The Hancock Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Ohio) 1857-1870, 1862-06-06

Oicai 'io tVP VI W SCpuei ohu MI,
p'raps he thought there must be an,
other settlement ov bald hornets in
it, and that it was safer to go over
than throughs and quicker done; ev-
cry now and then bed paw one eide
OF his head with his fust one fore leg
and then tother, then he'd gin him.
self an open. handed slap, that sound.
ed like a wagon whip, and runnin'
all the time, an karrien that goph.
er iist about as fast and high from
the yearth as ever a gopher was kar.
ried, swar!
"When he cum to the fence, be
busted right thrue it, tearing down
nigh onto seven panels, scstterin'
and breakin' the rales nightly, and
here he left the gopher, gesrs, single.
tree, and klevis, all mixed up, not
worth durn. Most ov his shert
stuck on to the splintercd end of q
broken rale, and nigh onto a pint ov
hornets staid with the shert, a citing
ing it all over, the balance ov 'em,
about a gallon and q half, kept on
with dad. He seemed to run adzac
ly as fast as hornet could fly, for
it war tho tightest race ever did
see. Down thrue the grass they
went, the hornets making it look
sorter like smoke oil around dads
bald head, and he with nuthin' on
but the bridel, and nigh onto q yard
ov plow line a sailin' behind him.
"I seed now that he was amin
for a swimmin' hole in the kreek,
whar the bluff ia over twenty-five
feet perpendicular to tho water, and
it's nigh onto ten feet deep. To
keep mp his karacter as a hoes, when
he got to the bluff he jist leaped off,
or rather kept on running. Kcr.
splurge into the kreek he went; saw
the watcr fly plum above tho bluff
from whar wss. Now, rite thar
boys, he overdid the thing, if that's
what he was arter, for there's nary II
hoes ever folded burned fool enough
to leap over sich q place; q cussed
mule might have done 1t, but dad
warn't acting mule. krept up to
the edge and looked over; there was
old dad's bald head, for all the world
like peeled onion, a bobbin' up
and down, and tho hornets o saiin'
and circlin' round, turkey-buzz4ri
fashion, and every once in while,
one, and sometimes ten would make
a dip at dads head. lie kept up q
rite peart dodging under, sometimes
they'd hit him, and sometimes they d
hit the water, and the water was xiv
cred with drowned hornets.
"What on earth are you doin'
thar, dad?' sez [.
Don't dip you sec those intern
al varmints (tip) after me?"
"Whst" sez /; "them mr. hoss
flies thar; ye sin't really afraid Of
them, are yc!'
"Hoss hles," scz dad. "They re
rale dip genuine bald hornets, You
(dip) internal cuss!'
swell, dad, you'll have to stay
till mite; and arter they go to roost,
you cum home and Ill iced you!'
"And knowing dads unmoditied
natur, | broke from 'em parts and
sorter cum to the copper mires. |
staid ont until the next AFTERNOON,
when seed feller travelin', and
sez l.
what was goin' on at the cabin
this side Of the creek when you pass
ed it!'
why, nuthin' much; only a man
was sittin' in the door, with nary
shirt on, and O woman was greasing
his back and arms, and his head was
about as big as q ten-gallon keg,
and he hadn't the first sign OF an
eye, all smooth
That man is my dad, sell.
Been much titin, in this neigh
borhood lately' sez the traveller,
rather dryly.
Nun wuth speaking of, personal
ly or particularly sez I.
Now. boys, | hain't seen dad
since, and would be afraid to meet
him in the next ten years. Let's
drink
And the last we saw of Sut, he
was STOPPING to get into the doggery
door, with mighty mixed crowd Ut
his heels.