The times., 1897-06-06
THE MAN WHO WAS "SOT."

Soon arter the wah.'' said Zeb wdte,
one evening, as we sat storytelling, "a
critter OF u man named ColEas moved
into this nayburhGod with his N1re, aud
| il wasn't Il week befo' we was in trui,-
bic. He was a man who was set IN his
ways, and IL he said anything he was
ready To die sooner than take IL back
He was u leetle man. and he cuultIn I
jump nor -wrassle nor fight, Dut ne made
up fur all this 10y his sutness. He Gums
down yere one day with his hat Cn his
ear and his feet liftin high, and stan.iln'
out thar by that stump he sez:
.Mebbe | ar behoIdin' the varmint as
calls hisself Zeb White, the 'possIm-
hunter OF Tennessee?
'Mebbe 80 ar, sell wonderin what
was goin' to happen.
'Mebbe he's killed mo- coons aud pos
sums than any other ten men put toee her,
sayin nuthin' OF b ars, wild cats and sar-
pints?
'Mebte he has, and what Of lt?'
& It's jest this sez the leetle man as
he jumps up aud cracks his heels to-
gether Il don't low no imam in these yere
noantiBgs 10 go hraggfnn round over me.
'
gein' 10 make you-sfng small or perish
in the tryin'. Zeb White, cum out ana
be lickedi
Who's TO do it's seq l.
1.-The critter a-standin right yere, =
SCI he. as he walks around in ctrclc and
gnashes his teeth
He was sch a leetle man, explained
Zeb. that 1 wasn't gwine to fool tirue
away on him, but he kept on slowin ana
blowin' till the old wom;fn sez to me, eez
she:
:. Zeb, l reckon you'd better 90 out and
whop him Hes talked ill my head
aches. Don't whop him 10 hurt very much.
but iesl auff to run him off home
Then l gifts up and walks out to the
critter. l reckoned he'd take a skip
when he seen me cumin, but he didn t
he flung his hat down and jumped on o it
and whooped, and the fust thing L knowed
he pitched into me He got in kick and
bite, and then picks him up and gin him
a twist and throwed him into a bresh heap
He crawied out arter a bit and cum arter
me gin, and as | was d Ieetle mad hist ed
him across the road and he was badly sin ok
up When he got up he was licked man,
hut he looks at me and sez:
. Zeb White I'm man as is sot, and
III never gin up till I've made you boiler
fur mercy!'
With that he goes off home md
goes back TO my pipe and thinks mighty
leetle mo- about him Next mawnin'
was cleanin' my gun out yere on the
toah-stcp when 1 hears a great whoop-
III up the road, and purity soon the lit
;,a' lie
out to me:
aeo White, I'm a man of sotnesS,
and nuthin' on the face of this airth
kin upset me.'
Whats your sotness got 70 do with
me?' sez |.
Heaps and heaps. I've got sotness
to whop you, and I'll never go to my
grave till l do it. Cum ont yere, you
ole yarmint, and IL make you cry like a
babyi'
He was sich leetle man that his talk
didn't rile me 'tall,' said Zeb, ''and l
went on cleanin' my gun and payin 10
'tenshiin He keeps up his whcopin and
biowin fur sich a long time that the ole
woman finally Gums to the doah and sez
Zeb, he's leetle man and hahn got
no power i'll him, but his voice makes me
narvous. BETTER go out and whop him q
few ana run him up the hill'
And the leetie man he hears what she
sez, and takin' off his hat he bows very
low and seq:
I" Wiider White, I'm sot man but
good man, and if you'll keep track IF me
funeral expenses L II divide 'ern with ye'
That stirs me up, and I goes out to him
and the fout begins. I tiidn [ want to hurt
him, and so l pitches him into bresh-
heaps and over stumps till he was all
tired out. 1t was Jest the same as fightin
baby. could have broke hiia in two
across my knee Jest like breakn' dry
stick. Biineby he gifts all he wants and
starts fur hum, but ne turns on me and seZ:
" Zeb White, l was never unsot from
my sotness by any critter on airsh and
I'll be back tomorrer and try it aein
I'm feelin that its my duty TO whop ye,
and my old woman viii pray to the Lawd
to gin me strength to do it,"
But why did ne want to whop your
j asked.
Cant tell" replied Zeb 'sSum crit
ters around yere ar ailus achin' to whop
sumbody, and sum want to liyein peace I
told himif he bothered me any mo might
hurt him, hut that night midnight. when
l was drea min of fEillin' a bar, a whoopin'
and a yellin wakesme up, and hears that
leetle man a-sayin:
Zeb White, 1 m a sot man, and I've