The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-07-26
BATTLE WITH \ oATAMoUxT.
How PeddIer Gave the Beast
Dose He Didn't Bargain For.
From the Philadelphia Times.


From the Philadelphia Times
Woodland. July H.-One of the most in
teresting and unique characters in this
town is 'Lige Wilson, a lank. ungainly
denizen, who. eking out his living by the
collection and sale Of junk and rags, is
known from Phillipsburg to Clearheld
over six feet in hight lusty and elderly
his gaunt figure and bewhiskered face
can be seen any clear day driving along
the old road. A horrible wreck of a horse,
harness kept together by strings and
ropes. wagon that is so named because
1t has four very shaky wheels. and an
incongruous assortment of old tins bot
ties, rags, bits OF iron and empty powder
cans. and we can see 'Lige occupying
the highway. Everyone knows him. for
he has eight motherless children over in
his two-rcom house, and certainly the
best spring Of water this side of the old
well on top OF Hog Back.
one day Lige started for Blue Ball a
woman down thec3 having told him that
the usual cleaniD2' out time had arrived
and she wanted him to come and cart 1t
all away. So trudging along past the
hotel and livery stable, he pushed into
the hemloCk woods that lay on the hill
top through which the road ran, and soon
the narrow town lay behind. The Clear
field company had opened new pros
pecung tunnel on the edge of the hill,
and the work was so satisfactory that
they had abandoned the fans and cut an
air-shaft through the hilltop, and as Lige
went along the road he met he gang who
were making the cut. Morning. 'Lige-
which way today" "Over to Blue Ball
for a load" One of the men stopped him
''Lige.' he said, there's a big cat up
here somewheres, for we saw him to-day
and Sammy saw him yesterday Better
look out-he may catch We on the return -
'Lige laughed, said he guessed not wasn't
any critters in the hemlocks, and went
on.
After a little drive through WaHaceton
and a trip down the steep hill. the farm
house was reached and such a load Lige
never had. He said that he thought the
"old gal" had been gathering stuff all
over Blue Ball-"and say, bottles-weu,
! could have started one of them things
drug stores, you know-and say, some
were full, some were empty, but l had
the truck loaded full UP and mighty lit
tie room to spare. Iron and rags? Yes.
plenty of that, too. But l put that at the
bottom of the wagon"
About 3 O'Clock Lige started back for
Woodland, happy in a good days work
a load that might net him a dollar any
how. AS he drew near the woods he
thought for a minute of the eat" but
hardly a second, and he plunged in. A mile
went by. and, forgetting everything ex-
cept his pipe, for the old horse knew the
road, he fell into a clumsy reverie as to
which one of his 16-year-old twin girls
was going to get married first and wish
ing " SOOAlieSS mat lHey WOULD both
hurry up-when a roar and a crash. and
through the brush came an animal
smash 1t was the cat.
Lige numbered, Strengthened up in his
seat and told the horse to whoa Per
fectly unnecessary it was. for the poor
beast had already stopped of its own ac-
cord, trembling until its bones almost
came through the skin. Yes" said Lige
its the pesky cat and 1t must 20 away
or I'll not have any need of the Junk.
Darn critter just likely as not eat me and
the horse up, and l don't want to go vet
There's ali them children, you knOW-and
here he Games, and me. without any gun.
Shoot get out your rat" But the cat
came nearer and looked fight and showed
its teeth in a very nasty way. Just then
the horse gave a snort and a quick Jerk.
and the harness parting in six or seven
places, with more speed than it had ever
showed. down the road it went.
Poor 'Ltge gave up, as the cat with a
grOwl ran within four or five feet of the
wagon and there stopped crouched and
prepared to spring. A moments hesitation
on the part of the rag dealer. and then
reaching into the wagon he drew out a
bottle and fired It at the cat Yes. sir"
said Lige, and / hit him plumb between
the eyes. and he stopped for a minute and
shook his head. as much as to say-'Man.
what kind of thing was that. anyhow
for you see the bottle broke into small bits
Well, thought. now Mister Cat, you like
that 50 well, I'll give You another, and