The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1889-02-01
OLD JIM'S TIGER.
It Is q Big Fellow, the Skin Meas
uring Over Nine Feet.
He Tells In His Own Peculiar Way How.
with His Good Dogs and
Powerful Fine Gum" He
Killed 1t.


Powerful Fine Cum" He
Killed 1t.
Walking down the broad street OF
l. one afternoon recently, ! chaneed
TO enter a store upon some trifing pre-
tense. when to my delight discovered,
stretched over a dry-goods box, the
largest and handsomest tiger skin
ever sawi 1t was evidently fresh
killed. for the blood was scarcely dry
IN places and to the touch it felt as
velvety as though the 1.-the form it
had covered still stalked in stately
sovereignty through the glancing
shadows of Suwanee's swampsi
''Who killed it?'' was Of course the
first question; indeed, seeing this, the
clerk anticipated US with: .Old Uncle
Jim killed it. and just brought it in 4
moment ago Where is old Jims''
asked my companion, DIR. C, with
some eagerness, glancing around the
store. ''Ahi here you are, old man,
Come down of that barrel and tell US
about it, How is it you have quit that
potato patch and gone TO killing
panthers now?" Old Jim's black face
frightened with a proud, responsive
grin. rs he slid down of the barrel
and approached the doctor, doffing a
greasy and battered wool hat: Oats
ges only tiger, doctor; him no painter,
him tirely too big for a panteri" and
old jim glanced with conscious pride
towards the dry-goods box. +" All
right. Jim, have it your own way
painter or tiger-he Is whale; about
nine feet long, l should say" measur-
ing it critically with one eye closed.
half quizzing.
Mine foot and two inches, sab,
zactly; Mr.. W Jest now meajered
hit wild his little string" and old Jim
munched away contentedly at his
dimes worth of stale cheese and
crackers.
''All right then, that settles the size
of him; now, you go ahead, jim, and
tell how you took him in remarked
the doctor, smilingly.
Old Jim is good-natured darkey of
about sixty years experience (mostly
acquired in his cane and cotton
patcbes), and. feeling himself the hero
OF the occasion, he took his position
in the middle of the floor. and with his
old gun laid afTectionately across his
knees, begun his interesting recital.
This gun, by the way, deserves descrip-
lion, claiming. as il does, a part OF
honor III this story. 1t is an ancient
double barrel .muzzle loader" the
rusted barrels of which are tied down
10 the badly-battered stock with old
cotton and twine strings, The left
lock Is bammerless and the tube 10 the
right barrel destroyed almost beyond
recognition. However, he manages to
shoot it by using old musket caps. But
TO return to Uncle Jim and his tiger
yarn
'Well, you see, gentlemen" rolling
up the whites OF his eyes till they
looked like glass marbles, you see
my place runs back, hit do, right
onter de Wakasassy swamp and bein'
as l keeps some good dogs. and has a
powerful fine gun, l natchully goes a
huntIn' sum times. tho my ole lady
do say when she quarlin' like. dat /
duz nuthin' else but hunt.
$50 yistiddy mornin' / had bizness
down in de back field-dat's what |
tells her-dat ha. bizneSs down in de
back field. / had sum taters down
dere whut needed loolIin' after, fur de
grass is e bout tuck um. but dem dogs
Is mighty fon' OF me, and dey tuck en-
foller me out derc, dey did, and fore |
knows 1t. one er dem puppies gins to
snooze err round er log, and den gins
to whine, and ole Remus. he trots W
derS, and bristies all up, and gin 10
open on dat track ike he wur mad,
and l stop hOein' dc taters a minnit,
and | lows TO him: 'Remus, amt yer
shame e. yer ole fool sef. lettin dem
puppies tun yer head dat way over a
rabbit track?' But he jiss kup rich
on. and tuck no notice ur whut 1 80
ter him lie less keep right on ter q
fence, he did, and den dc yether dog
Gums up and smells on de fence too
and trots up an down a big log VIM
meks out inter dc swamp, AID mu
sur. de fGst thing old Jim knows
dem dogs Is gone-gone surl
B.ess yer soul, white folks. der
dogs spins oat q long streak e
music down dat swamp It sounds s.
purity tei ! sets down on a stump an
l laffs te. cries, and den l ho..el-s Z
dem dog, and den 1 listens II der
sweet pup les jiss er bout 70 sp It 4 +.
little thro es dey is-and den | h)t.cr
agin, and dan l pats Juba. / feel !.
happy. Ally ole lady say dat's whu
meks she hey to patch so much. Gaze
allurs pats Juba when L goes huntir
and gifts happy over dem dogs. But
listens and hollers tell dem dog gi
fsrder and furder, tell / cant hea
dem puppies at all. and dcy keeps
gwine on tell i can't hear Zip. an
den, after awhile, can't 'stinguis
ole Remus, and so j don't hea
nuthin more tell a long time. and
gifts up and | thanks de Lord fur del
dogs, and | goes on to holm del
tafers.
II reckons 1 wicked er half en- hou
or more when hear de dogs er comiI
back. Well nun. sur. gin to g
happy er gin. Fust hears old II inui
and ] knows he is hard down to bznes
fun de way he is er speakin' out DE
| listens er gin and hears Zip ar
Remus. and den right low. but or gi
tin louder. hears lem sweet punpie
and yelis to my boy Tom er cJmil
crost de field. 70 run cs5.s to o. hon
and fetch riy gun and alniniah'n n. ar
All dc time dem dogs is or comm
comm, co.ain'- Gle Rema5 and II
and DE- puppies, and dc piInp.cs 2:
ole RsmGs AID Zip. Oats ma ic. bos
better'n ell the piannies and tf'angl'
and fiddles and straws. Dey runs rigl
up de creek about quarter OF mi
fun my fence and den dey meks baC
across Bill Cages new ground. and
gifts over dc fence and lows 70 u