The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-12-04
HE GOT THE BIG HEAD.
Zeb Whites Tale of Tom and the Bull
gine.

| gine.
zone spring, when my son Tom was IS
vars old, he got the big head mighty
bad, - said old Zeb White as we sat smok-
ing our pipes. II seen it comm on him
an knowed thar'd be trubble, an the ole
woman she seen 1t comm an said to me:
'Zeb, our son Tom is gettin ready to
make fuleo hisself an I want you to keep
an eye on him. He imagines he's as big
as mounting, an he feels that he kin
lick ten men sall to once
when the big head gifts hold O young
man, 1t takes powerful dose o. medicine
to cure it, Tom kept CROWN wuss and
wuss He got lazy an he got to braggn
an BLOWN, an from the way he looked at
me now an then outer the co ner o. his eve
| I knowed he was achin to tackle me Just
to let him know that his ole pop was on
deck ! grabbed him one day an throwed
him sky high over the fence, an he was
mo- humble arter that. 1t didn't oure
him, however. He went around rubin
ag in folks an steppin high, an one day he
comes home an seq to me:
| Pop, did yo' ever tackle a railroadp'
| No, sonny, never did. I've tackled
men an bars an wildcats an circuses. but,
not railroad.
" They've got one over in the valley.
an l think I kin whop it in about five
minits.
| Tom mad never seen railroad, % ex.
planned the old man, ''an they had lest
run one down Little Valley, 10 miles
away. told him what it was like. but he
WASH bit discouraged. He Jest bumped
up his shoulders an spit on his hams an
said:
"'Shuck my hide, but I m dyin to WHOM
somebody, an I'll go over tomorrer an
tackle that railroad. If nobody around
we're has ever whopped railroad, then it
will be all the more glory fur me.
Tom, don't go an make no fule o.
yo self, seq I.
LAS to how?' SEE he.
AS to tacklin railroad Thar are
some things as even yor pop can't do, an
one O. 'em is whoppin railroad. Jest
| yo' go out an find bar an hev some fun
with him an git over this nonsense
"He didn't say nuthin to that, but 1
| knowed he wouldn't mind what I said.
He went to bed airly, an jest at daylight
I heard him movin around. told him if
I'd go along with him arter breakfast an
see fa'rsplay, an SO he waited When we
sot out, he was feelin In high speerits. He
whooped an hollered an pranced, an the
road wasn't wide huff fur him to walk in.
Befo' 1 left the house the ole woman seq
to me:
g Zeb, are yo' gwine to let our Tom
| fout railroads
That's the idea, seq I.
will he git whopped?'
He will. He'll git whopped SO pow
erful quick an hard that he'll be as hum
BILE as nursin babe fur var to cum.
| 'sWe got over to the valley bout 10
o'clock in the mawnin, continued the old
man, "an Tom got his fust sight o. a rail-
| road. He was disappointed. Thar wasn't
nuthin but the iron rails to fout, an thar
was tears in his eyes as he sot down on a
stone an sez
Pop, thar's nuthin to whop. an we've
walked 10 miles fur nuthin. I'm feelin
that this state o. Tennessee is agin me.
" Tom, sez 1, arter thinkin things over,
THAR amt nuthin yere to fut, jest as 1
told you, but mebbe it would console you
to bluff one O. them bullgines.'
i can bluff anything from mounting
to grasshopper Whar's yer bullgine?'
Comm down the valley with some
kyars behind it. Yo've bin BLOWN an
braggin all the spring an yo jest feelin
that you've got to whop sunthin or die.
Git down on the track an turn yoself
loose.
I'll do it, pop, an if don't take sew
en- different twists in this railroad then
I'll never look a woodchuck in the face.
"What figgered on,'' said Zeb as he
heaved long sigh, twas that Tom would
hev sense huff in his head to git off the
track when he seen what that bullgine
was. He hadn't, though He stood thar
an jumped up an down an cracked his
heels together an whooped, an when hol-
Tered at him he turns to me an seq:
Pop, you jest watch my smoke an
don't lose any O. the fun. Your boy Tom
ar gwine to pull this railroad up by tho
roots or perish in the attempt. +"
"And did he wait for the engine to
strike him?" I asked
eyes, jest waited right thar prancin
aroun an whoopin," replied Zeb. 'EI
started fur him, but befo got thar the
bullgine struck him an he went sailin out
over the grass. Feared to me he never
would git done sailin, but bimeby he cum
down with smash. When l looked him
over, / found he was all broke to pieces
was liftin him up when he opens his eyes
an smiles an seq:
"Pop, did tackle the railroads'
"'You did, my son, seq 1.
An thar was fout?'
{" fThar waG'
"'An which got whopped?'
GAS he was a-dyin an as didn't want
to hurt his feel1ns told him that he had
licked the hull outfit an kivered the fam 'ly
with glory. He lifted up one hand an
tried to whoop, but that whoop was only
whisper, an he died in my arms"
"Then he never knew how it WASP"
"Never knowed it, sab. Jest went to
his death thinkln he had twisted that rail
road clean over two mountings an back
az in an that he weighed a ton moren any
other critter in Tennessee. Pore Tom,
If I'd a-gone at it an driy him about two
feet into the airth when the cussedness
e,,r+ crot holt ~ him hold hin 1ixir, ~, =