The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1876-02-11

/ him, and then-having stcadied his
nerves somewhat by another copious Ii
baton OF old Bourbon in low,
hollow, earnest voice:
"Boys, did emmy Of YOU ever come
right squar up, face ID face, with grim,
old bony death?"
A perceptible shudder ran through
the crowd, and one or two thick, husky
voices responded, "Noi"
avail. then, boys" resumed Abe
Huf "none Of YOU can have emmy idee
OF my feelin's just then, Gracious alive
| could feel the cold goose bumps a
risin', an every har on my head n
standin' straight up Thar-right al
the end o. the log-not more'n the
length o. my body from my feet, were
two great, fiery, glarin' eyes. as big
rOundas a bull '>-eyewatch. ltfairly took
away my breath to look at 'em. They
seemed Co burn jest like two big, red
hot fire Goals, right at me- Boys they
war the most fearful-looking eyes Ia
ever seed. They looked steady-steady
steady, right into mine; never turnin'
away. single minute, or movin, or
winkin-but jest KEEP on lookin' straight
into mine. could hear deep, heavy
breathin', just like man in deep,
heavy sleep that nobody could wake him
up outen; an thar war no other sound
or noise, 'cept the breathin' and
the moanin' of the wind
among the trees. Then dreckly
| begins to see face crop out
around the ewes; an boys, il war the
awfullest face | ever seed in all my born
days. Ii made the cold shivers flash up
and down my back like the ocean spray
lappin' up the beach. The face war
white, pale, and oh! so ghastly-jest
like the face of a dead man, all but the
two fiery, red, glarin' eye-balls; an,
boys" (here Abe became greatly
excited, and his voice sunk 10 a low,
sepulchral whisper) SHE tace scdS jest
like Pste's! war so terrified / dassent
look at il, an yet il seemed as if | could
net move muscle, or shet eve, but
were jest obleegcd to keep lookin'. I'd
a Gin the world if could have moved
my little finger. or shet my eyes to keep
the horrid thing away. But no,
couldn't do either. Them two big, fiery |
eyes KEEP burnin', burnin' on right into
mine, an held me as still as death
.Boys, I'd often heered o. snakes
charmin' birds. but never bleeved a /
word Of il till then. | could hear my \
own heart beat-thump-thump-
thump. agin my ribs, loud as drum,
'peered TO me- An thar | laid, hour \
arter hour, and them fiery eyes never
movin' their gaze from mine, till il /
seemed 10 me a thousand years. At \
last my eyes, all Of a sudden. ierked 4
shet-not more'n n second-an' when \
opened em agin them big, fiery eyes
war gone, The daylight war peepin' in \
at the eend o. the log,
.'Boys, = continued Abe, in "A low, sol I
emn voice, 81 knowcd, in minute, that
Pete war dead,r
After few silent puffs at his old pipe, I
and another drink, Abe resumed his I
story.
"I crawled outen the old log. and
sets down awhile to study what / should /
do. | couldn't keep from cryin', boys, /
when thought about pore Pete, for | I
sot amazin' store by thefeler. Wall, \
| soon seed il war no use a-settin' there /
a-sniyelin' ike "A woman, so gifts up \
and sets out on the hunt o. Pete-or \
rather his dead body.
Boys, must say | was considerably 4
onnaryed. war powerful shook up
about Pete, an l went on down the val /
lev in sort % solim state % mind,
studyin' about him all the way For
long time | couldn't see no trail. no
track, no sign of emmy kind, till well
nigh onto noon. Then, as | war crossin' \
a middlin' sized chunk of ravine, that
put into the river, seed-what do you
think, BOYS? The track Of bari An | \
seed il war q powerful big bar. too. An
clost behind the bar track, in the wet
sand, seed the print of mans FOOT
An boys continued Abe, in dry,
husky voice, II knowed the footprint
the minute laid eyes on the track.
an war Petc's.
"a knowed the moccasin he wore as
well as knowed my own right hand.
You may think, boys, | war mighty
glad to see that ar track o. Pete's in the
sand-but hits a mistakel / stood
thar some ten minutes or more. gazing
ia sort o. stupeficd state, at the foot
print, an my eyes filed with tears; for
knowed as well as knowed the sun
war then a-shinin' above my head, that
| should follow that ar track till come
onto the dead body o. pore old Pete.
Wall, begun to think at last that /
might as well know the wust, so | KEEP
followin' the trail down the ravine. If
was not fresh track / seed at wunst,
1t war sev'ril days old. AFTER followin'
the rayine some three or four miles, the
trail left the little creek, an struck off
towards some high hills about a mile ,
ahead-the bar fust-the track Of the
man behind The woods war mighty
thick in that region; the trees war ,
mighty big an tall-runnin' away up
yonder toward the sky; an it war
.nxtarf,1 rr1nnu..~ oof a.. IN.