The Durham recorder. [volume] (Durham, N.C.) 1879-19??, 1895-01-16
AN EEL THAT LIKED MILK.
He Was slippery, But Dry Ashes Finally
Caught Him.

nc Whb shpptrys Dut Dry Abhet ~ hnhfy
Caught Him.
Abner Hammell is famous fisher
man Of Irvington, N. J,,whose fish and
snake stories occasionally get into the
local papers, to the amusement Of the
reader. The last story Abner tells is
one of the most remarkable. Con-
densed from the lengthy narrative as
it originally appeared, the story Is as
follows, in the old mans own languages:
dad Applegate got a fine COW last
spring-one of the best cows ever see.
Fur time she gave fofty quarts OF
milk q day and kept fat Long early
in the summer she kinder fell off on
the morning milkin', and kept gettin'
wuss and wuss as the summer run
along. She seemed to be all right dur
In the day, but didn't produce in the
night Dad KEEP her In the little barn
down by the crick, and fur while he
had an idee that somebody was milkin'
her durin' the night ! don't know
but he 'spicioned me, for he put lock
on his barn door and then CONT
over the next mornin' and asked me TO
lend him my bunch OF keys, sayin'
he'd lost or mislaid his Foxy, warn't
he? You see he found the COW hadn't
done no better in the night, and he
wanted to find out whether had a key
to iit the lock. Things went on In the
same way for month or two, and one
day suggested III him that II might
be that his COW was gittin MIXED regu-
lar every night by milk snake, and
that he orter watch her. greed 70
help him, but he said he'd do it alone,
and he went down that night an set for
hours on q half-bushel measure watch
ing the COW. Then he got tired and
went hi the house and turned in. Mex
mornin' the COW didn't give down
morn two quarts Of milk. Dads got
patience, and he watched the better
part Of the mex night and the one fol-
lorin', and then he saw sight that
s'prised him, though It warn't 50
s'prisin' to me after Twas told about II
''He thought the COW was actin
kinder queer, and, pulling the lantern
| up out of the nail keg he had Il in, he
flashed the light on her and saw what
he thought was big blacksnalSe
standin' on its tail an milkin' the COW.
The light scarf il an Il drops of and
slips away in the dark corner. He
looked high and low for II, but had 10
go to bed without gettin' another sight
Of II. Mex night he got shot at Il
with a rife, but missed II an IL got
away. He didn't find out what II was
till the follerin' night, an then he hit Il
fair with Flobert bullet, and the ball
glanced off the slippery eel. II IL he'd
been snake il would hey killed il, but
II only dazed the eel long enough fer
dad TO see what il was
THE eel looked 10 weigh about three
an a half pounds, an'as dad was about
10 pick II up an thinking what q good
breakfast Il would make, gave 4 twist
and slid through hole in the barn
and drop't into the brook Dad went
fishin' fer that eel mex day, and set up
all night nearly watchin' fer II with
an eel spear, but the eel was too cum
ming fer him, and mex mornin' the COW
gave fifteen quarts Of milk, shown
what the eel had been In the habit Of
tal6in'. II went on that way fer weeks
II he wanted any milk in the mornin
he'd hey TO set mp all night with the
COW, an II he didn't set up the eel
would come every time. He stop'i
up 81 the holes, an the eel made
new ones He tried pizened milk, an
the eel wouldn't touch IL Then hs
xnuckled under m came 10 me feI
advice. I Jest told him 20 put some
dry ashes under the COW an he'd gel
the eel He did il. an the next day hs
: found the eel layin' stiff in the barn
10 had got the ashes all mixed mp will
: the slime and couldn't crawl lie cut
; the cells throat and skinned Il, an
never saw purifier eel II was almosi
] pure white. where other cells meat i
] ginerally blue, an he said Il was th,
. best tastin eel he ever he'd know't
j bout cells an ashes when was a boy
: There's times when cells come out ont,
; pasture land 20 feed on crickets a
I night. an an old German told me hov
, 10 catch 'em. All he did was 70 maxi
} . wide strip Of dry ashes twixt the pas
: ture and the water and the cells couldn'
] nasa tn. ". SIM.