Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1891-12-24
Joe'a story.

You know the old man was wander
in bit before we started" Joe nsed
TO say, IAN the greatest fear ! had
about the trip was that he'd go clean
crazy out thar il III woods, fur it
seemed TO me Is II I'd go crazy, too, eff
he did. Ez twas, / sometimes think |
kinder lost my wits fur spell. Twas
powerful hard work blowing along
over the snow, specially where they
was drifts, n reckon must err lost
NOR n Ave or six mile goin' round the
biggest on EN-. Luckily, though, there
wasn't many on 'em an the most O. the
way 'twasn't so bad -.....-
"A'ter Williams left me, begun to
feel, right away, one thing I'd dreaded
mighty bad. N that was the awful
loneliness o. tn woods. The wind was
sighin' through the big trees like 1t
always does when they is any wind at
all, an 1t sounded so kind o. mournful
that it put all sorts o foolish notions
into my head, Feared like the very
trees was sorry for me, an that begin
to make me feel sorry for myself, an
sometimes I'd almost break down an
cry.
81 was always kind o. handy about
reckonin' distances in the woods, an
found was maxim just about two
mile an hour. l could ha' pushed on
some faster, but lxnowed il | did I'd
o'ny tire myself more, an didn't dast
to do that. had plenty o time to fig
ger on the journey, an the highest
could get to it was that If could hold
out | might git somewhere near town
the second night knowed | couldn't
git out o. the woods in one days goin',
an they was no use tryin' to travel at
night among the trees. So, the days
bein' short, reckoned on about TWEEN
ty mile the first day; then sleep till
day break, an then the best l could do
towards the other thirty miles.
knowed I'd be in the open when the
second night came on, an If had luck
l might strike a trail, an mebbe git
help somewhat. 1t was close figger.
in, though, an made up my mind the
one sleep nd be all I'd git an the sec
ond day I'd have to go till dropped, II
it took me way inter the night. / could
steer by the stars knew, if once got
away from the trees.
Long towards night Pm darned il
the old man didn't git plumb crazy.
He hollered an yelled an struggled sc
to get Off the sled t was afraid he'd
break the ( ast'nin's, but Andrews had
tied him pretty close, an he didn't have
sense enough to try to unite the knots
l had to tie his arms, though, an tel
we twas somethin' awful. Thar was,
miles an miles away FIN anybody but
a crazy man, riskin' my life to save his,
an skeered to death for fear I'd be as
crazy as he was in few minutes
tyin' him up to keep him FIN gettin
away. got him fast, though, an gave
him dose o laudanum that Andrew:
had give me for him, an after little
he Gained down an went to sleep.
81 went along till twas too dark t.
see the way any further, an knowet
I'd got to camp out. They was a gooc
many wolves round, too, n heerd
em gittin closter and closter.
warn't afeerd of 'em S longs wa.
awake, fur l knowed how pesky COW
ardly the critters are, till they ketcf
Teller down, but was skeerd for foa,
they'd jump on us alter we'd gone t.
sleep. So / built up a rousin' gooc
fire. That took time, but made it o
brush an chopped up young tree t
/ found, for logs, an in about two hours
| was ready to turn in. Then stripped
an rubbed myself as well S coulC
with whisky and dressed an wrapped
up well, N lay down.
well, slept tolable sound till nigh
daybreak, though had to git up ;
couple O. times N feed the fire. Them
blame wolves was too close to be conf
table cd see 'em in the dark, smell,
in and yelpin' round, but they wa
more afeerd o the fire N | was o
them.
"Soon as twas light | got up n he
some coffee an took bite, N started
was goin' by the compass, o. course
but couldn't go in the dark, for no
seem the way.
Ye may think talk too much 'bou
the way felt an mebbe another MAJ
wouldn't ha' been skeerd like | was
but was almost frightened to deaf
for those two days. knowed, though
t the on'y thing to do was to pus
ahead, n / did. The ole man had wok
up, am it seemed to me like he was
little more sensible N he was the da
before, but he lay quiet, N l didn
dare to say nothin' to him fer fear
he'd start in yellin' again. He didn'
though, n then | got skeerd again flu
fear he was dead.
The fust thing t give me any coul
age whatsomever, was about darl
when struck trail t knew mus
lead to Minneapolis. reckoned ha
nigh twelve miles more to go, but tn
goin' was heap easier, ma had som
hope O. meetin somebody or comm
house where co uld git horse.
"As it turned out was plumb VIZ on
all round. | was on the right trail, T.
be sure, but was more'n sixteen mil
away FIN town. l reckon I'd travele
over forty mile, but I'd lost norm
thought then, by not goin' dea
i, e1;ssz< ~ y ASI'