Evening journal., 1896-12-07
TWO INA SINK HOLE.
A KENTUCKY PRNTER NARRATES a
THRILLING EXPERIENCE.

Pretty muci everybody in the crowd
had told a pory of the gun or dog or
fisbpole except a printer who looked
about as mach like a hunter or fisher
man as he did like an angel.
"It's yorr turn now, Muggins, said
the reporter.
IL never hunted anything but board
ing houses over in Brooklyn, " he said,
with van and dodging kind Of air, as
if people threw things at him whenever
he tried to tell story.
"But before you came here is what
we want to know about, Put in sew
eral, "and you've either got to tell a
story or pay for the drinks every time
anybody else tells one "
He moved about uneasily and pushed |
his chair back from the table, drawing |
it close up again Immediately and final !
ly resting his hands clasped on the board |
in front Of him.
"Well, gents, he said with the wan
and dodging look still in his eyes, "let
me think a minute Before l came here
/ lived in Chicago, where l was hunted
instead Of hunting. Before that / was
in New Orleans, where only hunted q
job. Before that l was in ST. Paul,
where l was hunting a warm place all
the time. Before that lived IN Boston,
whore it was too fri2id to hunt, ard be-
fore that, quite long time before that,
l lived in old Kentucky, and gents,
did hunt there. Nothing but coon,
mebbc. or fox or possum or as little
as a squirrel or only Govc in the dusty
road, but it was finer than anything on
earth.
II was only o boy, and perhaps that
had something to do with it, hut didn't
know any different then, like do now.
and it was Just tho finest Oh earth and
10 mistake And his wan face lighted
up rs if he were looking through the
open gates cf paradise. 81 rocollect /
had a dog that was considerable of
hunting dog, but lie was an unrestless
kind Of % cuss, and when he treed any
thing ho would do lot of barking at
first, but If somebody didn't como
mighty quick lie would give it up and
go mcseying along after the next thing
in sight. One night 1 was out with him
after coons, and about 8 o'clock l heard
him bark like he was over in clamp
of woods about half milo away.
knew / was going TO have 10 get TO him
pretty quick il / found him there at all,
and / started across field toward tho
woods as fast IS | could go. 1t was a
stubble field with sink holes like You
find all over Kentucky in the limestone
parts, and the place was dark, though
the -ocn was just beginning 10 show
above tho wccOs. i was thinking more
about what the dog had than anything
else, ard as / went banging through ,h,
field, all at crco 1 seemed TO drop eff Of
the earth and fall irto q cellar, and then
l lrcw ! had tumbicd into sink hole.
They aiO never very deep or dangerous,
and I wasn't afraid Of hei.g fatally
hurt, LIT il tcck tho ss;d cut Of me
right quick, and / went down through
tho weeds ard stuf, rot moving Just
what had happened. OF cou-Go ] haGn
much tino 70 think, and when / bit
bottom l had still less, for instead q
lighting c. Ito ground CT stones oi
1 thickot. I lit on something alive. Itwn'
wild Gnimcl Of scmo kind, didn
know what, and was reared till my
hair hcgsn 70 feel fanny On my head.
'WEcn I went down, NCrt hard
and l-ird cf Eacc,cd tao wind cut a
tic vaTmirt ct frat, but in q sccord il
began 10 VOW u-d snap and frall and e
twist under no and try to gCt oct ant
/ TO ruiso tho dickens generally. Ia tic
moantiuo was yelling and squawkinl
and trying 10 scare tho blamed thing
because I thought il was wildcat, az,
/ know hoy Cf my size didn't have
any show with wildcat if the varmir
ever tcck rotten TO fSht, ana 1 l.rov
pretty vcll thct "A wildcat was about q
sure 70 taLo roticn to laht as any
thing ca Garth. / cont know CSactl.
what / cid in that lolo or low ! did it
Lut Icmcr.lCr isf,Crcd about a Eontl
of Sundays thas VAS al mussed UP II
thcIo with scmo kind Of wild animal
ard finally Go thing got from urGCr Ia
aud aoo9ted as fast as it could for th
top Of the airl. hole l followed after j
as quick a9 : could for / became brave
when cav It ruu, ~ ii Wien 4 got al
on TIC l,vll tie ECon had come cat
and 1 cculd rec the aii:int fairly skin
ming it cut icr the tail tintCf. } yolloi
{ at itwith III IL might, though didn'
run cftc-is very fast, ard began to cal
my dog. Ontho second call the varmin
stopped, and began TO set ready TO Sill
, ont myself, when get better look
and, by tho great hoin spoon, gents,
was ny dos. called liza then, and ].
canio bacl. to re, and / could rec fo
, myself That lo bad hclcd something
! down there j. TO rirk, and his baifin
had hccn emothcrcd and sounded ava
off 70 mo, and cf course when droppe
+ in on him unexpectedly like that b
didn 6 l-aow cnythire about it, and nci
I ther did !, ard ttcrc wo WAS IN an
: event, gentlemen, " concluccd the fol
MGR Ccrncgackcr. "that ccg como tloi
ting back 20 70. ard when we net fac
TO faco in tho moonlight he scrter look
ed at me, ard scrtcr locked at hin
and don't know which ono cf Us fel
most like apologizirg. l d. Uow
though, we 10th Knocked OH for that o.
l CasiOn, and on the way hCme we toe