The Van Buren press., 1895-06-01
SUSAN AND THE PANTHERS,
An Episode in the Youth Of an
Astounding Woman.
She Was Interrupted by Two Psnthers--
When Compelled to Take a Hand
In the scrimmage She Didn't
Waste Her Powder.

Ia the ecrimmage She Didn't
Waste Her Powder.
"Long afore know'd Susan or had
ever heard Of her yit," said Cuthbert
Miles, the octogenarian basket-weav-
ing hermit OF Indian Run, Pa,
"which'd make 1t sumpin' like seventy
year ago, she had started in to be as
toundin' alreedy, an she was only Jest
comm ten year old at that. never
know'd about it, either, till year or
more arter me an Susan was married,
an had come down from York state
into the Pennsylvany wildernest an
chopped an dug an grubbed out that
clearin' Of our'n down the creek. 1
wouldn't q know'd it then, nuther, If
me an Susan hadn't got up one night
to go out and resky some of our live
stock belongin's from painter that
had come down out O. the mountains
an set out to levy on calf. We
reskied the calf an got the painters
hide an taller, an after we'd gone
back an went to bed, Susan said that
the painter didn't begin to be as big as
either one o the two she killed wunst
at one shot, up in Gortl and county,
when she was a gal.
"'If I'd u know'd this one wasn't no
bigger'n it was, says she, I wouldn't
a woke you up, Moses says she, but
d slipped out an gethered it in
alone says she.
"'Susan! says l, how you talk!
''Then she didn't say no more, but l
couldn't git them two painters at one
shot out O my mind, an pooty soon I
says:
"'Susan,' says 1, how did 1t happen9'
"'That woke you up? says she.
"No, says /. The two at one shot
"'Oh! says she. Didn't I tell ye
bout it?'
"'Why, MOI says. Course notl
"'Must ben, then, cause / hadn't
thort of it, says Susan. HIt's ben SO
long g'ago thatI mostfergitit, anyhow
says she, but his is sumpin' like the
way it came around says she.
= 'f''Then she told me bout it. Seems
that Susan's mother had sister Iivin'
down at the Chenango Forks, an one
day some one from down there came to
Susan's folks clearin' a-horseback to
tell the Of lady that her sister was
sick an mebby wouldn't live till the
next mornin.' Course, Susan's mother
mus go down right away, but Susan's
pap was way from home, an wasn't
'spected back till late that night, or
imebbe not afore mex Inornin'. 1t
wouldn't do to go way an leave no.
body ON the clea rim, fer when the oil
man came home an found his wife an
darter gone he wouldn t know what to
make of it, an there wasn't no neigh
bors to leave word with. tF
"'Why,~ nanny says Susan, I'll
stay till pap comes, an tell him.
IAN Snsan wasn't ten yit, an there
wasn't no one livin' nigher'n. five miles,
an there was big woods on every side,
full o. bar an painters
"Ain't ye feerd, SusanP' says her
nanny.
"'Puhr says Susan. 'Feerd! Iguess
I wasn't fetched up in the woods to be
skecrt by owlsI says she.
"An' so Susan's NANNY went down
to the Forks to see her dyin' sister.
Susan done the chores round the clear
in list as il the hull family was there
as usual, an arter eatin' her supper she
nut big log on the fireplace, cause it
was long late in the fall, an sot down
to put some patches on her pap's hick-
orv trousers, which had been tore con-
sid'able during q little tusslei the OF
man'd ben havin' with bar the day
afore. Susan's pop was liable TO sech
tussels, an Susan usety say that bout
the only reecryation she had when she
wasn't workin' was took up settin'
patches in her spap's trousers or sewn
I'M his coat or sumpin'. But he alluz
got the bar, she usety say
"Well, Susan she sot down to set the
patches in her pap's trousers thatnlght,
and was stitchin' away at one when
suddenly, off to the right o. the house,
there come out O the woods yell that
/. ought to ben enough to, from what
Susan told me, to skeer wild lnJln
into a at Of shakes thatd rattle his
war paint off. sSsA @
IA painter, hay9' says Susan, bitin'
off another piece 8 patent thread an
threadin' her needle ag'in. 'Wull,
saws she, he amt comin' after none OF
our belongin's or he wouldn't be hoi.
lerin', an he couldn't Sit none of'em II
he was comm nrter 'em,' says she, so
let him yell till his throat's sore, u ne
wants to- says she, fttin' another
patch on her pap's trousers. TT,
"She hadn't more'n stuck her neeaie
IN it. when from the direction OF the
creek, on the left o. the house, rlz up
another yell, somuch frightfuller than han
the first one, Susan said, that II tnere q
a ben a hull tribe O. Injin's campin
around there they'd a got up an Dug
1.-Two ON 'em, hay% says SUSAN
waxin' her thread some more ohe
comm, from the east anltother comm
from the west, an both on EN- ,'lau.
der'n bush fires says She shouiah =
,-onder but what they'm gointer heV
80. oround here. some RS. Leu