San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1883-05-17
TIE PEA VINE PANTHER.


cracker:
."Thar were nobody alvin i'll the
forks O. Peach tree and Pea Vine them
days, but my daddy and Uncle Peter
which Uncle Peter lived clost to
whar the two cricks jine, and daddy
about hef mile furder up. Neigh
bers was sca'ce and thar were power
of varnents in the woods.
"Any painters? Yes; big 'un. lie
used to come around our house of a
night and have the biggest kline of a
rumpus with our dogs. Many's the
time i've seed the dogs run i'm when
he'd be crossin' over from Poachtree
to Pea Vine and back. ,..
"Hit was a common thing to see
the women folks come runnln and
hollorin' from the spring with that
owdacious beast after EN-. Hit got
so they was skeered to go after buck
ct O water 'thout takin the dogs
long with 'em, and es for stayin
down thar an doin Of a days wash
in nanny an Sally-which Sally is
nv big sis-said if two big, stroppin'
men like me and daddy couldn't per-
tect EN- we might go 'thout clean
close the rest of our material lives.
"Well, me and daddy thought it
was wus to face two mad women than
one painter, an we sot our heads to
kill the varment, an Uncle Peter
lined in with us, because the ugly
beast he'd nigh about eat up all his
hogs. We rousted about right smart
ev'ry day with our guns and dogs, an
ey'ry time we heered fuss we jes
banged loose at the whole woods like.
"The critter took the hint an left,
an the mex time we heered frum him
he was in the upper settlements on
Peachtree, which me an daddy warn't
sorry, nor amt to this day.
"Well, thar were man up thar by
the name of Ole Man Goggins, which
lie had right smart O hogs. One day
lie heered a hog a-squealin' down in
the swamp, an he tole his two sons,
Bill an Sam, to 60 an see what was
a-pesterin' of it.
BILL and Sam went, they did, an
they hadn't got nowhar afore they
seed that pesky painter jes' everlast-
ingly goblin up one OF the ole mans
best KILN hogs.
Both the boys let in to holle1in'
es loud os they could squall to skeer
the varmint off, an the painter turned
loose the hog an took after the boys
es hard es he could tear.
Hit was lively times jest about
then. No grass never growed under
them boys feet-not es any body
knows on. But Bill, he stumped is
toe, he did, an sprawled of on the
ground, an afore he could git up, or
even say his prars, the painter lit onto
i'm an commenced to chaw i'm dread
flu.
Bill were monstrous skeered, but
he had sense enough about i'm to
make out like he was dead, an the
varmint kivered him up with the leaves
an truck an tuck after Sam.
sole man Goggins heered the boys
when they gin the fust yell, an him
an Jack Peters drapped what they
was a-doin' an run down toward the
swamp.
The ole man had is gun-which
it was double bar'lShot guu-loaded
with squirt shot, an Jack had big
knife.
We'll they hadn't gone fur afore
they met Sam jes a-gittin up an
dustin, an the painter after i'm like
a streak O creased lghtniu' through a
pine thicket.
When the pant'e seed the men a
comm he stopped OF sudden like,
an turned back toward whar Bill was
alvin eS still as ef he was dead sure
enough, which he was bad hurt.
Thar the painter stood, a-switchin'
OF his tail, an growlin, es much es
to say:
This yer's my meat, an I'll tear
the hind sights of'n any man that
posters of it.
ole man Goggins felt powerful
iubous. Thar lay his son NJ about
dead, an he was 'bleeged to git him
away from that hungry varmint-
least-ways to try. But hit went
mighty gainst the grain to tackle a
fullgrown painter with a thimbleful o
small shot.
Whilst the ole man was a-studyIn
what % Go, an dom nOthin', the