Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1886-12-01

an ole chicken ticf, I'm cxsus &c me dat
steal squire Baxt"r's tnuon, when,
fore dc Lord, / nebber Lnowcd dat
Squire Baxter had any bacon.
Just at this pint i let my ole cat
down from under my coat, and she be-
gan creepin' along up the alley to'ards
where ole Eph wur at the desk holdin'
10th. No, breddren,' says the ole
Teller, Il ncbber knowed aforc dat
Squire Baxter got a smoke house,
even. Dis shows dat dc debbil is dc
fadder of liars, and dat he's liable to
excuse even dc mos inherent in all
de-
"Jis hyar a mig hollers out; Look
at dat rabbit
my ole cat wur bout half way up
the alley to'ards the preachin' desk,
an the darky went for her. All the
nigs forgot whar they wur, and hol-
Tered; 'Ketch de rabbit! ketch de rab-
bit'
"The niger grabbed up what he
thought was n rabbit, but no sooner
was IL in his hands than it guy fear
full inflow. owr and 'phisztr and q
'psut, psutr and began usin' both
claws an teeth. The niger dropped
the cat like she'd bin rattlesnake, an
ole Eph, with eyes buggin' out, shout
cd; 'Dar he is agin! OATS dc debbil
nowr ut tho same time maxim rush
for tho back winder.
"Some of the darkies went through
tho door and some through the win
ders, and in less than half mint thar
wasn't q soul left in the place but me
and the ole cat. That air scare bout
the devil lasted nigh onto three year,
an you might safely have left smoke
house or corn crib door wide open
anywhar in all that part of Bledsoc
County,"
Here Uncle Abe rested a moment,
and seeing that he had filled his pipe,
lighted it, and was showing no sign of
going on with his story, one of the
boys at last said: "But Uncle Abe,
what finally became of the hunting
cat?"
90" cried Uncle Abe, scratching
his head and pretending to rouse up
from other thoughts. 30, yes, the
cat! Why, / thort you fellers had
enough of the darn catp'
NO" said the boys, "we'd like to
know what became OF her-her final
end"
"Wall, if yer must know about her
final cend. l guess swallowed it
swallowed both ecnds, for that matter.
Yes, boys, l am sorry to be obleeged
to say it, but eat that cat"
"Ate her! Why, how did that hap
penn"
EASY enough-too blamed easy, in
fact. You see. I'd bin out huntin'
with her one day, and wur coming
to'ards home, not havin'' kctched the
fust thing, fur wonder. All to onct,
as wur passing along by Squire Bax-
ter's back pastur field heard a awful
yowlin' and scrcechin' over in the pas
tur. peeped through tho fenco and
seed my cat havin' fearful fight with
big chicken hawk that had bounced
down on her, thinkin' she wur a rab-
bit. The hawk had one claw fast
in the turf, the other in my old
cats back, and was just goin' for her
liver with his bill. / bounced up onto
the fence to 60 to my ole cats assist
ance, and as went to make spring
to the ground the top rail flew from
under my feet, and, landin' on rock,
l broke three ribs on my right side.
AT the crash the hawk went one way
and the cat another. / crawled home
and my old woman sent a niger that
come loaln' along down to Pikeville
for ole DIR. Allen. He put me in
to sort of laced jacket and made me
tolcrable comfortable. Next day
cousin of mine come up from Pikcville
whar he wur clerkin' in store, to see
how wur gittin' on. My ole woman
tole him l wur dom tol' able, but didn't
seem to hev much appetite. She scd
if he'd take the gun an go out an
shoot rabbit she thort nice stew
might set well onto my stomach. He
hadn't been gone morc'n five minutes
afore heard the gun 60 off. In lit
tie time after he came i'm and handed
my ole woman II rabbit, all skinned,
dressed and ready for the pot. The
ole woman had the stew ready in less'n
no time, and / pitched into it, for
studyin' about the dish had made me
hungry. AS got down to about the
last of it, had the wire edge of my APP
petite taken of, an wur nibblin' ut the
only remainin' leg, it struck mo that 1t
had kind of snaky taste. 1t tasted
more and more so, and at last ]
couldn't go any more of it.
"'Cousin jim, says /, what sort Of
a rabbit was it you killed fur mo--a
very ole one?'
"'Bout medium Size, says Jim.
Ibid he look heartyp' says /, or
did he hev sickly, warbly look?'
"'Well, I'm not much of n Judge OF
rabbits, says Jim, but this one seemed
all right, 'cept l thought his feet looked
a leetle too round
"'Could you git me the skin, Cousin
Jimp' says I.
81 reckon l kim Gays he, and ho
went out and brought it in. l turned
it back right side out till l come to the
head. 1t was as 1 suspected; I'd cat
my ole cat. 1T was prime young
one, says l to Cousin Jim, take the
skin out and throw it into the pig pen.'
Next day when my ole woman be-
gan to wonder what had become of the
cat, / up and tole her big hawk had
bounced onto her and carried her of.
l wouldn't 'er had Jackman or Squire
Baxter knowed that I'd eat my ole cat
for fifty dollars. I'd never hecred the
last of 1t back in that country. Dan
de guile, in N. Y. Sun.
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