The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-09-01
JIM FOUND HIS WATCH.
Uncle Billy Ray Tells How and Thinks
It Was Pretty Close to Miracles.
From the New York Sun.


Barley Run, Pa, Aug. 20.-The very
first time ever saw Uncle Billy Ray,
landlord of the Barley Run tavern, and
before was out of the wagon at the door
of his hosiery, he took his pipe out of
his mouth and said:
Jim Morse has found his watch"
l had not been aware that MIR Morse
had lost his watch but was glad to hear
that he had found it. l sat uown on the
tavern bench.
Then Allegheny pickerl is terrible
savage said Uncle Billy. AN big, too.
an allus hungry. Biggest an hungriest
pickerl that ever crowd But l never
s'pected EN- OF bein' robbers. They be,
though. They stole Jim Morse's watch.
Leastways one of EN- did. Held him up
as regular as could be, too; an took it
right often him. chain an all! But Jim's
found it. 1 never s'pected he would,
though. s'pect you're goln' to try the
Allegheny picker'l?"
That's what I came over here for" l
replied.
head, you want to look out. Theym
your watch to home, if you've got one.
'Iain't likely that you'll be as lucky
about gittln' it back ag'in as jim Morse
was. When Jim come in here an told
me his watch had been stole l felt terrible
sorry for him, cause he'd been savin' up
for consid able time to git it, an 'twan't
likely that he'd ever git another one.
But when he told me who had stole it !
Jist billed over, fer twas only the week
afore that the only pig that Jim had was
stole by bar, an hawk stole nine of
his chickens, an now when it come to
picker'l risin' up an stealin' his watch, it
was more'n could stand.
Ding itp says /, 1t hain't safe to be
In this bailiwick no more!' says l.
Course it hain't," says Jim, an he
looked so durn down that gave him two
good snifters an half pint to take home
with him.
Jim want out arter pickerl nuther.
He was bass fishing. Right down yonder
by Eagle Rock Is where il happened. Jim
was stannin' list above his knees in the
water, playin'-a bass he had list hooked
when PUNK came sumpin' agin his stom-
ach that knocked the wind out OF him an
| doubled him up most like a iackknife.
Now, s'spose you'd a ben winded an
| doubled up by a PUNK in your stomach
like that, an when you looked down an
see that IL was tremendous big picker'l
that done it, and the picker'l had
grabbed your watch chain, an was tug
gin and yankin at it like mad, wouldn't
you ben su'prised2 Funny if you
wouldn't, an o. course Jim was surprised
when he see that Setch was jist what was
| hapDenin' to him, an fore he got all his
wind back and could straighten up the
| picker'l had sniped the watch out O. Jlm's
pocket, yanked the chain loose, an was
divin' back inter the water with his
plumber. And Jim said the picker'l was
mean enough to stop when it was half
under water an wiggle It's tail at him
the aggravatin est kind burned if it
| don't make me bile TO think of it!
But yesterday Jim come in here jest a
yoopin' an yellin'. I thought for sure
that the losin' of mis- watch had druv him
| crazy.
Billy says he, I've found my
"'Jim,' says I, thinkin' yet that he was
crazy don let it work on We like that
Why, ding it! I'll buy you another watch
myself says I.
"'Buy me another un?' says jim. What
! do l want of another IN when I've got
my, own watch back2' says he. an he
pulled out the watch an chain the pick
er'l stole.
jim says l, 'miracles?'
"'Purty nigh to it, says he, an he told
me all about it.
''Jim's cousin Bob Boyden lives three
miles below Eagle Rock. 1t was two
weeks ago to-day that Jim was robbed by
| the owdacious picker'l. Bob Boyden's
/
| the river, cause he hain't afeerd of 'em
| When feller hooks one o. these Ale
| gheny plcker'l an hauls in an gifts a sight
| of it a-comin', if he don't cut his line an
let the picker'I go, that's Teller that
hain't afeerd to tackle his weight in wild
cats. Bob BOYden's jist one o. them kind
O. chaps, an he'll go right out all alone
and tackle them picker'l any time. Well
sir day afore Yesterday Bob thought he'd
go out an hev some fun with picker'l, an
he went. An want to tell you. it's good
thing fer Jim Morse that he did.
Bob hadn't trolled long afore he got
strike that was strike.
'Belshazzar's ghost' says Bob. There
hain't no PRECEDENT fer setch a strike as
thatn says he. There's fish on the end
o. this line this trip says he.
An there was, you bet 'Tain't worth
while fer me to tell you how Bob had to
fight, an tussel, an sweat an swear.
fore he got his picker'l ashore, but he
landed 'em. There was two of 'em. But
only one of EN- had Boo's hook in it's Jaw.
Tother, I'm had TO come along, list the
same, cause 1t was fast to the hooked
picker'l by watch chain. Bob said this
was the most s'Prisin' thing he ever see.
One end O. the chain was fast in one pick
er'l's teeth, wedged there tighter'n wax.
an tother end was Some'rS in t'other
picker'ls innards Bob felt as if he ought
to 'yestigate, an he ripped t'other picker'l
open; an he found a watch fast in its
gullet.
bob began to dance for Joy over this
here prize he had took, but purity soon he
stopped and turned pale. He reco'nized
the watch an chain as Jim Morse's Now,
he hadn't heerd O. Jim havin' his watch
stole, so there want only one thing fer
him to think had happened.
These picker'l has waylaid Jim an
gobbled him says Bob. an all that's left
is this here watch an chain2'
bob didn't lose no time, l can tell We,
gittin up to Eagle Rock to carry the or
full news to Jim's folks. Well-but, o.
course you know what the upshot must a
ben, an the lively time there was over to
Jim's. The one picker'l had stole the
watch from Jim, an t'other picker'l had
tried to steal it from the first picker'l an
that's the way they both got in O scrape.
But it was edgin' purity close on to mira
Giles, the way Jim found his watch,
wasn't it2p
A CONTORTIONIsT,S SCHEME