud b.llerin' and the way
he made his hind gcallu play Ia the air, war
beautiful.
'But it warn't no use, lie couldn't teeh ME. so
he Kind o stopped 20 get wind for suhn devilish,
as je'iged by the way he stared BY this time
| had made up my mind to stick to his tail as
long as it stuck TO his back bone | didn't like
to holler for help nuther kasc it war agin my
principle, and the deacon had preachin at his
house, and it want far oil, nuthcr.
knowd fhe h.ra tie noise, the hull congre-
CATION would come down; and as want a mar
RED man, and had kind o hankc ring arter gal
that war thar, didn't !eel as if would like to
be seed in that ar predicament.
So, says |, YOU old sarpent, do your cussedest |
And SO he did for he drug me over every briar
and stump IN the field, until war sweatin and
bIeedln like n fat bear with pack o hounds at
his heels. And my name amt Mike Fink, If the
old critters tail and didn't blow out sometimes
at dead level with the yarmiu'ts back
SO you may kalkelate we made good time
Bime by he slackened little, and then had him
for while, for Jest drapped behind stump and
thar snubbed the crtter Now, says /, you'll
pull up this ere white oak break yer tail! or
ust h,,ll nm I,t An ! tl,u,