DeSoto times. (Hernando, Miss.) 1879-1898, 1890-07-24

| oUh0r way tnlnkln, O. course
Cht could sarcumvent the
smart OF chicken stealer, an no mis-.
take, by doin' that, an d come ap'in
MIN, face to face. But | didn't. I've
alluz thort th't tn must ha' BEN
another long-headed fox layin' off
some'rs in the brush watchin' me an
thls un caperin' round that tree, an a
keepin' of it posted ez to wat were
doin', so it could eucher me in ev'ry plav
l made. Anyhow, wen turned an took
my back track, 'spectin to fool the fox
an meet him fore he had any idee
What was up to, all could see wen
turned the circle we're that same OIL
bushy tail trailin' along, an list
rourdin' the corner ahead O. me, as
usual. The fox had took the back
track, too, an if anybody could ha'
seen his face jist then I'll bate the rum
th't they'd ha' ketched him laughin
all over it. Wall, | kin tell We th't
they wouldn't ha' ketchcd me a laughin
all over my face, not by iugful. I'd
been circlatin' the girt O that big
chestnut tree fer the better part O. half
| an hour, an havin' tramped twenty
miles over the hills besides, begun to
feel my wind kinder gitten scarce.
Twas cold day, but l was sweatin'
wuss'n Gordon player at Fourth O.
July ball. Consistently I want feeling
ez gentle ez little lamb on the hill
NJ ir1y -
froze onto that fox jist at that minute
I'd ha' treated him wuss'n Samson did
that little flock O foxes he ketched
wunst upon time, ez I've heern tell
about
wat made the sittiwation so much
more grindin' were th't Id alluz ben
dead set ag'in foxes, an had stuck to it,
'arly an late, ag'in all comers, b'gosh,
tht man ED waste his time a-captur-
in foxes, or a-tryin' to, couldn't git no
furder down, not by land, an here were
not only tryin' to captur' fox, but act
ally bein' made putin an blowin' fool
OF by one O the mean cusses, an lettin'
it make me cut up monkey shines and
didoes wuss'n clown in circus, an
it a"laughin' at me all the time at that.
Thinkin' O this made the sweat pour
outen me more an more, an put on
heftier head O steam an tore round
arter that fox like an ingine, but I
never could git a glimpse, even, of an
inch more of its tail than Id seen
afore. Then l could feel myself begin
mir to 60 crazy. Ye emowt asst me why |
didn't quit an go hum Well, couldn't
no more quit follerin' that fox than |
could ha' quit breathin'! | s'pose I'd
ha' been follerin' of it yit if nothin'
hadn't stepped in to prevent it. l got
wild. hollered at the fox an called it
all the names could lay my tongue to.
whanged away at its dod-blasted tail,
but the tail alluz disappeared jist in
time to get out O. the way O the bullet.
Wunst tore away from the tree twenty
or thirty foot, SOS l could ketch the
fox ez he kim trottin' to the side O the
tree facin' me, but he didn't trot by, but
list stopped an waited on tother side.
Then l tore over SOS l could get full
sweep o that side O the tree, an then
the durn fox had p'tic lar business on
the side th't had jist left. I till ye
for fact that my reason were totter-
in on it's throne by that time an l
know'd it.
eyer a sneakin' coward" I yelled to
the fox. 'Ye don't dast come out an
act squar'r I said. you only jist dast
to stick even the p'nt O yer nose
from ahind that tree l said, an Fll
put slug inter it so durn quick, said,
'th't yen wisht lightnin' had ben arter
ye instid, said.
But the sneakin red-haired insec'
didn't showup, an back tore to the tree
agi'n an chased the tail wunst more fer a
spell, ez if it'd ben jack-o'-lantern in
the swamp, an was one O them fellers
th't d lost his way, same ez ye mowt
ha' heern on. Then / rushed away
from the tree ag'n, crazy ez bedbug
with p,ison on it, an yelled to the fox:
"Yer a spook, dod blast ye" l hol-
Tered. 'Ye hain't no flesh-an-blood fox,
but a reg'lar consarned spook" l hol-
lored. But even if ye be a spook,' |
said, If yell only come out an give me
a show, b gosht'lmighty, l won't be
afeard to tackle ye' / said
"But I 'spect th't the fox only
laughed at me the more, for he didn't
pay no attention to my chalnge, an so
turned in an took another heat a
chasin' his tail. had made mebbe
dozent circles round the tree, putfln'
like porpus, wen l dropped my eye
for the fust time on big holler place
in one side O. the tree. Crazy ez Wer,
I had mind enough left to nold an
idee, an ez soon ez l see that holler
the idee struck me. | didn't Know
wuther it d work or not, an, Jedgln,
from the way the fox had ben actln'
didn't much think it would; but l made
up nv mind to try it. So l flew around
the tree two or three times ez FAST ez
could 60, an then wen got round to
the holler inter it popped. stuck my
run barl out straight holdin' 1t about
six inches from the ground. "uther
the fox wanted to show me th't he were
M to my trick an defied it or wuther
he got careless an were fooled O
course | didn't hev no way o KNOWN
but whichever way it mowt ha' ben ne
ken right on his way, an wen he got
49,, mn, hor,1 he STAINED over 1T. Inc |