Waterbury evening Democrat., 1888-06-18
SILE REEVES GRIT.

''Got killed huntin' coons! Not Sile Reeves, y don't Hleanl Not Sile Reeves, him th't "a sloshed tho woods for bcttcr'n fifty year, an kim ont OH top in more painter fights an bar i.lsscEi with cattaymounts th'n any other cE:a'' ever ramrned ball inter a rifle! " don't lneaiter to tell mo th't Sile Reeves has gone nn' got killed 0 huntin' coons-a sneakin', thievin', ring tailed var mint tht ain't no good ter anybody 'cept a hungry nigser! An nigser, even, ez'd hunt coon b'gosh, 'nless he were SO hungry tht he were tread:n' on tho sooburbs O starvation, olcl.tn't ter be let cut bait for a mink traD tS!lr Reaves! Did he go back on lissclf ill the days Q his old age an git killed .l coonin? Gittin' killeds bad enough but to go coonin'-Im durned If b'lieve ftp
 The O!d Settler vas moved. A man from Sugar Swamp had brou',ht news of the death of Silc Reeves, a fa'no:lS hunter, who, ac- cording to report. was cutting down a tree l ill which q coon was hoed. when the tree fell unexpectedly and crushed him to death. "Why, bOys." continued the Old Settler, 'Sile Reeves didlt take no back seat fer Lothin' n'r nobody. When he were only a ten year or he had more grit th'n hunk O sandpaper twicet his size. His folks lived over on tn north edge o the swamp, whar his oP man yer tryin' to pry Q farm outen from under the stratty O pebbles th't were the predomineerin' outcroppin' O tn sile tharabouts, an' he'd diskivered enough dirt to make pastur' lot. 'Tw'an't but ten rod square, but you k'd ha' built new wall around Jericho with the stun it shed. In this medder, as s'ile's pap called the clearin,, tn l op man started tn stockin' O his farm with l a six months old calf, which he fetched all tn way from Los: Crow barren. One morn hQ fn Sfo<o over the wall inter the past,lr' t kinder help the calf through the day, when, To an behold 1 ye! the calf were gone! Sie's father thought O course, the calf'd jumped the wall an tuck | to the woods, am he c,lssed it from Dan to | Beersheby fer d,lrn wuthless, britchy crit l ter th't didn't know which side its bread | were buttered on. Sile was busy ill another clearin' tryin' to find room here and there for hill O beans. w'ich it were tol'able tough job to do, cause the pro raty O stun to l dirt were in tn vicinity O two ton O stun to half pint Q dirt. Sie's father called him an l tol him to go an hunt up the calf an not to | be all day about it, nuther, an not to come l hum without it, 'fe didn't want the hide | tucken ofrcn him. The ol man, even when l he were in Il good humor were crosser'n a l bar, am when he were mad, J-e-e-e-rusalemi but wouldn't he make things bounce2 But to 1 go arter the calf were just or persinlmons fer l Sile, fer he were durn tired O pursuin' aeri- cultur' with n crowbar. Tn youngster felt pretty clus to sartin tl't the calf d ben in- 1 fooenced to leave it's pastur' by either a painter or a bar, both O which want no ways scace in them precincts. So he sneaked his dads ol' AntloclS rifle down offen tn peg I it hung on in tn cabin am skedaddled fur tn | woods
 ''Mind ye, Sile were unly ten year or an l wa'n't big O his age nuthcr.
 "Well, when supper time kim, Sile wa,n't back yit, an his or man b'gun to sw'ar, an think op Bumpy Reeves kd put better cuss- words an more uv 'em inter a squar' inch O talk th'n any man t ever sniffed tn air O heaven. About bed time he see fur tn fust t tn op fintlock were gone, an then he begun t let hissef loose. Tn cusses got t comin' so thick an powerful ut Bumpy's or woman- which she k'd hold her own booty we'll her self with ordinary ev'ry day run O cussin'- got skeert an left the oabin Siles dad swore t he'd bet his farm agin a last years crows nest--which were bout an even let 'twixt us-th't Sile were followin' some chip munk track al over tn swamp, an d f'got all about the calf Mex mornin' Sile hadn't showed up yit, an tn ol' man went out t look for him long with Sam Ward an n.y. self, which l were 2 boy then ez he'd knocked
 
 , bar. Sam an me were drivin' tn ridges fer deer, an happened Tong b Reeves just es he were gon' out ter look up Sile. So we went long, Bout noon me an Sam came onter tn boy. He were five mile i'm hum, settin long side O one O tn biggest bar car casses ever see. His clos was all teared t tatters, an his face were all streaked with blood, zif he were an Iniin painted fer th' warpath.
 ''Or man Reeves kem up by this time, an when he see Sile settin' by tn dead bar, an , tn or flint lock standin' up agin tree, an l Sile all scratched an bloody, an his clos r bout right fer gun wipers, he were so mad f he couldn't say a word fer up'ards of Q min.
 ute, an' then b'gun t give tn cuss words a
 chance. Twere quite a spell fore Bumpy
 got down t hard pan, an' then he went ., Sile.
 . "'Is this tn way ye go out q hunt up a calf ye d'rotted little imps Here ye ben the best
 part O two days fooln' yer time away [
 follerin, Q internal op bar round tn kentry
 right in the busiest time O bean plantin', an
 8 tearin' tn unly suit O K'ntucky iane they
 is in the hull township otf'n yer back Whar's tn calf! Vile yev ben foolin' arte
 th't bar, what's p'come O tn calf, ye young
 whelp a tho boiler? Whar's- tn calfa An
 why hain't ye fetched it humY
 sfIt were refreshin' sight t sec Sile cool j. up his eye at the ol' man, Ono eye wer
 plumb shut up, an' ca black ez a bars ear
 A big piece were gonc outcn one cheek, on
 t'other were swel!ed out like a blowed u,
 pigs bladder. I'm jiggered If it wan
 enough to make Q wild cat laugh t look a
 that boy.
 "'I went out arter that calf, dad, an wer
 bound t get her, said Sile. T got her, ar
 was fetchin' her hum ez fast ez cud. E
 ye'd waited bout two hours longer I'd
 had her thar-or, leastways, wat tn is lief
 of her. Elf y've got time to rip open thi
 b'ar's carcass y'll find yer calf, sartin. N '.Ye see Sile had kim onter tn Ql' Bar a,
 s'prised him putin tn calf away inside J hisself, an when Sile sent ball arter him Il
 bar had grabbed up what were left O th {, critter ali' dug out fer hum. Sile follere
 .InR pRINTING