Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1893-04-27
ao Lord. make dat de meansI.

OBJ all my clothes | kin make a line
datl reach de wGtah. ! mus eat too.
Soon de meat OBJ de little bar gwine ter
be gone. Well, dar am lots OBJ trout in
de canyon. kin make q fshhook outer
my gallus buckles, an den wifi fine line
on de end OBJ de bucket rope kin begin
de fishin.
Mex l considah dat while got some
meat fer bait mus catch mo meat. !
gotter ketch sum Of dem hoot owls.
mus stir my stumps if I'm gwine ter live
half way comf'sble up dar on de shelf.
De bats come bout de cabbern ebery
ebening-I kin knock sum of dem down.
Oar amt no great mount OBJ eatin bout
er bat, but / reckoned dey might do fer
fish bait. when gifts a-gwine," sez l,
"rll be jis' like Mistah Robert Crusoe
on de island!"
Right away gifts out my knife an be-
gins ter make fgger four traps fer de
boot owls. makes two OBJ dem-w'at
we calls deadfalls. kalkerlated dat ef
l kin ketch two OBJ dem owl ebbery night
/ amt gwine ter starb. AS am maxim
de traps settin out dar on de shelf,
keeps an ear cooked and an eye peeled
fer de boys, kaise ! don't know how
quick dey may git de letter. While
hopin fer de best | am gittin ready for
de wust. Little Napoleon he is out
on de shelf 1ongside me a-playin wifi de
trap sticks an a-jumpin to katch de
shabins wat whittles. Icalls him Ma
poleon kaise de moas' he gifts ter eat am
de bony part OBJ his baby sister.
All day am on de shelf. No sign of
de boys. Dey hain't got de letter.
"W'at," sez l, swat eff it go to de de'd
letter orfus long wifi de ole b'arT Dat
worry me some, but as it is comm dark
I sets boff de hoot owl traps, an den me
an Napoleon goes ter bed. ties one OBJ
de fore legs OBJ Napoleon to my wris',
ksise don't want him to slip out an git
hurt in one OBJ de owl traps. De time
may come wen | gotter do wifi him like
I do wifi his sister.
Mex mornin am up wifi de lark-an
bout as high. 1t is Friday-de onlucky
day-de day OBJ ropes an hangin.
"Well," sez l, "don't you git down
hearted, Mistah Hawk-a rope is de on'y
salvation fer you, sah." talks dis away
wen rze in my room maxim OBJ my t'ilet.
den goes out on de shelf, an, by de
hokeyl dar am two hoot owl in dem
traps.
Napoleon hab come out wifi me, an
he am jis' nat'ally s'prized and delighted
wifi de sight OBJ de game. He growl ali
put on all kin of full grown airs. One
obde owl am dead. He reach in wifi his
bill to git de bait an he git his head
smash. De oder he reach fer de bait
wifi his foot an he get cotched by de leg.
Napoleon he box er while wifi de dead
owl; den he comes to have some fun wifi
de live one. Bout half mint he fin out
de diff'runce. He am de moas' 'stonish
little bar ebber see. l take de owl out
live. He is mons'us great feller, an
his leg amt broke. I ties him up by one
leg to keep him fer decoy, He will fetch
me plenty hoot owl meat.
Napoleon-who hab retire to de cab
bern wen de ole hooter let go OBJ him
-pooty soon comes pe'kin out. He sees
de big hoot owl is ready fer him, so he
lick him chops bit; den he mosey back
inter de cabbern. So dat mint | gives
de big owl de name of Moscow.
skins de dead owl mighty keerful, kaise
wen tears up all my clothes to make
de watah rope Ize gwine for ter need all
de owlskins l kin git to make me
sorter shirt er frock. Wen de owl is
skinned l make big smoke, hopin de
boys may come. l bin now four days
an half and four night, in de bar
cabbern-I am startin in on de fit day.
I am gittin RAIDER Uneasy bout de boys,
so dis mornin am hullerin heap off
an on.
Bout noon-glory be to God-I hears
two pistol shots. ! count five between
each oh de shots. "De signal fer de
lost" cries !. Den 1 shout, Praise de
Lord and bress de Lord, de boys hab got
de letterr'
hain't no gun ner pistol to answer de
signals. l wish dat de good Lord would
give me cannon up dar on de shelf |
hollers loud as 1 kin yell; den t'ink OBJ
a way to shout by steam. spits on de
rock, lay on de spot live coal, den
strikes it wifi de back OBJ he hatchet, an it
crack loud as any musket. shoot dis
away as fas' as kin sebberal times.
Boom! it roar an rattle up an down de
canyon.
Soon | sees two OBJ de boys, but dey
are on de oppersit side de canyon. Not
habbin hat to wave, picks up ole
Moscow an waves him. De boys spots
me dat mint. Dey halts an waves
dar hats. For de roar OBJ do canyon we
KANT talk much, but see de boys
a-makin signals to somebody on my side
de canyon. | see dem say wifi de hat.
go furder upT Den in mint er two.
Little furder!" Mex time dey say:
"Haltl Right dar is de placer
All dat jis' as plain to me as any talk.
I den gifts out on de aige OBJ de shelf an
look up at de wall ober de cabbern. In
bout er mint sees head poked ober
de wall. 1t is de. head OBJ de cunnel.
He sings out, "How is yer, boy?"
"Fine as er fghtin cockp ! hollers
back.
"T'ank de Lord for datl" says the cum
mel.
OWN to de roar OBJ de canyon we gotter
yell pooty loud. 1t is forty foot up to de
top OBJ de cliff. Mex de cunnel say
"W'at dat yer got down dar, boy"
say, "One dem is young bar; de oder
is ole hoot OWL"
"Want 'em boffF' AK de cunnel.
eyes, cunnel-yes, sab, please"
"Well, send dem up. De boys er comm
wifi de ropes"
"Yes, sah."
Dat news OBJ de ropes wur music fur
me. Soon half dozen de boys show dem