Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1856-01-08
A BULL BEAT.

"Bast that critter, :" roared Uncle Jess, al
he espied old Babcock's big red bull lumber
ing over gates and fences, and making be,
line for our cow-yard. "Blast him do say
There goes two pannels Of the new fence
smash, and cuss him, there he goes Right
over the grindstone through the cabbage patel
-sm-m-m-cack into the cow-yard." 4"
Why don't you set the dogs on him, Uncl.
Jess :" L ventured to observe, as the whole
family, big and iittle-Aunt Katy and tn,
whole co-fuke of the boys and gals thronged
! the door to see Babcock's bull perform his Gus
| tomary destruction to get into Uncle Jesse
| cOw-yard.
Dogs be hanged! They won't tech him
fear'd Of him as death ~
"Shoot the ugly cuss, then, Uncle Jessr'
Shoot him? Hain't L tried that! Pep.
pered him one morning with my double bar
| relied gun-pint Of shot; no use, the oussed
critter minded it no more than he does the
fles but hanged eff stand it much longer
We complained Of him to Babcock, nigh forty
times; so have the neighbors; BabcOck swears
he can't keep the bull in-knocks down every
thing, and clears out jest when he's min to >
"Uncle Jess" says L, "Ill floor him, or
put him to his trumps, if you'll stand the
damages
Damages! Lord bless me- haint L stood
EN- these twelve months Damages! Ef
you II drive him off, Dick, I'll give you the
sorrel colt and par o. boots, Christmas, be
hanged eff DON'T"
g III try" says 1, taking up my gun, and
loading it with a double handful of buckshot
and powder, and calling the the dogs [ start
ed for the cow yard, met the two gals. with
empty pals, curSing like troopers, old Bah
cock wild bull.
Looking over the fence I espied the bull
amusing himself with feat, of jugglery, tossing
up oncle Jess's hay ricks, unhinging barn
doors, and tossing them up on his broad horns
as easy and delighted as boy with a shuttle
cock.
Now old bull, I'll give you a merry pam
demoninm in the rear, and then set the dogs
on you, while cousin Jake and the Dutch boy
Will charge with pitchforks and give you fits
at once"
To make a sure thing of il, elm bed over
the bars to get nearer TO the bull, who suspi-
cloned something was going on, turned his
ugly face towards AMI came at me. let her
rip, give him the pop bang L had intended for
his rear, into his shaggy face. L expected Of
course, had done his knitting expected TO
see him fall down; but no, sir, be merely shook
his head, the shot rolled off like drops of sweat;
he turned up his wall eyes, csked up his tail
and giving one roar and snort, he charged
bayOnets at the bars with his horns; carried
them easy; myself, cousin Jake. and the Dutch
boy, with the two dogs were standing behind
the fence, and before you could say smear
case, he had us One dog was knocked into
the middle Of last summer, the other scooted
Jake fell over the Dutch boy, and fell-very
suddenly over the fence. BabcOck's bull was
master of the field and looking about him.
with the ludicrous bravadoof a drunken prize
fighter in Quaker meeting, he seemed to say:
We'll, this is a deuced fight -
And then, to asSuage his irritated bump Of
destructiveness, he pitched into the fence, and
threw 1t pretty much all over the cow-yard
and road.
Unclo Jess viewed all these proceedings, and
In spite of the expense, rOared out:
"COme in, come in he'll kill the whole
cussed team of you Ha, ha, ha Come in
before the rain browns you, too, you tarnal
fools, you"
A thunder storm had been coming up fer
the previous hour, and now it bursts over us,
the rain falling in scattered drops, big as
hickory nuts, and the thunder began to roll
long and loud One sudden crack and roar Of
Heavens artillery seemed to impress the bull
with the notion that it was popping away
at him again; but seeing nobody about he
gave valorous roar of defiance, paved up
the litter, and strobe off towards some of the
"sooks" and % brindels," under a huge old
white oak tree, near the road. And his bull
ship must needs have the tree to himself; so
he intimated to his female friends, in the
most pointed manner-with his horns that
they must slide, and they did, leaving old
BabcOck 5 bull rubbing his stalwart side
against the body of the tree. Again the
thunders rolled and roared, and again the
bull looked around to see if any pop-guns,
dogs, Dutchmen or fences were sneaking
about, ready to be knocked into cooked hats
satisfied that il was all gas, he resumed his
amusement, and gave low, sullen roar to
each humble rumble of thunder. But now q
cloud as black as ink lowered over the head
of Babcock's bull, and bursting with one of
distilled thunder, the top of the gigantic tree
cracked-was rent asunder, while a ball of
FIRE seemed to run down the tree, ripping its
massive trunk, and dashing the splinters
about like chat before the wind.
"Thar, thar, boys, by Jim and Neddy, the
old bulls got it :" roared Uncle jess.
For my part, the lightning had blinded me
as 1 stood on the piazza, two hundred yards
from the tree but looking over to the spot, |
there lay Babcock's bull, stretched fat as a |
hoe cake; knocked clear as a whistle through |
the heavy and high worm stake and ridered
fence, into the road. The rain was now de-
scending in glorious style-it revived the bull,
for he got up after considerable formallty, |
stretched himself very leisurely, bumped up |
his back until he looked like camel, then
up went his tail, perpendicular, he wheeled |
around to see what he could see-lOoked at
the fence, and then at the tree, smelt the
earth and looking all around very yacantly.
he seemed TO say. after much deliberatiOn
"WelI, I'll be darn if you hadn't me that
time"
And then putting in his best licks, he cut
Tor home, over fences, hedges and bitches, and
never from that day to this-two years ago.
las Babcock's old bull ever come within a
mile and a half of Uncle Jess's plantation.
The last fire knocked him.