The times., 1897-05-02
A CANTANKEROUS MAN.

| "A Ok41N i AVN mdNs
| "Thar was sum purity bad men around
| yere Jest arter the wah,' said Zet White,
the Possum Hunter of Tennessee, as he
got his pipe aHght one evening on the
doorstep. "Mebbe the wurst critter OF
| the lot was named Tom Smith He didn't
hev no fam 'ly and Jest sorter hung around
| at the Co'ners He was powerful on the
brag, but he could fight fur all that, and
bimeby everybody got skeered u him.
| He went about with a CHIP on his shcui-
| der and blood in his eye till sum n,en
| moved away to git cl'ar o. him. Fur
| sum reason he didn't bother me fur a
| long time, but one day when went down
| to the Corners to sell sum 'possuIn pelts,
Tom was outer sorts, and opened on me.
! He looks at NE long time with glare
| in his eye Then he throws down his nat,
| and jumps on it, and yeIls.
- 'Whoopee! Zeb White, behold the
jumper from Jumpersville, III bet my
rife agin them 'possuun pelts kin out
Jump yo' by six inches. If yo' ar IMAM
with legs under yo' cum out and try me
en-
II seed he was tryin' TO pick quar-
| rel,'' said Zeb, land SO / talked soft TO
him m,andtriedtogi gitaway. When wouldn't
jump ne wanted to box or pull sticks, and
when still hung off he jumped on his hat
sum more and hooted:
I'm the tallest tree on the Cunlber-
land inouDtings! I've stood up agin a
hurricane, and when ligbtnin' struck at
me l hit back. Pm dyin' fur some var
mint TO look cIosseyed at me. Zeb White,
take my Tifle-ny butes-my hat--take
all We got on this yere airth, but stand up
to me ike a man.
II was In mighty pore health" ex-
planned Zeb, 'and no match fur sich a
man, aud SO / had to era Wish. Every
body said / orter shoot him down, nut
couldn't shed blood that way. It hurts
me to this day TO remember that i went
home like whipped cur, leaving that
critter TO crow over me: but my mind
was made up to tackle him as soon AS
felt like a man ag'in. When / got home
WIS cryin', and the old woman SEE to Inc,
seZ She:
'''Ze,. has the wah broke out ag'in?'
"'No.'
"'Then, what's the natter
".I've bin bluffed.'
".D'ye mean that Tom Smith has crowed
over yo':'
:" That's Jest what he has, and I'm
SO pesky weak in the knees that had to
git away from him.
" Jest backed yo' down, did hep
Z" He did. It's the fust time in my life
/ ever crawfished fur any human critter.'
- Reckon it is, Zeb. l knows how yo'
feel, but yo' couldn't help it. II yo'd
tackled him he'd hev broke yo' i'll two.
I'll go right at IL and nurse yo' up, and
ia fo weeks yo'll be fitten to whop Tom
Smith till he can't hoot- If yo' hain't
Iii put on yo. clothes and wbop him my
SELF
II felt better arter that" said Zeb,
though l couldn't get over the hurt TO
my feelins. One evening about two weeks
arter the fuss, and when was gapin On
it, but not feelin' much better, / was
sittin' right yere, when l cotched sight
of bar across the road by them rocks
Plenty of bars around yere them days,
as nobody had been home to kill 'em off
About the time cotcbed sight of the bar
Tom Smith showed up. He had Come down
10 whop me. He wasn't satisfied with
bluffin' me down, but he'd made threats
to break all my bones The ole woman
cotched sight of him as soon as / did
and got down the rifle. She meant to kill
him i be cum in to attack me. Tom saw
me a-sittin' yere and he stopped right
by that tree and thyowed down his hat
and yelled:
'Whoopee! I'm hungry fur the meat
OF an aIrgatori thirst fur the blood of
tigers! I'm lonely TO meet up with a den
of rattiesnakes, and I can't go home to-
night till I've chawed the ear of panther.
Zeb White. ar that yo' a-sottin' thar'?'
a. 1t arr
"a DO yo' call yo'self man."
s.Not well man. If yoIl gin me TO-
weeks mo- I'll run yo' outer the kentry.'
...I can't watt Tui a-perishin' fur the
want of mortal combat with sumbodyi
If Won cum out we're, Zeb White, yo' kin.
tie my hands aud feet and I'll fight yo' with
my teeth alone. Take pity perishin'
man and cum out. Whoopee! If yo' re-
spected yo'r pore ole father or loved yo'r
mother, yo' cum out and stand up to mel
WALL" sighed the old man, ''he talked
that way till got mad and riZ up to go,
but jest Us I did so that bar waltzed
across the road on his hind feet and fetched
him cuff which Knocked him ten feet.
Tom thought I'd got out thar without his
he riz mp aad went fur the ar. We heard
him saying:
..Zeb White, 1 said yo' wasn't man,
but take 1t all back. I tidn' believe yo'd
stand up to me and my heart was nigh
breakin', but yo've got sand, and this ar
the happiestminito of my life Take that
and at-and that!''
81 reckon Tom must hev bin half drunk
nt tr In buf st.,
thought t was me, fur shore, and he soon
had n surprise party ON hand. The bar
didn't seem hankerin' after meat, but he
did want sun; fun 1t was a purity squar'
fight, and III ,giv Tom Smith credit fur
standin up Ikea man. Froni the: way he.
yelled out 1 ocelAs tell that he Thought
was usin' my niils and teeth, but he
didn't complain. The bar knocked him