The Durham recorder. [volume] (Durham, N.C.) 1879-19??, 1896-04-30
AN EEL THAT LIKED MILK.
10 was slippery. lint Dry Ashes Finally
Caught Him.

1 a
40 was slippery, Bnt Dry Ashes Finally
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 u
one of the most remarkable. Con-
densed from the lengthy narrative as
Il originally appeared, the story is as
follows, in the old mans own languages
dad Apologize got a fine COW last
spring--one Of the best cows ever see.
Fur time she gave fofty quarts OF
milk day and kept fat Long early
in the summer she kinder fell on 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 come
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 key
to fit the lock. Things went ON in the
same way for q month or two, and one
day l suggested TO him that 1t might
be that his COW was gittin' milked regu-
lar every night by q milk snake, and
that he orter watch her greed TO
help him. but he said he'd do il 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 in the house and turnedin. Mex
nornin' 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 il warn't SO
s'prisin' 10 me after Twas told about IL
HE thought the COW was actin
kinder queer, and, pulling the lantern
up ont Of the nail key he had II in, he
flashed the light on her and saw what
he thought was big blacksnake
standin' on lis tail an milkin' the COW.
The light scarf II an II drops of and
slips away In the dark corner. He
looked high and low for It, but had to
20 70 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
TIL the follerin' night, an then he hitit
fair with Flobert bullet, and the ball
glanced off the slippery eel II II he'd
been snake II would hev killed Il, but
1t only dazed the eel long enough fer
dad TO see what II WIS
1.-THE eel looked 20 weigh about three
an a half pounds, an as dad was about
10 pick II up an thinking what good
breakfast II would make, gave twist
and slid through bole In the barn
and drop't into the brook. Dad went
fshin' fer that eel mex day, and set up
al night nearly watchin' fer II with
an eel spear, but the eel was too Gun.
ming fer him, and mex mornin' the COW
gave fifteen quarts Of milk, shown
what the eel had been in the habit Of
takin'. II went on that way fer weeks.
II he wanted any milk in the mornin'
he'd hey 10 set mp all night with the
COW, an II he didn't set up the eel
would come every time. He stop't
up all the holes, an the eel made
new ones He tried pizened milk, an
the eel wouldn't touch Il Then he
knuckled under an came 10 me fer
sdvice. Jest told hin 70 put some
dry ashes under the COW an bed get
the eel. He did Il, an the next day he
found the eel layin' stiff In the barn.
II had got the ashes all mixed up with
the slime and couldn't crawl He cut
the cells throat and skinned Il, an
never saw purifier eel II was almost
pure white, where other cells meat Il
ginerally blue, an he said Il was the
best tastin eel he ever he'd. I know'd
bout eels an ashes when was boy.
There's times when cells come ont onto
pasture land 70 feed on crickcts II
night, an an old German told me how
70 catch EN-. All he did was 20 make
wide strip Of dry ashes twixt the pas.
hare and the water and the cells CO uldn,t
PISS it.--N. Y. Sun.