The Brookhaven ledger. (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1875-1883, 1881-12-22
Deacon had preachin at his house,
and it warn't far off nuther.

hull congregation would come down !;
and as l warn't a married man, and
had kind of hankerin arter gal
that war thar, I did not feel as if l
would like to be seed in that ar pre-
dicament.
so says /, you old sarpint, do yer
cussedest. And so he did, for he
drug me over every brier and stump
in the field, until / war sweatin and
bleedin like fat bar with a pack of
hounds at his heels. And my name
amt Mike Fink, if the old critters
tail and l didn't blow out sometimes
at dead level with the varmint's
back.
so you may calculate we made
good time. Bimeby he slackened a
little and then / had him for spell,
for I jist drapped behind a stump,
and that snubbed the critter. Now,
says /, you'll pull up this ere white
oak-hreak yer tail, or jest hold on
a bit till l blow.
| We'll, while war settin thar, an
idea struck inc that 4 had better be
gettin out of this in some way. But
how, adzackly, was the pint. II l
let go and run he would be foul of
me sure.
so looking at the matter in allits
bearins, l cum to the conclusion
that I'd better let somebody know
whar was. So l gin a yell louder
than a locomotive whistle, and it
warn't long afore l seed the Dea-
cons two dogs comm down like es
if they war seein which could git
thar first.
Iknowed who they were arter-
they'd jine the bull agin me, ] war
certain, for they were awful wenem~
GUS and had spite agin me.
so, says l, old brindle, as ridin is
as cheap as walkln on this rout, if
you've no objection, I'll just take a
deck passage on that back of yourn.
SO l wasn't long gettln astride OF
him, and then you would have sworn
thar warn't nothin human in that
ar mix The sile flew orfully as the
critter and l rolled round the field;
one dog on one side and one on the
other, tryin to clinch my feet.
4 prayed and cussed, and cussed
and prayed until l couldn't tell
which did last-and neither warnt
any use, they war so orfully mixed
up.
We'll, l recon l rid about an hour
in this way, when old brindle tho't
it war time to stop to take in sup
plv of air and cool off a little. Sc
when we got round to a tree that
stood thar, he naturally halted.
Now, says l, old boy, you'll lose
one passenger certain. So I jist
clum up a branch, kalkalatin to
roost thar tell starved before I'd be
rid round in that way any longer.
4 war maxim tracks for the top OF
the tree when l hearn something a
making an orful buzzin over my he'd
l kinder looked up, and if thar want
well thar's no use swearin now,
but it was the biggest hornets nest
ever built
You'll gin in now, l reckon Mike
thar's no help for you? But an idea
struck me thai I'd stand a heap bet.
ter chance ridin the old bull than
whar l was. Says l, old fellow, il
you'll hold ON, I'll ride to the next
station any how. let that De whar il
will.
so I jist drapped aboard him
agin, and looked aloft to see what
I'd gained in changin quarters; and
gemmen, I'm liar if thar warn't
nigh a half a bushel of the stingin'
varmints ready to pitch upon me
when the word go was gin.
We'll, l reckon they got it, for all
hands started for our company
Some of them hit the dogs-about
a quart struck me, and the rest
charged old brindle.
i This time the dogs led off first
dead bent for the old Deacons, and
as soon as old brindle and could
get under way, we follered. And as
I war only a deck passenger and
had nuthin to do with steerin the
craft, swear if l had we shouldn't
have run that channel anyhow.
But, as / said before, the dogs
took the lead-brindle and / next
and the hornets drekly arter. The
dogs yellin-brindle bellerin, and
the hornets buzzin and stingin-l
didn't do nothin, for it warnt no use
| well, we'd got about two hun
dred yards from the house, and the
Deacon hearn us and cum out.
seed him hold up his hand and turr
white. reckon he was prayin then
for he didn't expect to be called fol
so soon, and it wasn't long neither
afore the hull congregation, men
women and children cum out, au(
then all hands went to yellin.
None of them had the fust no
tion that brindle and belonged tt
this world. turned my head ant
, passed the hull congregation.
seed the run would be up soon, fo
brindle couldn't turn an inch from
: fence that stood dead ahead.
Well, we reached that fence an(
I went ashore over the old critter
head, landing on tother side, ant
lay thar stunned. 1t warn't Ions
afore sum of 'em as war not skeered
cum round to see whar l war. Fo
all hands kalkalated that brindl
and I belonged together. But whel
brindle walked off by himself the,
) seed how it war, and one of then
said, Mike Fink has got the wust Q
a scrimmage once in his life
Gentlemen, from that day draI
ped the courtin business, and neve
spoke to a gall since. And whe
e my hunt is up on this yerth, tia
q won't be any more Finks, and it
+ all OWN to old Deacon Smith
. Brindlc Bullv
:, A Soft Answer.
Can / see tine lady Of the house
q t;nCn;ro tho nad1lar