Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1867-08-01

head and belieT, and swftch his tail, and
paw the silo over his back. ] concluded
1t best TO lei on like | warn't aieard, and
so begin tew whistle "Rake her deown,
Sal, and other good chunes, thinking as
heOw Id slip past the blasted old cuss; but
jist as | got opperzit, he gin a snort, and
begin tew walk towards me, stopping onct
in while TO fetch rake in the sile with
his fore feet. put in few quick steps
about then, but was afeas1 few run, cos L
knowed eff | did he'd feel encouraged.
Putty soon he begin tew come on the trOt,
and then let out in u kind of a cantcr.
Then he riz tew lOpe, and seeing it wur
no use waiting for him to quit, | jist loos
cne6 these ere legs ofmine, and come down
to my best time.
| looked about fur something tew
climb, but there | wur in the cussed prairie
and not q pea stick to be seen near than
mile ahead-heow | did want. to stop
right there and cuss the blasted prairies.
gin glance over my shoulders and sec
the everlasting cuss with his nose deown
and his tail up, coming iist on the dead lay
deown, and L let my legs count another
notch. The chase wur nip and tuck till
got near the creek when l see the bull ~sr
making ieetle grain the best time; he
wur only abeOut hundred yards behind
me. Lord, Jehossyfat, but / felt queeish
wen wur sartng he wur gaining; it give
me stitch a skeer that my heart appeared
TO dissolve in dishwater, and my legs kin
der lost their feelings so l couldn't run.
But | could see a lot of trees ahead a lit
tie ways, and eff | could hold eout three
minits longer I'd lie to EN-. I looked
back, and, the suIlerin' Moses il the bull
warn't in twenty feet of me, his eyes all
green, and his nostrils looked like | might
put my head in EN- and as red as bolt of
new flsnnin'. | get almost to the creek,
when feound the timber were all on The
opposite bank from me, and the bull So
close could almost feel his breathe on my
back. 1 thot of my family in that swfui
time; SEE Farewell little jed, and you
Sarer Ann, my gentil companion. Jist at
that instant see stump on the bank Of
the creek, and made spring for it cxpcc-
tin to get on the top ont, but it happened
tcw be holler, and l landed. inside. L iist
had room tew squeeze deown in it and get
nay head below the top and not darn bit
too soon wur in; for as my topnot went
deown, Mr.. Bulls head Come up whack
against the stump till every thing jinglcd.
You'd better believe | felt thankful /
wur housed at last; and the old cuss of y
bull wasn't disappointed. Lord, how he
did raive round that stump. switch his tail,
paw the sile, and heller. L peepcd up at
him, jist to see how he wur gettin' on; but
1 calkcrlate pccpcd down again olIel sud
dent, for handt MORN got my head up
when his horn come straddle OF Ii. and his
skull hit the stump like maui. That Ill
| tie incerdent convinced me that the best
thing / could de was. in the language OF
Squire Wheeler, to 'lay low, watch blac&
ducks, an chaw pokeroot." jst as Id
made up my mind not to put my head up
again, felt the awflolest pain take ME in
the leg ;hat | ever see, and at the same
time something commenced 10 whiZ, whiZ,
down in the bottom of the hOller stump.
| | tried TO look down 10 see what on airth
could ii be, but The hollcr WAS SO narrer
| couldn't get a chance 10 look. and all al
once ii Port into my head that there wur n
ratilesnake in the stump.
when thot of that | made an o!f,l
plunge to get ont Of the coniounded den
but the cussed bull waTnt NOR six feet oil
and the mint he seed my heal, h, come
at me full chisel The flst knowed had
lodged back into the stump again, and
hadn't morn touched bottom before | felt
another oifel keen bite in my leg. | made
q rush TO ret out again, but the cusScd
internal bull drove at me, and was bleeg-
eG TO pop back again.
"As ! squeezed down inter my stump
again, would er bet gallon of RIM that
Sarer Ann would he widder in less'n
an hour. | tried to cipher out which
would lie the most becoming for Chris
tian. TO be pizened to death 10y an olicl great
snaik, or have my in'ards slung to the four
| winds by cussed brindc bull. | thought
of the martyrs, of Amos bid in lie, Eizer
smcercd with honey. and Joseph tempted
by Poiiifer's wife. and concluded that
| crt 10 profit by their example, and grin and
bear il no matiir how much it went agin
the grain Bm got jist then a oiic blight
or two, and to save my soul couldn't help
stickin' up my head, and the bull bein on
hand let drive and filled my eyes I'LL OF
| bark and dirt; so deown | bobed agin fur
snaiks,I now begin TO get bites olfel fire.
quently. an in bad places; the whizzin,
got louder, and / sq,iirmed and twisted,
and screamed at a fas, rate, andin Srabbining
round ketched something and got bite
| on the hand.
Il held my hold on to it, and behold,
1t proved to be nothing but yalIer jacket.
When | found 1t wasn't snake bite, | felt
something lift off my stumick like a bag of
shot. "Glory to Cod said !, II miy
live to purtcct the widder and faiherless
yit.'' | felt for a mint as if L didn't keer
fur all the WALLER jscke's between the NJ s.
sissippi and Missouri-but blessed Jerushs.
hadn't seen one there where L SAW a
thousand the next mint. The whole hol-
ls.r.x. 81. tl,
couldn't stand ii long that way. tried TO
think of some kind of prayer suitable for
| the 'casion, and commenced, Now l lay
me down tOsleep;' but by Jewdas couldn't
pray for cussin.' jist swore, bull or no
bun, Was gwinc TO emigrate from that
particlM spot: but every time | put my
head above the stump, the bull pitched at
me just like maui; he looked offel fero-
cious with his eyes as green and blazin' as
fire, and = foam droppin from his mouth.
was boboin' up and down so continnerly,
that l was about half the time in the stump
and half eout, ut last | felt the stump begin
to give away under the thumps that the Gus
sed old brindle was givin' and swear my
hair riz straight or end. Imsde upmind to
git eout ofthat somehow, pretty quick, but
jist at the mint raised my head to jump
cout and run, the old cuss came at me,
with his head deown, and his tail up, at
locomotive speed, and as / lodged deown
he struck the stump, tore it up at the roots,
and shot me out like | was bomb shell
clean over the bank into the creek, and
arter me come stump, bull and ALL The
fore feet or one on 'em, OF the bull, struck
me on the back-and recon that's what
tore the carpet-brg--knocking me clear
down to the muddy bottom of the creek
when l riz the fust thing | seed wur
the old leller's tail and l couldn't swim a
lick, made grab for it and made him
tow me ashore. When we got there, let
go and run one way, while the bull run the
other, and that's the hull long and short
ont"