The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1892-07-03
SAM was pLAx1Iw ,rA1Ens
He Hated the Job. and Joe showed Hfu q
Pleasant Way 60 Get Eia of IL.

Farmer Bon Pomeroy's and Jim Cranes taking
somc stitches In Bon's boy Sam and Jim's boy
joe The circumstances that led TO his call MP
in that neighborhood. as near as could
gather it from authentic sources. was sub.
stantially as follows:
Fouttoen-year-od Sam Pomeroy was in-
dustriously planting potatoes In back field
on his fathers farm that forenoon when thir-
tccn-ycnr old Joe Crane came along.
"Plantin 'tators. Sam 2" said Joa
Sam said no was.
"What do you git fer dom IL 2" asked Joe.
~Don't git nothIn' fer dom it" replied Sam.
For not dom 1t git lickod."
Then there was silence for moment By
and by Joe said: Its too wet to plant 'tatars,
They'll rot"
Don't seem to strike my nap that way"
said sam. nnd ho planted along. Silence for
SPELL Then Joo said:
"Tha's wild cat up hero Apiece. Sam"
Go way - exclaimed Sam. Strengthening
UP and leaning on his hoo Where 'boutsr'
"Jist beyond tho laurel patch. nigh the edge
O. tho Dcvirs Rut." replied Joo.
Sam pondered In silence for minute. with
his chin on his hoe. and then. slRhing. resum-
Cd his planting. Joo broke tho silence again.
Cant you sneak your paps gum" said he.
Two snuck my pap's."
"Yos. kin sneak it cosy enough" said Sam,
IeaulnE on MS noe WITH ono manu- anu SCrhtcnS
ing his head with tho othor. but pap IL lick
me like tarnation fer knockin' of plantin'."
"Tha's two dollars bounty. list for the wild.
cats ears" insinuated Joe. AN tho hides
wuth two dollars moro
" That's So" said Sam. shaking his head
dolefully. "Durn the 'tatersI' ..-...
"Tha's circus over to town next week."
said Joe. IAN faint fur yit till tho Fourth q
July s'posc yer pap II give you two dollars.
o course. to tnkc EN- In"
Not BY jugful. be won'tp exclaimed
Sam. dropping tho hoo Where II meet
you. Joei"
BY the rock spring." replied Joe. II got
pap's gun hid up there"
And Joe went back to the woods. while Sam
took II circuitous route for home. as his father
was plo Ching on tho direct route. In less
than quarter Of an hour he and Joe loaded
their guns ut the rock spring and marched
for tho pnce whore the wildcat was alleged to
be lurking That there was a wildcat In tho
said therc were TWO, one had been seen sev-
oral times, at my rate. and number, OF lambs
yards had been thnncd out in way that
denoted tho methods OF the Wildcat 30
% "p at least S WAS @ opert s IN
the ncignlorhooh. Men had hunted for It and
for Int hnG thus ns far eiuded hum
heen looking Tor n hawks nest that no be-
stubs the p Rae whom 0 he
anrosI u D:g wildcat. which ran, UP u tree.
He had thorcupon hurried nome. "snucE" his
tatm'rs gun Gnd with raredin II; induced
and Join in u cam raign against tho wildcats
joe. as tho arbitcr Of tho hunt sent Sam
whore he shrcwdiy suspected the catumount
hnd his rcin.,. wiz! 10 himself went around
Ttl,f n I'M Nan
routed It out, Sam stan ted tho big cat and got
y shot ut it. He broke ono OF its hind legs. 6uI
three legs. II came out near Joe. and he gave
e shSs tF rca sHn sna
right On the edge Of ths Devils Kut. and it's
dying kicks carried il ovar the edge. and it fell
TGg p;ts hf hu G so c Of ss fs canon on
small scale. 1t is scnm in the rocks. not
over ten feet wide at its widest part. thirty
ard Sem looked d"In into the boVils Hut and
could sen the wildcat lying thore dead. To
impossiblity. andit looked as ii tho hunt was
to be a fruitl.ss one after ALL
worse Of than n'thln. fer all I'll git now II DO
But Sam WIS too much Of a pcssimist- Joe
have lost tho wild eats bounty and its skin.
perhaps ut both BE-, h. and sam would have re:
ant great s b Ef% s wa yDss s,4sna
stretch Tor iitS loot or more. It TOOK, jos
out plan for securing tho wildcat and ali =
that It implied; IL" traced out vine that had
tMeng ap S tho for .en e
climbed the trees in succession. cutting tho
YIN, vine loose from the branch vines and fdrils
in length: Iho typ boys tested its
1t at once. and hanging from It, IL
held stnnch and SAFE, to It's native tree. joe
Kut. and went down into the rayino. hand over
hand upon it. His ntcntion was to fasten the :
haul it up. but Whe IAN an WAS VAS wa t for the
signal to pull away no heard Joe shouting
Rut. Drop down here with tho guhsi Tha's
them, to the bottom Then he dropped dim him.
self down Joo's grapevine and Joined Joe In
bic 1 bSs In ySHndSrr said ill., Joe painting to
iosr balls u ire All ali In row. 'ooA0u' ana 50"
49,. Each mir o them balls o fire." said Joe.
. Is two dollars Ter bounty an two dollars fer
tciler laytn' over hero is tootems two is four,
maxim twelve. 'coordin' to Dapoll. You take
take the ivy on tho Of side. When say three.
1t seemed q good whlo to sam before Joe
said three. but whom tho word cnmo he lot
her bin" according to directions. Both guns
went OIL mt oacc. and tho four balls OF fire dis
appeared. but something else came In sight.
TWO Wildcats bounded ont OF the hole In the
roc ks, over tho bodies Of the two Joe and Sam
Ind shot. and while tho report Of tho guns was
still bowling along the narrow passage In
booming echoes. and before the boys had time
To be surprised they found themselves mixed
UT, on tho rocky bottom of tho DEVILS hut with
Wildcats. grhpcyincs. guns and stones In
sucha way that the impress Of 1t on their
minds will be fresh and vivid long after the
impressions it made on their bodies have
healed IN and disappeared.
Neltnor Joe nor SHni can recall Just how
they managed to bring tho end about. but the
appearance OF the two wildcats heads con-
vryod tho impression that 1t was accomplished
ny tho butts Of guns. At any rate,
WHEN tho rush End whiri and yelling was all
over tho boys found themselves sitting on the
bottom Of the hut without much clothing on
to speak Of and with scarcely a spot four
Inches square from their shoulders down that
didn't have the marks OF u wildcats claw i'm.
printed omit. A they sal thcre wiping blood
with sUch bits ~ shirt AMI things as still hung
to them 900 WAS the first. to break tho sileucc.
That hole. said he. was n ieetle fuller %
wildcat than oalkilated ON. But them last