The Yazoo Democrat., 1852-12-22
Communicated.
PossuM Flat, Dec. 5th, 1852.

ted IN your moose paper, lelllu lolhS WIZ an
whar | cum frum, and what's my principles
In the fust place, hale from Tar River, n. Car
liner, and kin tell rosom and simmons from
sperits and herrin' fish, st about as slick as any
one you ever seed, to have no book larnin'
My principuls is this. I'm agin' bank paper,
temperance societies, and the British and in for
far fights, notification, and Gineral Jacksun.
You see, Mister. Printer, them's my sentiments,
and that's my way sayin' 'em. Who's afeerd
If any body is, faint old Dannel, sure. alters
go in for man what'll stand squar up to the
rack, and don't keep shyin' round psntS, like a
temperance man, or moon-eyed hoss' round a
black stump. Thar's gwine to be a weddin' in
the naburhood afore long, and the old'oman and
Nancy bein' axed, they're alters pesterE' me
about gittin' 'em new kaliker frocks. / bring
our truck to market next week the old 'omans
got monstrous chance of eggs, yarn, and bees
wax, that she wants to trade for ribbons, kaliker,
and sich tricks, for Nancy at the weddin'.
Poor things! they haint never been in city,
and when they do come, they'll be skeerd to
deth Almost, reckon. They is alters akin me
how city looks, how the houses is fixt, what a
steamboat is like and what the town foxes would
charge 'em to heer the meetin'- house bell ring.
and the telegratf talk. l do think wimmen is
the curusest creeturs ever seed When we
do cum, reckon as how, we'll have to let Joe
cum along. jist to kumfort him little. You
see, Snap and Joe was mighty friendly as boys
and dogs alters is, you know but Snap he cotch
his deth ftin' for his country, tother week, and
you never did see poor 5ein' take on so as Joe
has ever since. do rally bleeve. Mister Printer
that for varmints, Snap wasn't to be beat by
nary other dog livin. Well, 'tother week, one
evenin', we heerd him barkln and barkin'
down the holler not fur off, and the old oman,
says she, Dannel, that dogs treed something, go
down and see what it is. / wouldn't wonder if
it's that nasty possum what's broke up all my
turkeys nests, and killed most all of old Specks
chickens. do wish the nasty thing could be
cotch. Well, down went and as soon as Snap
seed me, he kinder wagged his tail, looked up the
tree, and yelped out in rail earnest. | knowed
then, right straight, that there was somethin'
freed mere'n common. Talk to it. old dog"
sez /. Tell the thing your names Snap Dubbs,
aud your trades growling thunder and givin' fits
to varmiuts by lookin' at em. Terrectly some
thin jumped, and heer it cum through the leeves
and Inns, kerwhallop! Jist as it teehed the
ground, Snap he yoked it--and crimeny how
they fit. Sometime one then tother was on
top, the sticks crackin'. the leeves fyiD', and
clappin' and hissin', like mad. At last,
Snap cotch the critter by the throat and choked
ts life rite out. | amt easy to skeer, Mister
Printer, but when cum to look at that thing
lose, my legs kinder wanted to be movin' off
With me. That thing was a catamount, and
most savagorous one tn. Poor Snap went and
aid himself in the leeves, and we had to carry
lin home. Joe nussed him., and poletussed his
and cried over him; but all wouldn't
10, he dide ickin' away the teers that dropped
N Joes hand, and lookin' sensible to the last.
The old oman sez Speck crowed three times that
-ery day. and she knowed then, rite straight, that
omettrin' bad would happen afore long.
Hewas monstrous fast dog tn; and, IN fact, |
vhen runnin's the game none of our famisy's |
low. tell you, Mister Printer, when Daniel
)ubbs was young wight, the feller what could
eet him in a foot race, wasn't to be found no
Vhar, and let me tell you that mighty few of the
oung 'uns can keep up with the old, even now.
here was Bill Skinner, who thought himself
readful fast colt, he cum all the way from 10th
r side of Lick Skillet to give me banter, and
7anted to bet leven cord of tan bark on the race.
'ut la! Bill couldn't run, he was no whar he
vent off mad as wet hen, a swearin' he'd jist
$ soon run agin' ray-hound.
One rotten tater will often spile whole pile
ist so it was with me when young; no one was
uieter and better conditioned. Twarn't long,
fter jinin' company, afore I begin to show sines
I material wickedness; and the old folks what
vas pious and belonged to church, shaked their
eds in KNOWN way, sayin'; lors how Dannel
)ubbs is changed; he's learned to drink, chaw
obacker, and cuss! The feller is gwine strait
Q the galns. There was Tom Sheppard, rail
ollickin' hoss of feller; him and me, you see,
vas alters great cronies and dreadful thick and
Thenever quiltin', corn shuckin', hoss race or
ny sich frolic come off, Tom and me was sure
0 be thar, on the lookout for fun. Tom danced |,
nazin well, specially jiggs, scratch gravel, and
ubble-shufie, and played for him.
/ used to fiddle for 'em at all their frolicks. !
nd none didn't go off we'll unless 1 was thar 10
lay. I've got a monstrous keen ear for rnnsicl,
nd kin git the hang Of q toon rite off. In them
ays, Mr., Printer. ! tell you what, / list knowed
That to do with fiddle zackly but lori that's
cen many q day ago, its more'n twenty years
lnce quit, and hain't fetched fiddle from
pat day to this, The way / cum to quilt was
nis, You see, Tom and me was gwine home
ne Sunday moFnin' afore day from quiltin',
thar we'd all been adancin' and 1rolickin' all