The Great Falls leader. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1888-1890, 1888-09-01


A LOVE SICK PANTHER.
..rt,s me a sayin' Of it ez shouldn't,
sonire. remarked the Old Settler, ''but
hist,rvs got to be KEEP straight, and con-
sekently III hef to own up th't wen l
were young were q tearer 'mongst the
oals. It got to be SO round the Sugar
Swamp deestric' th't II tn was any gals
With their hearts cfacked wuss'n an old
chanv teapot the crackin' Of 'em, b'gosh,
were laid right squar' to me. ev'ry time.
Thar were Suse Livingoose. Suse's left
eve had way o shyin' round to wind
ard, an she were leetle sot in her ways;
Init one wear took to shinnin' with her
to all the doin's tn was. Bimeby the
other gals fell to pinin', an felt sorry
for em an made up my mind th't
Ii wouldn't be so mean as to
let suse hev me all the time,
an c'ncluded to give the rest Of 'em
show. The day afore Bijah Looms
corn huskin' were glidin' by Suse's house
an she hailed me an wanted to know
wat time were comm fer her to 60 to
the huskin' said wal comm fer her
at all, but were goin' to galavant Mag Nc
Jaggers. Suse got little red, an up an
says tht she didn't think, b,gosh, tht for
q man ez were going to marry her twere
Gzactly the caper fer him to be runnin'
round the kentry with ev'ry other Tom,
Dick an Harry Of a gal tn were in the
deestric. The wind often yeller birds
wing could ha' knocked me over, squire, l
was so sot back. says to Suse wasn't
that leetle suddent? an Suse says it
mowt be or it mowt'n't. I says wen is it
| comm off? on she says th't week I'm
Toosd'y were handy time, an th't she'd
sot it fer that day.
"Suse were so durn cool an positive
bout it tht my tongue cluv to the ruff
O. my mouth. I got it down pooty soon
an says:
"'suse,' says I. we'll drop this right
here. I'll alluz be brother to ye, an n'-:
"'Brother be durnedp says Suse. I've
got seven brothers already. jist seven
more thin want, she says. W.T. I'm
pinin' fer is a feller to cuddle up agin an
to pay fer my caliker. Tye sot my heart
onto you,' she says AN tn hain't no
more to say. Ye kin galavant Mag Nc.
Jaggers t'mor night. she says, but that's
the last. A week I'm Toosd'y you an me
Is oner
'Suses squeezed eye shifted to the
wind'ard leetle more'n ever, but her
t'other un went through me, b'gosh, like
red hot poker through shingle. I
didn't 60 to the huskin', but pilin' straight
fer hum l shouldered my gun an struck
fer the woods 1never stopped till got
way beyent Wild Gander ridge, an thar
pitched my tent, SO to speak, an 'mongst
the bars an the wolves an the panthers
found peace, till one day I tumbled
twenty feet down ledge. losin' my gun
an wrenching my leg so I couldn't
stan up. ! drug m'self long the foot O.
the ledge till kim to an open spot, an
thar foun' couple o good sized caves
Ii the rocks. It were comm on night, so
pulled inter one Of the caves to stay till
mornin'. wen thought could drag back
to my cabin. l don't know how long
slep', but wen woke the cave were all
Of tremble. It didn't take mo long to
ngure out wat made it. Tn were
painter sleepin' long o me in that cave,
an list more thin purrinI
"Fust along wished I were back to
sugar Swamp, but then membered th't
slat very day were the Toosday week tht
euse mad sot. an / shet my eyes an
smiled
I'm safer here, b'goshl' says /.
n, oat how did wish fer little Dominic
a'pper, o Lost Crow Barrenl The little
uom1me never weighed more'n ninety
pouna IN his life, and wasn't much taller'n
oar cub, an he alluz wore buckskin
Iteecaes But leetle as he were, wasn't
~ ,, . nowler at distracted meetin's? He
cou'o pound the power inter six. foot
.;au .Ha' sinner 4uicker'n l could ram down a
.4aer .4ue oall' an ez lay thar listnin to the
tas .as'',n purr o that painter. wished fer
su, sno nttie dominic, not ez thought he
sou'u s" rescoo me, but cause l kinder
a.. "sn'eu 10 git some p'ints ez to my chances
"'.er ..a. mad slid out I'm this vale O. tears.
Mofnln KUN a sneakin' inter the cave
q: ~ woke the painter up. The painter
~, aa.' stretched itself half way 'crost the
sase an then gaped an showed mo the
rp openm inter wich thought I'd proberly be
fassul faS ez soon ez the painter were ready
ona' .u oleakfas Then the painter tip toed
ovel 0as 70 me- 1t put its fore paws on me
nu.,: ~ looked plumb in my face. TIL want
- ,t1lln tha ugly lookin' in it's eyes. but Std
o,ru ,.a' they was ez soft an laughin' ez a
eaas e~as ~ Wen ye asst her it she'll go to tho
eauuy oaa pull The painter were big she
he' she IN artcr lookin' at me- for minute
co,,s cav walked out. kinder felt easier. |
soe souldn't git on my feet yit. so drug nv.
osn os.' outside. The painter sot on the
sn saoand IN a few feet away She acted shy,
a hastt es shed ketch my eye her'n d drop ez
.1., " ez you ever see.
bn,'l "ull' ez begun to feel safe, cot
ns;s nungry: TIL want npthin' in The
the fus a': er larder. an thort to m'self tht
me ma pa PANT er mowt jist as we'll ha' chawed
ds..lp d.s Up ez to let me set thar an starve to
ston'', sta,a Vile were ras lin with nv
''0A'ck' the painter riz up an went