Louisiana capitolian. (Baton Rouge, La.) 1879-1881, 1881-05-28
A PULLIN' MATCH.
Cleveland Leader.

A Leader reporter happened in Dam
Gators, just to light cigar, when he
heard the champion yarn about "Pullin'
Matches" Drawing his coat sleeve
under his mustache the red-nosed man
leaned back on the bar and essayed-
"Seein' the barkeeper draw that cork
reminds me"
"Of how you frescoed your nose" in
terrupted the reading man.
He scowled and proceeded:
1T reminds me-"
"Of how your wife lifted your top
hair interposed the old bachelor.
"Git out ?" he retorted. "It reminds
me of a tatfy pullin'-'
ooh, come now, don't give US taffy,'
sandwiched the bartender.
"Reminds me ola tatfy pullin'-'
''Oh, pull in and let US ashore. in
jected the man who squirts tobacco juice.
"You fellers are mighty afraid of
water, that's shore, he growled, as he
yielded the arena.
Speaking of pullin',' ventured Ole
Renaissance, quits me in mind of a
balky mare my father used to drive-a
high-stepp,n' bay, with tail like a
shock of fodder. She could pull camp
meetin' when she wanted to, but she'd
look back over her pedigree occasionally
and wouldn't pull hard enough to draw
blank in lottery. One day the ole
man struck the foot of a Morgan county
hill with three thousand pounds Of salt
on the wagon. That mare commenced
switching her tail sideways, glanced at
the grade and squatted down in the
brichin.' The old man saw he was in
for it, an he just sot thar and whistled,
unconcerned like, for half an hour; but
she didn't get homesick an 90. He put
dust in her ear, lifted her forefoot, blind
folded her so she couldn't see the hill,
backed her, took the haw-swing, and
all them highfalutin' ways of babyin
brute cussedness. But it just seemed to
entertain her, and reconcile her to bel
sedentary situation. Then he went to
lammin' her in good old orthodox style
She squealed and kicked and slashed hel
big tail about till it tangled round the
wagon hammer an haunds as tight az
q tow-line, anda leetle shorter than hel
trace-chains.
,, "She looked back, gave her tail ire
menus yank, an saw it was fast. Sh'
gathered herself with shiver, give 1
snort, an started up the hill like {
comet, snatching that wagon and thre
thousand pounds of salt at the end o
her tail, the other horse lopin' to keel
; up, an the old man bracin' back on th
lines to keep her back bone pullin' on
, like parsnip. Jest at the top of tn
hill the tail-gate gave way, the sal
barrels shot down the hill, an the oil
mare struck for home, nose out, tail taut
an, the empty wagon an the Oft hors
y an the old man rattlin' along in
whirlwind of dust and glory, like tn
! chariot of Elijah. They rounded up il
the barn-yard without break, save tn
. mare she was broke of balkin'.'
"Wh-h-h-e-e-w ~ responded the ma
who whistles.
"That beats any tale on record sal
, the reading man.
"Purty salt On the ole mare" adde
] the bar tender.
ooh, that three thousand pounds {
salt is to keep the story from spilin'
grinned the rednosed man, revengefully
c "The biggest pullin' ever I saw we
/ out in the Rocky mountains" began IL
It whittier, whetting his knife Oh his Doc
top.
y "We struck a grade among the blut
Ia where we had to splice two freigl
r. wagons together and put the whole Sc
enty yoke of cattle on, hookin, chain
l. chain from the lead quarter of mi