St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1896-09-05

the spot I would hold to the whip
and follow that internal he COW I'll
over town and clean on back there In
the red hills to where the sun went.
before I would turn loose and give mp
the fight and take my chances with
the wrath to come.
Well, Bully-if that want his name I
can't see why-took up . notion about
that time that he was goin somewheree,
and he didn't have no time to spare.
He give little snort and one loud bel
low, and reached his back, and me and
him tore out from there, and now, let
me tell you. ladies and gentlemen. il
there ever was poor country boy In Ill
this green and wicked old world that
suffered the agonies Of death In three
shakes Of q sleeps tail. It was me.
would come Of me, and didn't give .
continental durn what went with the
he cow. The mainest thing to my mind
was Uncle Luke's fine whip, which I
knowed he thought jest . l-e-e-tlc
more Of that whip than he did Of his
wife and children. was skeered to
pull on it much for fears it mought
slip OF at the other end Of the stan,
and we would never lay mortal eyes on
i no more henceforward and forever.
So thought to myself 1 would better
try to climb the staff, % it were, till
I could get my hands on the leather part
and then hang to 1t like grim death
till somethin froze over. felt exactly
like If was to lose Uncle Luke's long,
fine whip. it would be whole lot better
for me if never had been horned, and
I would then be ready to run away and
60 west, or slip OF and drown myself
in the biggest wash hole in the settle.
ment.
But They "Tore Out from There"
But as / said before me and bully
we tore out from there, and I had to
let him work in the lead, whilst ] was
burnin the wind as high private in
the rear ranks. Man, sir, we went
acrost the square, hittin the high places
only, and started up the main street.
Eut two or three men saw us ccmih
and run out and headed us OF. Then
we turned and made another dark
streak acrost the square, and started
of towards the hills where the sun
went down.
''Go it, dadburn you, to sunset and
. hotter place than that ii you want
to-" says to Bully, "but If somethin
don't break or slip your Marse Rufus
will be with you when the even stars
sing together"
About that time smother crowd If
men saw the cloud risin and run out
and headed US and turned IN back
acrost the square. We then started out
tn take the Jackson Trail road, which
I didn't know where in creation It
would lead us. But was right in be-
hind Bully-sometimes runnin like .
quarter horse and sometimes slidin Ike
a baseball man comm home to base-
tryin my level blamdest to gain on him
enough to slip my hands up to the
leather part and save Uncle Luke's
whip. And we didn't take the Jackson
Trail road neither. Another crowd
headed us off and oncst more we tore
up the earth acrost the square. Then
we took q notion to try another .oute,
and Bully he snorted and pitched out
Down the old Stage road towards
Panther Creek.
"Now, dad blame your slab-sided.
razor-back pictures. hope they will
open the way and turn us out and let
us co." says to Bully as spit in one
hand and caught fresh holt on the whip;
''and il / amt dead when we git to
Panther Creek will kill beef. CON-
sound you, and save Uncle Luke's
whip"
But it never had been wrote down in
the books that way. Me and Bully
amongst us had now raised such 4
monstrous dust and confnsionment till
the crowd closed in around the out
lines of the square and wouldn't even
let US take the old stage road and go
ON home to Panther Creek. They head
ed US of and turned US back at every
street and corner, and who0ped and
hollered till I thought in my soul that
Bully would break my neck and tear
himself in two. II he tried oncst he
tried so times to but our way through
the crowd and leave town, but the
crowd wouldn't let us go. It was =
free circus to them town people, you
understand, with me and Bully in
the ring. and all that we could do was to
follow the circle and burn the wind
round and round and round the square.
Finally at last Bully give . quick,
student lunge, the whip slipped on Of
the STAFF and we two parted. I Sided
half way acrost the square on my face
and the brow band Of my breeches, and
when looked back saw Bully leavin
. black streak in the other direction.
with Uncle Luke's whip windin and
flynn and curtin and twistin as it went
. glimmerin through the air.
Right then felt like I would raley
love to die, though didn't quite do
that. But I was already bruised and
bunged up and bleedin and down. 20 !
lest turned loose and tainted and laid
there in It.
When I come back to my senses the
men folks had picked me up and put
me In the wagon, and sent for two doc
tors and . preacher. But the first
thing I saw when opened my eyes
oncst more upon the wonders of this
world was Uncle Luke Willis stsndin
there by the wagon with his long whip
in his hand. They told me that big
crowd Of men had caught Bully and
got the whip, then tied . bundle of fod-
der to his tail and stuck flre to IL and
turned him out towards the sunset
hills.
But the naked sight Of Uncle Luke'a
whip was both medicine and ointment
for me. And when we got back home
to Panther Creek that night was
right bad disfigured and tremendous
tired and hongry. but st:ll handsome,
still healthy and still happy.
RUFUS eANDERA
/. Turtle with I've HsoAs.
L. Z. Hudson tells Gameland about .
freak turtle he found ON the shores Of