Connecticut western news., 1896-07-16
THEN HE HIT ME AGAIN."

lered over Panther hill one day: waal, was takin that path Thar was plenty of bars around yere then, and only three days befo' the fuss I'd set a big trap on that path. I orter hev recollected bout it as went along, but that fuss with the ole woman driv 1t clean outer my head. Yes, sah, walked plumb into that trap befo' I knowed 1t, and what was wuss l was kotched with both legs jest below the knees. I was carryin my rife long down beside me, and 1t was kotched too. If 1t hadn't bin, the teeth would hev gone right to the bone"
 But you had your arms free and could get yourself out" said.
 "I'd like to hev yo' try it oncer' he grimly replied. "The heft of that trap was all man could lift, and I had to use a lever to spring the jaws open when sot 1t. had the chain fast to a tree and had clear ed the ground around 1t, and thar wasn't so much as a stick to help myself with. Deed, sah, but I jest fell right over and howled with the pain of it Feared like my legs was bein sawed off with a dull saw, and never cum higher to faint in away. Arter about ten minits my legs go numb, and the pain wasn't so bad, but I sweat till hadn't dry thread on me. That spot Is two miles from any house, and how was gwine to git outer that scrape couldn't tell. hooted and whoop- cd till could boot no mo, but nobody cum-that is, no human bein cum What did show up was bar. Reckon he'd bin sleepin in thicket nigh at hand and my yellin had disturbed him. Anyway he was thar, and my rifle was kotched in sich a way that couldn't use it. The blamed var1nint knowed was in a fix and took advantage of 1t He jest walked right up to me and smelt me up and down. Then he hauled of and hit me whack with his paw which rolled me twice over. Then he hit me again and rolled me back. l couldn't do nuthin but take it, and I rock on it was half an hour befo' he got tired of the fun and walked of. Thar was his chance to kill and eat a man, and a man as had killed over 80 of his kind, but he didn't take advantage of it. |"
 And what happened after the bear left youg"
 ''waal, that was about noon- I rolled around and got the chain free and then tried to open the trap, but couldn't fetch | it About o'clock in the afternoon, when I'd made up my mind that I was goner and was lyin on my back and weepin like | baby, my ole woman hove In sight She'd | got sorry and gone back to the cabin, but | to tSlis day she can't tell why she follered me into the woods Reckon the finger of Providence p'inted that way. She'd got over bein mad, and she was powerful | shocked to find me in that bar trap, but yo' know how wimen ar. They don't want | to pear to give up too quick. She seed me good ways of, but she didn't hurry. When she cum along up, she gives sud den start of surprise and then sez to me, | ssz she:
 "'Mebbe I'm mistooken, but hain't yo'l name Mistah Whites'
 [" It ar, ma'am-'
 " 'Zeb Whites'
 "'That's 1t.
 Live down van by the branch and call yo'self the Possum Hunter of Tennes- sees'
 "'The same
 "'Glad to meet yo', Mistah White Ar that same thing on yo'r legs patent ma sheen fur diggin rootss'
 | Not zactly, ma'am It's mo what they calls a bar trap
 "Waal, said Feb, i've talked that way to each other fur about ten minits. Neither of us wanted to be the fust to give in, yo' know, but bimeby the pain was SC | great that I had to crawflsh. It took her | half an hour to get me loose, and then she had to carry me home on her back. That ended my huntin fur about three months, but as soon as could drag around I went out and knocked over the bar which had | played with me"
 But Mrs. White came out ahead" laughed
 "Waal, hain't gwine fur to deny that she didn't" replied Zeb. That's tho wust thing bout these yere family riots | the ole wotnan allus cums out leetls ahead, jest huff to brag on It was nigh two months befo she said word to me on the subjick. Then as I was sorter feelir sassy one day she turns on me with:
 |" Say, be yo' that yere Feb White a: was wearin bar trap fur brooches over thar in the woods one dayf' And I hadn't nuthin to say-nuthir l tall " NJ QUAD.