The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1890-02-14
STORY OF A MEWL.
40 BE CONTINUED.

suddenly cornered by a rifle in the hands
of a boy, who took him for a man whom
Marvin, the boys father, was cunning
for. The boy was finally convinced that
he had made mistake and the two
waited for the boys father. After he
had come up and they had all had some
conversation, the traveller was allowed
to proceed.)
When left young Marvin and his
pap" | hadn't thought that the man
who had been shot at would interfere
with me, ,evenifh he hadn't been driven well
out of the neighborhood. Any sensible
man when fired upon will take the fact
as a hint that he should be going, and l
supposed this stranger would go SO fast
that there was no danger of my over
taking him.
| had followed the rocky trail for a
mile and half, and was descending into
the depths of dark ravine, when a
man sprang out of the bushes into the
trail and shouted at me:
who's you 'un, thar?'
"A traveller" answered.
"Whar from?'
Several places"
He came forward, his gun held ready
to fire, and when he was near enough to
lOOh HIG ONSl grow leu.
"Shoo! youun haint he Him's a
coward or he'd gin me show!'
Are you the man who is looking for
a handy bowder.
81 ar! Whoop! Whar's him! Whoop!
Bung his onery pictur', but whar's him?"
and half Did he shoot at your
"Him did; yes. Whoop! Him hid be-
hind the rocks and got the drop on me,
and him's bullet went through my hat!
-a'-thatr'
He threw an old felt hat at my feet,
and picked it up and saw that piece
of the rim had been gouged out by a
bullet.
And mebbe the cowardly him sent
you'un to git me off my guard while him
skulks up fur another try!" howled the
man as he danced around and threatened
me with the gun.
My friend, | answered, trying very
hard to be cool, 81 never saw Lem Mar
vim until an hour ago, and | never want
to see him again. He's got son named
Davey"
Yes, him has, bung his onery pictrlr'."
"Well, Davey stopped me on the road
with his shotgun and held me prisoner
until the old man came up. He was off
hunting for you"
"Whoop! And what did him say when
him cum back?'
"Said he had fired at you and missed"
"Whoop! Yes, him fired at me! Him
may be right around yere now!"
The man sprang backwards and looked
all around him, his gun held ready to
shoot, and though | assured him that
Marvin had given up the hunt and gone
home, he stil] seemed to believe that my
coming was a pat up job to assassinate
him. While he was whooping and dan
cling around and threatening | lighted a
cigar and settled back fora smoke This
Gained him down after awhile and he
stood before me and asked:
"Do you know why him wants to
kill meI"
Something about a mule, wasn't it?"
"Whoop! She was! And it's about
that mule why l want to kill he"
"Well, go ahead and tell me the story,
and, by the way, it's wonder you don't
shoot yourself in the foot with that gun.
You are the most careless man ever
saw. Put down the hammer and stand
it up here and tell me your story"
And you'un wants to grab it and
shute mel"
"Bosh! You are no braver than Davey
Marvin!'
Il haint, ell? Whoop-ee! l kin lick
the hull Marvin family with my legs and
hands tied! Don't go fur to run me
down, stranger, or I'll shute."
l smoked away in silence, and by and
by he put down his gun and began:
81 had q mewl. 1t was seven years
n IIn Il.
nevis about till ye can't rest, but they
don't go fur shucks."
"Yes"
Il raised that ere mewl from a year.
ling, did. | knowed him from top to
bottom. He knowed me from head to
leet. Whoop! can't hold myself when
| think of it!''
Go on"
81 had that mewl in the family fur
nine years." he continued. "He growed
mo dandy all the time. Theold woman
sot store by him, and the children sot
store by him, and I'd hev gone without
whisky to keep he from sufferin'.
Whoopee! I'm a-gittin' dangerous! 1t
rises me off my feet to think of what
fule made of myself!''
did that mule have name?' asked.
in course he did! called him Da-
mascus, and he'd cum at my holler as
fur as he could hear it. He was a run
min mewl. Stranger, that ere Damas-
Gus could beat CREASED lghtnin at run
min! lie never lost one outer forty scrub
races"
"Well?"
"Wall, one day was up in these dig
gins on that nevis back, lookin' fur
race with somebody, and l got drunk.
Whoop-e-e! want to shed blood when
think of it! Went and got SO drunk
that | lost my senses! In that condishun
this Lem Marvin cum along with an old
yaller mewl-a critter us couldn't stand
still and look We in the face-the poorest,
meanest, wall eyedest. knockkneedest
mewl in all the kentry! Him got me to
trade. kin remember that him told
me his mewl was valued at 1000, and
that him could do 150 circus tricks.
Whoop-e-e! Stranger, look up and wit
ness a pictUr of terrorw
go on"
THE fust thing | remember was of
gittin' home with that ar emery beast,
and of the ole woman and children
a-cryin' out arter the beloved Damascus
Their yells and howls sobered me up
bit. and when | found that | had dun
gone and made fule of myself tainted
dead away! Whoop! Whoop! Stranger.