The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1897-12-15
ten foot O him he sung outso savidge-

Tic, DuG tIlC Tdlu W US Stlll d ,clIlu GU
I had ter squat thar on that log an
take the last drap Nv it.
'Well, sir, cusscd the revenue Of
fcers fer everything could think NY;
cusscd that ere snake, I Icussed Bud
Braswell fer runnin' off an lcavin
me, an I cussed myself fer bein' a
tarnal fool fer tryin' to beat the gov
'ment. At las I got so desput thet [
gun Co. holler fer hep. I didn't
know but what maybe them ere fell
lers had camped on the mountn side
fer the night an maybe they'd hear
me an come an git me out'n the
scrapc. I wus pufeckly willin' to gin
up, as I dreaded thet ere snake was n
I'd dreaded Judgement Nv revenue
men er two years in Jail.
''But nobody didn't come an / sct
thar an shuck an shivered an shi7-
cred an shuck tell the rain Stacked an
the stars come out, an could see the
lights in the cabins way down in the
bottoms, an I could hear the bayin
Of the houn's in the woods fer of, but
nobody didn't come nigh 'nough to
diskiver my roost. I wus 80 nigh
petered.o that ] gun to feel num
an drowsy, an then ! got skeered
agin, ca Sc 1 knowed that eff | drar-
ped off ter sleep I'd loose my holt am
durnation be my potion ef | fell
down on them rocks thet could jes'
see glistenin' in the starlight.
sTo keep f'om goin' ter sleep l got
up an gun to stomp my feet up an
down like feller trempin' hides in a
tan vat, an KEEP thet up l dunno how
long. At las my legs gun ter fail me
an I felt thet I wus gittin weak all
over. Jes' then hit cured ter me ter
pray. l hadn't never prayed none
sence I wus little cub, an I felt sor-
ter shamed an didn't know how ter
begin. I'd bin cussin' like a cooter,
an now felt like hit wus sort wv
cowardly thing ter try an make up wi
or Marster a ter cuttin up like l had.
Then I said to myself that I'd make 8
promus to Him thet eff He'd let me
sit out'n thct ere scrape I'd never
call on i'm agin ef I could hep it.
"While I wus thinkin over the
matter an had jes' made up my min
thet the promus wus go, when way
down in the east seed { ,'aller streak
an knowed thet the moon wus risin''s
Higher an higher it riz, an I firmly
made up my min thet ef afen hit
showed on the face ps5hsg cliff thet
ere sussed snake wouldn't be thar [ d
p my pronus bout changin' my
life. turned 'roun' whar l could
watch the spot whar [ had las seed
the rattler, an' fixed my eyes on thet
| patch o. darkness an never turned my
|head while the moon slowly ris up be-
him nae.
ssI could tell hit wus risin' as |
watched the lire o light swing lower
an lower long the wall o rock, an l
had the dead trembles / wus so feared
thet when hit retched the spot hit'd
reveal thct sarpunt lyin thar ready ter
strike the mint I got my foot on the
root O. the tree. I've watched fer
turkeys an I've watched fer squir Is
an I've watched fer revenue men, but
I never watched fer anything with
sich anxiety as I watched fer that
patch O. moonlight to git on a level
with the log on which I sot shakin' an
shiverin' an yis with the col sweat ON
my face an the goose bumps chasin'
up'n dewn my hack.
"At las hit got lew 'nough fer me
ter see the spot an at fus' my heart
sunk, fer [ thought J. seed thet ere
snake. but hit proved to be sort Of
pided root. Then big gush Of moon
shine busted thro' the opening in the
tree tops an made the place bout the
foot Of the tree as light as day. an
halleluyer! The snake wus gone! |
cased myself along the tree, stremblin
in every j'int, an jes' as sot foot on
the rock great big old katydid tore
loose 'mong the leaves, an I'll bet |
jumped ten foot an landed on them
rocks, an landed runnin'. l never
stopped tell [ struck the trail an
down that mount'n side | went like a
harrikin. l fergot thet wus tired,
an never broke my gait tel! got to
the fence 'roun' my cabin in the Gap.
II lit right over thct 'crc fence,
ag'in the de- an when | come to my
senses the oil 'oman wus putin cam
fire on my face an' takin on powful
an wonderin' whar wus hurt.