Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1867-02-28
HOW HE LOST HIS TAIL.

Gentlemen" said tall Kentuckian
hauling up, and leisurely taking his sea-
in a vacant chair, don't make fun
Of that thar dog, if you please" and
with face of profound melancholy and
touching pathos, he added, "unless you
want to hurt his feelings"
"0f course not, sir, if you dislike it.
But pray, how did he become curtailed
of his fair proportionsY'
We'll, gentlemen, I'll tell you" said
the Kentuckian, replenishing the spa
cious hollow of his cheek with q quid OF
tobacco. THAT thar dog was the
greatest b ar hunter of Kaintuck. A few
years ago | used to take my rifle and old
Riptearer, of an afternoon and think
nothing of killing ten bars. One cold
day in che middle of winter, bein'
troubled good deal with an old he
BAR that used to carry off our pigs by
the dozen, | started with Riptearer de-
termined to kill the old rascal or die
in the attempt Well, arter we had gone
about two miles in the woods, we all of a
sudden came right smack on the old bar
with his wife and three cubs. know d
| couldn't shoot EN- all at once, and |
knowd if | killed either of the old 'uns,
t'other would make at me for | could see
they were mortal hungry. So says l.:
Rip what'll we do2" Rip know'd what
| was ssyin, and without waiting to hold
any confab about it, he guy q growl and
pitched right in among them. With that
| let fly at the she bar, cos l know d she
xUa ha Af he Nuyn uhn N ho
was about.
Over she rolled as dead as a mack
erel. Rip he hitched on the bar, aud
they had mighty tussel for about FIVE
minutes, when the bar began to roar
enough like blue murder. ran up then
and knocked his brains out with the
butt end of my rifle. The cubs were so
skeered and cold that l killed 'em all
in two minutes with my knife. But
Rip took on terrible about my knock
ing of the bar on the head. AT fust /
thought that he was going to tackle on
me, and says |, Rip, that's down right
ungrateful With that he sneaked off
in huff, but could see he was terri
BILE mad yet. Well, / left all the bars
on the ground, concluding to call back
with the neighbors for em as soon as /
could let 'em know On the way home,
Rip KEEP ahead of me. Every time he
thought how / killed the old bar, his
tail would stand right up on end-he
was so powerful mad. 1t was gettin
on to night and began to grow freezin'
cold. About half mile'from the house,
Rip he came to q halt, thinkin' he'd
have another look back In the direc-
ton of the bars The scent Of
EN- raised his dander wuss than ever.
His tail stood right squar' up, as stiff
as hoe handle. Just then it comes
on colder than ever, and Rips tail friz
exactly as it stood / was in q bad fix
Il had no fire to thaw it. While
was thinkin' what I'd DO to get 1t down
again, buck deer sprung up and
started right over a fence about fifty
yards ahead. Rip did not wait to be
told whar to 60. but pitched evil bent
arter the deer. / cracked away with
my rife and just raised the fuzz be-
tween his horns, AS soon as Rip got
to the fence, he thought he'd make a
short cut, so he dashed right through,
but his tail was so brittle that it broke
of between the rails. Poor old Rip
was done for good He never had a
tail to show after that-it broke bis feel
ings as we'll as his tail, and that's how
he came to lose it. And now, gentle
men, I'm gettin' little dry, aud if
you've no objections, we'll take horn.