The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1891-10-22
abe Marietta gournal.
A LAUGHABLE TALE.
HOW HE MANAGED AN OPOSSUM.
For the Marietta Journal


Have you ever been real hungry
for something you never tasted, but
seen ? and have your friends tell
you how delightful, delicious and
sweet it is +?
Well, last fall | concluded to have
an opossum for Christmas dinner,
instead of turkey. A few weeks be.
fore Christmas | watched the oros-
sum market and bought one of the
largest that could be had, and one
that was little tame. The young
man gave me instructions as to how
| should take hold of an opossum,
and several other points that seemed
necessary for me to know, so l would
not get bit, but told me that in a
few days he would become tame. l
think now he meant domesticated'
However [ landed the opossum
home in wooden box, lined it with
sheet-iron, and made Stats for the
front of the box out of E. P. Dobbs
4 Bros best and strongest tin.
MIR. Opossum made few attempts
to break out, but was soon convinc>
ed that it was utterly impossible
to escape, so he retreated into one
Of the dark corners and laid down.
For several days and nights all
was quiet and serene, and my little
daughter and | enjoyed looking at
him, and the neighbors would come
to see this wonderful 'possum. They
would tell me not to be surprised
If the 'possum disappeared some
night. Of course l knew that no one
would take him, but to make sure,
OF my game, | carried box and pos
sum into the kitchen at night,
against the wishes OF my wife, for
she did not like 'possum.. no-how.
All went we'll for a while and my
wife posted herself in the art of
preparing and baking the 'possum.
| become hungry as the time drew
near. One night l awoke suddenly
and laid awake wondering what to
do, as there was enough noise in
that kitchen as though Mr. Bussey's.
engine had run off the track, and
struck tin shop. By this time my
good wife called and asked me What
that noise meant and that she had
been awake in tear for two hours.
| told her to keep quiet that beard
it. The question was, SIS it a
burglar?"
Bang! Bang! went a bucket on
the floor, then some pans, then dish
es and lot Of cooking utensils more
than | could count then in week,
because | was frightened so.
Then there was stiffness, and |
concluded to see what it was. Just
As / opened the door the opossum
jumped of the shelving into buck
ct OF water upsettipg the contents
over everything. This racket made
my hair stand on end, and there
stood in my night robe, and my
warm feet ill that cold water, holds
ing the lamp. | called my vile to
get up quick and help me catch that
doggone opossum. Wife came,
looking in the kitchen, and l must
say that her eyes were as large as
the opossum's, but not quite as 6ery
looking. I'll never forget her looks
as she stood there in her garments
of white, bareiooted. You know
women get up that way when there
is a cry of fire.
| armed myself with the stove
poker and vowed | would kill that
opossum. whacked away and hit
dish, missed the critter, of course.
slipped and fell, wife screamed and
ran away with the light and left me
in the dark. The chimney of the
lamp fell off, and there | stood in
misery, thinking the thing would
lite me on the leg or bite some of
my toes off. | would tell my wife to
come on and not make so much
noise or we would have all the
Aeighbors awake and that | would
kill that internal opossum if l catch
ed him, but there was so many
things Oh the floor that l could not
get good whack at him.
At last we ran him on the window
sill behind the table so | could see
his back and tail. Now here is
where those pointers came in that