Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-04-27
SHORTY RYERsoNs TAME BEAR
A Painful Result ofFOrgetfalness on the
Part OF Sol, the Landlord.
Seao York San

~2SO ICTE sun.
"a good many folks thinks. when they
see Shorty Ryerson for the fus' time. that
some time or other he must ha' ben a
layln' III the saw min whar the log had
orter ben, with the mill a-goins full split:
but that amt it." said old Sol. landlord
OF the tavern at Sops Ridge. shorty Ryer-
son had just gone out. There was nothing
remarkable about his appearance except
that he was less than i've feet high. and
that every square iach of one side Of bic
face was a scar.
"No, that WANT it." said old Sol. aye
see, goin' onter five year ago | had tame
bar, an KEEP him chained TO that pole oRt
thar in the road. Him an Shorty was
p'ticklar good friends, an when Shorty
want doin' nothin', which were giner'ly
from daylight one mornin' till daylight
mex mornin', countin' Sundays, hR were
out thar foolin' with that bar. They'd
cuddle down together an go 20 sleep,
shorty an the bar would, jes' as nat'ral
'zif they war both bars, am it got so that
when Shorty happened to be away fur ten
minutes the bar ID git 20 Uneasy that We
could hear him heller like babY, all
round the Ridge. Shorty larnt the bar a
heap o. smart tricks, an business was
s'pended half the time, am the folks all
out a-Watchln' him putin the bar
through what he RnoW'd.
The thing that tickled 'em most was
the boXln' matches Shorty an the bar ID
give. Shorty had larnt that bar so he'd
stan up an spar with him ez nat'ral ez
life, and l swan if'twa'n't a sight good
fur lifetime to see 'em stan thar an
bat away at one another ez if they was
tightin' fur money an the stakes was up.
Mother thing that useth take the town
down was the way that bar ID walk inter
the tavern with Shorty, whenever any one
invited HIM to take sumpin'. an stan
thar long side O. him and take his glass
O rum eZ good ez the best ON 'em. That
bar were IA harvest for Shorty, fur ev'rV-
body thatd come ID hat to call Shorty an
SolCmon-Shorty named the bar Solomon
cause he KnOw'd so terrible much-they'd-
all call Shorty an Solomon in to hev sum
PIN. Conscience was that both Shorty
an the bar had Their wuthless skins full
poorly much all the time. They got to be
the hardest drinkers on the Ridge, an l
usety say that the fust thing anybody
know'd they'd both git the jams.
"Wall, by-an'-by Shorty an the bar goG
to be nuisance. l got tired o. seein' 'em
p'formin' out thar in the road, an suckin'
rum, an the hull town spendin' it's time
watchin' 'em, an threatened time an
agin to shoot the durn bar an stop the
hull business. But / hated to do it. am
KEEP putin up with it, an takin' it out
in cussin'. Shortly alluz commenced
business with the bar long about day
light, an the lust thing on the programme
were alluZ sparrin' match. One nice
mOrnin' in June Shorty come slufin' down
ez usual to begin the days work. The
bar were cuddled up round the pole
Shorty give him a whack on the side an
hollers out: Come, Solomon! Git up an
put up yer fippers.'
''The bar got up an put up his fiippers.
1e see whar that panel o. board fence is.
up thar by the hen house? Wall, Shorty
were picked up right thar. They took
him hum an sewed his face up ez coed ez
they could, an the bar were gone when
Shorty came back to the tavern three
weeks afterw'ds. He never asked no
questions 'cept to say, Solomon must has
had the jams, didn' hep
I've see, the night afOre the bar put up
his flipper TO Shorty, ez [ told We, an arter
everybody had gone hum, tn were a ped
lar come long to stop all night. He had
durn ugly bar with him that he'd traded
fur, and the idee struck me to swap Solo
mon fur that bar an ten dollars to boot.
an did. The new bar were chained to
the pole, an by daylight mex morning
solomon were on his way East. AM We
see, furgOt to SEN word to Shorty bout
the decker"