The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1875-02-25

lthat>goller. Ben Samson and me was
at outs. So, one night, l saw bar a
climbing the fence with his arms full
of roas'in yeers. They warn't none
of mine, and just let the old
chap go. Ef my gun hadn't a been
out OF keller, I'd shot the thief and
treated myself TO some bar-grease fer
my har. rgtt .aHae ' "a
"Well, the mex dayI got the gun
| fixed. And the mex night / watched
fer Mr.. Bar. Long he come but Std
of comm my way, he went nosin'
round Ben Samson's cider-mill. There
was some cider lel' in the bottom of
the mill, you know" .ef
"Cider and roasting ears at the same
time, Dan 2" inquired Mr.. Churchill,
gravely. while there was a genera tit.
| ter. zoo - .es. .34.5..r. ~
"Yes," said Dan, utterly unabashed !;
| 'sand that there is the curiosest thing
of all. was jist goin' to i call your
'tontion to that, Mr.. Churchill, 'kase
know you kin explain it, beini col
lege- man. The cider. he'd
stood in the box of the mill nine
months Or SO, and Std of changin' to
vinegar it he'd went t'other road and
gone to apple-brandy. 1 don't. know
much about sciense, boys, but MI.
Churchill can explain it. Twas a
Gurus scientific fact, though" -...
Dudley remarked that it was very
curious. .al TrdnQ asa. s5t
'"Well, they was old tin pan left
in the mill, and that thar bar he must
been sor: a thirsty like. He up with
the pan, and took a long, comfortable
swig at that apple. brandy. 1 think he
must put down quart. And i'll
five minutes or SO he was as drunk a
bar as you ever sot eyes on. He
danced and staggered and laughed
he did, pom my honor-and then cot
down and and cried. Then he went
off swingin' and a hollerin'." as
"Why didn't you shoot him ~ asked
Henry Turner. - e''f
-s.Shoot him! That's what you'd
dene! That's all the sense you'rc got.
Do you think hadn't'io enthusiasm
fer science? I'd ruther shoot you
than to a shot that bar. 1 wanted to
see the effec' fapple-brandy on var
mint of that sort. --'
"Well, sir, eff you'll believe it, fer
tcn.nights 1 watched that bar. Every
night he come along mopin'. And
every night he went home beastly
drunk. Well, the leventh night come.
Twas a Sunday night. That bar didn't !
no more regard the Sabbath day than
nothin'. He come again. But this |
time he warn't alone. There was Mrs.
Bar and the cubs. They seemed to be
with him. She pulled |
at his shoulder. One of the little fell |
lers got hold of his tail and pulled"
"Bars ha'n't got no tall" said old |
Weed. the reG-nosed pilot.
"Well, maybe they hain't," said Dan,
"but when feller sticks to |
the solemn truth in the main, you |
don't want to quarrel with him about
so leetle thing as bars tail. AS l |
was sayin', the rest stood and boo
hooed. 1t was the most techin' sight |
l eyer beheld. But that beast never
stopped drinkin' till he was so beastly
that his wife had to help |
him home.
"Then come the twelf night. 1 |
shan't never ferget that. Fer you see
the bar didn't come at the usual time,
and found they was only one bottle |
of that brandy left, so couldn't resist
the temptation to draw that off in a
bottle that carried in my pocket. l
used the bottle generally for milk"
Here Dan looked apologetically at Mr..
Churchill. 81 thought it might be
good in case of sickness or mince pies.
you know, and / knowed Ben Samson |
never miss it, fer he didn't
know that twas there. But was aW-
ful sorry that tuck that brandy afore
mornin'. Then he looked the very |
picter Of despair. He climbed up on
the fence and sot dowu, a leanin' his
elbows on the rider of the fence, and
his head on his paws. declare l shed |
tears. 1 would willingly hev give
him that bottle eff I'd thot he'd a |
knowed the use of bottle. But you
see bar amt so civilized as that. |
We'll, he sot thar hour. Then, L 1
'spose he begun to see snakes, He fit
this away, and he fit that away, lie
snapped, and bit, and growled. Twas
awful to see his agerny. And he
hadn't no doctor by to call it appef- |
plexy. Itwas dclirium trimblins, and
no,hin' else. l got so all-ircd inter
ested that come q leetle TOO closte. l
'spose he thot l was the ole boy, fer he
chased me. / run fer the woods, and
he foilered awful closte. clim a tree
"a ash with the lowest limb hundred
feet from the ground, And that bar
elm arter me. l clum and he cluni.
About thirty feet up he cotch my boot.
I used him fer boot jack and wrench
ed my foot out of the boot. Down
went the bar and the boot. Then he
come arter me agin. Jist as got up
to the lowest limb, which was hum
dredsand fifty feet up, he cotched up to
me. They warn't no chance fer fell
ler. l tell you did feel as eff the day
of Judgment he'd come, and did wish
L hadn' stoid that bottle of brandy
from-from the bar. Fer settin' up
thar waitin' fer a bar with the trim