Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1880-07-28
Tom Rarber's Mistake.

IOwsontoWn, 10 reporter, as he turned up
ole of his heavy, hob-nailed boc.s, and
knocked the ashes from his pipe, 'rve
been considered for some time bout the
best man in this ere region, and, ter &c
| further, l kin lick the headlights clean
of 'er any man that bristles his neck-feath-
ers round this part of the country. I've
done it In my time and kin do it again.
damned big Sam Shock, of the Hartford
road, till he wasn't no more'n half a man,
and as for that feller out at Govanstowr
that evrybody said could fix me up, why,
met him one day when both of us were
purity full, and cooped HIM like abar'.
jus, tell you / amt no slouch-it's all sci
eLce-and if you doubt the strength of my
arm, why just"
Thanks, thanks" SAID the reporter hur-
siedly; ''don't rise on my account. The
tact is, am not n pugilistic character. Yes,
yes--that is, you were saying"
why, L was saying" resumed the
giant, s'apping his chest, THAT the boys out
here al! havegrudges against me for knock
downs at various times, an they put up the
meanest jobs on me bout the time that feller
Miller was a trainIn' for a walk with the
Scotchman, Ross. You see. didn't know
Miller from a side of ole-leather-hadn't
never seen him-and one day l walked into
JAKE Simms' place down thar near the car
track, and there wuz gang of the boys In
the saloon, drinkin' an foolin' aroun' an
right stout 'lookin' chap hadn' never see
before was a-showin Johnny Maree some
sort o. foolish little kinks with the gloves,
an Johnny was a-piuggin' away at him, but
couldn't tech him. thought 1t wuz one O.
these darned city chaps come out here
thinkin' he wuz some shakes with his props
and, bein' little pert that way myself, |
sot up impatient-like and watched 'em
foolin' away like dunghill chickens kickin'
up the dirt, and / sort O. leant over TO Sam
johnson and whispered as how | would like
to give that city chap little turn. Sam
grinned few, an turned an hollered to
the boys an the big feller that Big Tom
wanted to put 'em on with the stranger.
1hey all burst out latin, but / thought it
wuz at the idee of seein' me set him down
on the floor with my old underhander. So,
got up, stripped off my coat, let down my
galluses, an got the buckskins on. The
other feller was interduced as Mr.. Thomp-
hadn't on nothin' but sort o. undershirt,
an an that he wuz right sharp built about
the arms an chest, but didn't think for
minnit who twas, though now wonder
how could a-made such q dog -goned fool
of myself, seein' as how had heered bout
the walkin' match, and sum of the boys had
been sayin' that Miller was goin' to walk
out TO town every evening. Well, any how,
we came to time. the stranger sorter smilin
an a-slIngin' his arms around thout any
guard-sorter crazy like-an' | let out at
MIN with some rip snorters; but somehow
they didn't quite reach him, coz he was
kinder shy. and lodged his head away. He
didn' hit back. and | thought wuz a TAX
ing his gall from the fust so l went at
hin Ike a good 'un, and was givln him the
best In the shop. l couldn't hit him, coz
he kept keepin' away, but he was slnilin',
50 | kinder got mad. Once or twice he let
out, sorter timid like. with his LETT, and
touched me on the nose, and that made me
worse so | fixed TO gin him right handler
and was comm at him with my whole
weight, when he kinder lodged his head
to one side, and my fist went past his head,
but my nose brought up against his fist,
and the next thing | was settin' on the
sanded floog with a bloody nose, and all
the fellers wuz Just a-killin' themselves
a-nudgln' one another an latin, | sot
there, sorter stunted-like, when the stran-
ger, lafiin' fit to bust, says: %, git up man,
you amt half licked YETI but l told him l
had 'nough, and was then introduced to
Professor William Miller. Well! you
could a-knocked ME down with feather.
Just to think.,I had been Staging away at
old Miller, thinking he was some softy, and
had been wonderin' why couldn't hit him
as did the town gawks. Well, We WIZ
the best of friends after that, and as the old
boy used ter walk out here every evenin',
why, we met oftener afterward, but never
again with gloves on. Thank you. A
little whisky 'thout any water or sugar
in it,"