Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1892-12-16
POSY HOLLER.

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might be disapp ointed in not gettln' your
yaller punkins and sprin' chicken,
thcught l would write you few lines to
tell you Row it all come about. Well
last night, after dark awile, Saryan and
me was settin' in the kitchen by the
harth aid we kept hearin' of chicken
a holerln', and Saryan said, Meal, them
tsrnal minks IS after that paper mans
chicken" | felt kind o sleepy, and |
says, o, Saryan, that rooster haint got
over the election yet, faint nothin' a
besterin' it, but Saryan wouldn'r rest till
we got up and went out to see about 1t
and ketch the mink. Thereby hangs a
tail, or hang him by the tail or somethin'.
ANY how we went out to the coop and
Saryan looked in the crack and says,
thar, Neal, told you it was a mink
Saryan wanted me to reach In and pull it
out by the tail. told her minks had no
tails or if they had she should try it,
Saryan got mad and said SIGH ole idiots as
me want fit for apythin' but to chaw to-
bacco and spit on tho floor, and | should
get out of the way and she would ketch
it, and l said, yes, you'll let it out. Now,
Saryan, let me get bag and hold lt to
the crack, and You drive it in, by that
Saryan says good tor you, Neal, hold on,
here's my pettycOat. and durn me If she
didn't pull it off and draw the strings and
it made good bag. held it to the crack
Saryan give a punch snd ont run the
mink, into the bag. Come on Neal, fetch
him in the house and III scald the life
outen him IN minutes. l carried the
sack in the house and laid it down in the
corner to call the young ones up to see 1t.
when all of a sudden Saryan says white
Neal, them asaietida sacks has fell down
in the fire. No it amt, old woman, you
have gone and let my gum boots ketch
fire. Gist then Mary MGtilday came run
MIN ir hollerin' nam something's dead,
there's somebody throin' feathers and hair
on the tre. l happened to look around
and nary snakes II Bula Malinda Cleye-
land, our youngest gal, hadn't tainted
dead away. 1 hollered to fetch me some
water to throw on her, and Saryan run to
get the water, kicked the ole pettocoat
over and ont run the mink l just then
ketched a good peep at him, AMI darn my
ole socks if 1t wsrn't a pole cat. Well,
then my breath was gone. motioned to
Saryan to fetch me the kettle ofhot water
and to punch him ont from under the
cupboard. Saryan said no, no, Neal, you
punch him out and I'll scald the life
outen him, so got down on the floor and
begun to punch it ont, and run the cat
betwixt my legs and Saryan let go the
bilen water, and durn the drap that
touched the cat, but she struck me right
on top of the head. l jumped mp and start
ed to run out IN the yard and our ole dog
Bounce saw me comm out, no hat, o
shoes. and hollern' like an Irdian, and
Saryan and the gal after me, he thout l
was a tramp and he grabbed my panti-
looms 6 inches Ielow the hind suspenders
and pulled him nigh unto / Of a mile
and it took Saryan and me and all the
children's arguin' to convince ole Bounce
as was ole Neal. Saryan said come IN,
Neal, you ole fool you want to ketch cold
and I said no, but | want to ketch that
cussed pole cat. Well, we all come in
the house and begun to look for the cat,
but he had gone, though he left rs many
a scent better off. During the excitement
Theodore Ephraim put his foot in the
biggest yaller punkin and mashed it, and
one of the gals run over Bnla Malinda
Cleveland and hurt her so bad we had to
send for the Dr. When he come down he
said she was asphixiated and we was a
set of hogs and it was wonder we didn't
git the cholera and if we didn't white
wash and fumigate the house right off he
would have MS quarantined. He left u'
some carbolic acid and asaiGetida TO rut
Bula Malnda Cleveland, and charged me
IS 90 and went off sayin' somethin' aboui
his olifsctorys. Well, cousin Dill Sibert
as lives up in the mouth of the Holler
came down and got on the fence land
hollered over and SAID, Neal, got some
news to tell You but declare to the LORD
l can't come any higher now. I will tel
You next week. Well, l must close a.
Saryan wan IS urs all to bury ourselves in
the ash heap till mornin'. You mus
come down and see uTs soon.
Yourn in respect,