Squatter sovereign., 1855-10-02
A. Bull Beat.

a Bull Beat.
.'Blast that crieter" roared Uncle Jess,
as he espied old Babcock's big rcd bull
numbering over gates and fences, and ma
king bee line for our cow-ya1d. "Blast
him do say! There goes two panels of
the new fence, smash, and cuss him, there
he goes Right over the grind-stone through
the cabbage patch -sm-m-m-ack into the
eow.yard!"
"Why the devil don't you set the dogs
OH him, Uncle JESSE" ventured to observe
as the whole family, big and little-Aunt
Katy and the whole co-fiulie Of the boys
and gals thronged the door, to see Bah
cocks bull perform his customary destruc-
ton to get into Uncle Jess's cow yard.
"Dogs be hanged! They won't tech
him; fear'd of him as death!''
"Shoot the ugly cuss, then, Uncle
Jess!' Eaaaa 81 @ass stE8aE
"Shoot HIM? Hains I tried that7 Pep
pered him one morning with my double
tarreiled gun-pipt of shot; no use, the
cussed critter minded it no more than he
does the flies; but dog.rotted ef L stand it
much longer; I've complained of him to
Babcock, nigh on to forty times; so have
the neighbors; Babcock swears he can't
keep the bull in-knocks down every
thing, and Glars out Jest when he's a min
TO-"
= "Uncle Jess" says I, "I'li floor him. or
put him to his trumps. if you'll stand the
damages"
Damages. Lord bless me, haint
stood EN- these twelve months? Damages!
Ef you'll drive him off, Dick, I'll give you
the sorrel colt and par o boots, Christ
mas, be hanged ef don't!" ~ -
"I'll try" says, taking up my gun, and
loading it with double handful Of buck
shot and powder, and calling the dogs, 1
started for the cow-yard, met the two gals,
with empty pals, curslng like troopers, old
Babcock's wild bull.
Looking over the fence espied the bull
amusing himselfw feats of gugglery, tos.
sing up Uncle Jess's hay-ricls, unhingine
barn doors, and tossing them upon his broad
horns as easy and delighted as boy with
shuttle-cock.
"Now, old bull, I'll give you merry
pandemonium in the rear. and then set the
dogs'on you, while cousin Jake and the
Dutch boy will charge with pitchforks ant
give you fits, at once"
To make a sure thing Of it, I climbed
over the bars, to get nearer to the bull
who, suspicioned something was going on
turned his ugly face towards and came a
Inc. let her rip, gave him the pop bang
Thad intended for his rear, into his shag
gy face. expected, Of course, hat, don,
his knitting-expected to see him fal
down; but. no, sir, he merely shook hi
head, the shot rolled off like drops of sweat
he turned up his wall-eyes, cooked up hi
tail, and giving one roar and snort, h
charged bayonents at the bars with hi
horns-carried them easy; myself, cousi
Jake, and the Dutch boy, with the tw
dogs were standing behind the fence, an
before you could say ''smear case" he ha
us! One dog was knocked into the mid
die Of last summer. the other scooteC
Jake fell over the Dutch boy, and fell
very suddenly, over the fence! Babcock
bu.l was master Of the field and lookin
about him, with the ludricrous bravado I
drunken prize-6ghter in Quaker NEE
ing, he seemed to say
'sWell, this is deuced fight"
And then, to assuage his irritated bum
Of des,ructiveness. he pitched into the fenc
and threw it pretty much all over the Gov
yard and road.
Uncle jess viewed all these procee.
ings, and in spite Of the expense roure
Out
z"Come in, come in! He'll Kill the who
eussed team of your. Ha, ha, ha! Con
in, before the rain browns you, too, you ia
nal fools, you!" a -~~
A thunderstorm had been coming ,
for the previous hour, and now it burst ov
us, the rain falling in scattered drops, b
as hickory-nuts. and the thunder began
roll long and loud. One sudden crack al
roar of Heavens artillery seemed to II
press the hull with the notion that sits ~