The Arkansaw traveler., 1884-03-29
UNCLE ANDYs PERPLExITY

fsc,tor. .n Av~ ierh l m.s.
 Do you beae.e the, : Iaan 7s years old. an ~i;h only enc les, III enc arm woa.d tel lie
 I, was ut.wtag toward evening on one ol the .ery ralniess C. tae many reccri scIy rainy day ~e have had up here among the mesn,ars A yel.owiSL :os sueh as had never seer lowering ai su ; an elevation as thIs. s!.efe saCb logs aS vIsi, Us aEc wal;e and l.ecey and A eokemerai aS dca. a2a iormef around the south boi1er of the pend, ard was climbing. cicse-r2nssed and slowly, up the bold escarpmeni ot Big Hickory, like an army storn.irg ] higA;. Through the diagonal ines oi the falling .ain the edge of he hemlecN icres; could be seen but dImly from the cabin window. and the spiteful ram seemed 10 be- fudge one even that disrnal outlook SO savagely did ii dash against the snail and gumy pane There was as much water on he iee IT the poad ..s there was under l. and NC could not hsh. The utter ehee.lessness of the prospect wf;hod, had penetrated the cabir, anu neIthe the efforts oi the blaze on h. hearth. ..ef :hc influence of an opaque bca.c thAt S.ood on ;ae table between 4 .eaeap ana :. zen glass sob- le; had peen ahle ,o dispel |. so jneie Andrew Ilper and myself lac sa. ter ;Wo hours sighou; Aet,s. !, len suddenly he broke tkc silence ss.tt iae .apve s,..f; ag injury. |; ;oes. ne by surprise .,.ll nothing and starcl t. a-le andrew
 Do yc b'lievc T os rot: nc repeated, taking ap ne ho.:ic .sat ;Ae a-up anu .f. (,
 Well, Uncle Andy repliei tha.s hard ques;!ea so answer. no; knew ing"
 II sec ia;errup;eI ,he host. Ne don't know the man. never see him, an never hce I hIm talk. Wcll e his mois- tur' cant keep a wrinsin' of itself out many days longer. 'eofs.in' 10 ,he way that fog bankn' itself down yonde. long the pond. an the way that winds beginnin' 10 slosh roun 'mongst them hemlock branches. an e cons 'quen;ly we won't hev no tune to gow'en Il clears fur wen 1t does clear therx goin,er be some all-slappin' prime picker'i fishin on this poad, we'll es' sllde over through the woods to I-ige Goodyear 5 an spend the evcnin. llge IS the man I'm puzzled on. Hes told me suupin' al least once every yea: fur thirty years ar can't make up ny mind whether he's lynn abou, it or nos. en he frs; tol me Il l thought Sore he were ! siTctchin' of II booty durn ;aui, cause then hewere only i,. an had both legs an arms. Wen he got ketched Tn b al trap by his right arm. twenty years ago. an had 10 stay ketchcd fer three days fere any one come along 10 take linn 5u;. an then had to have h.. arm cut o;i. l sad ,o myself If ever man had the habit O lynn ;ha, orio cure hun, sure e guns. Sn went ever 10 see I.,ge. He were nuss.n his arm, or ru;her the place ~har the arm had been, an were cut up wuss '. blled ham a; stone iFaliC. But by gum, he came s,raIgn, 10 the dough trough with that story. an never tiInohed A muscle or missed word. Still couidn', get 1t jes squar' in my mind wha. ;o think 'bou, t. l got 10 tossin' up pena,es 10 see ~ha, or,o SC, down as the proper he't to give If !; comes down hea1 LiSe's lar come down heads an sometimes i'd come down tails. m so see tha, 'twouldn'l hardly oe far to ledge Lige by tosstn a cent, an l were leit fiounder!n' 'roun' la the swamp-hole O onsarsniy, e old Deaeon S!ocum use;y say in his prayer. So give up tasn5sin bout i; q; all. an usety go an heas L.ge's story w'enever l ielt lke it. Say hev ye no- ticed anything absenl-nlnded oE kindcr gone-away bout me la;ely::7
 have not.
 Wall. ;h' hez ben" contlnaed Uncle Andy. [" Las December Llse Goodyear go, ke,ched .igin; 'twan't has arm this tine, an 'tw an, in q D ar trap. He sot down on Jerp's run-say 10 wat far deer, an fell asleep. The deer come along, e It went siashin' through the brush i, woke Lige up. His gun were layin' on the groun longside of him, an' he made grab for II an keiched by the barl. He gave l, yank. Inc hammer struck agin stone or sunpin. an the gun went off. The ball Jist piowed through Lge's knee, an they carried hi,a hum and GU, his leg of. Then go, to thinkin' bout that yarn asin. Lige IS 5 year old says, an drawin' long t'ords the time en the hunter ,ha; never misses will draw bead on him an fotch him down. If Lige tells me that story nov, with one leg of an one arm of, an him :, year old. how kin help b7ievin' it? An if he don't, then he's ben the most onmercifui liar fur thirty year tha, ever tramped these woods senee the days of-of-oh you know them fellers Imezn. Them two fellers l usty hear Deacon Slocum preach about They got struck with shower O sulphur an brimstun', or turned into salt or sumpin' -yes, them's the feilers 1 mean"
 Wall, arter tho't Lige mus be gif- ]