The times., 1897-08-15
'POSSUM SKETCHES.
How Providence Helped Zeb white
When He Needed Cash.


yere arter the wah,'' said Zeb White one
evening, as we sat by his fireside, ..an'
fur awhile most Of us couldn't find no
way to get along. 1 had cum home feelin'
feeble, an the ole woman had bin Iivin,
on parched con an roots, an how we
was TO git start agin / couldn't see.
Bimcby feller Gums up yere from Nash
Vile and wants to buy coon skins, and
the price was never so high; but I was
that feeble l couldn't do no huptin'. Sich
as did go out to hunt didn't hev no luck,
an it was finally agreed that the coons
had all bin skeared outer the kentry.
One day pe'n the ole woman was chawin'
roots an talkin' things over when she
looks mp an sez:
''Zeb White, Providence is everywhar'.
amt she?'
Reckon she is, IL the Bible is right
The Bible don't leave this yere Cumber-
land Mountings out, does it?'
Can t say it does, but wouldn't blame
her IL she did
Wal, reckon Providence must oversee
Tennessee with the rest of the kentry, an
these hills ar too high to be missed II
sne watches over human bein's she also
Knows about coons, don't she?'
Stands TO reason that she does. but
what ar You gwine to do? Providence
din't gwine TO drive coous up to our doah
an hev them drap dead at our feet
Never yo' mind, Zeb White. Yo' Jest
sot right yere and smoke and I'll take q
ieetle walk up the hill by m yseif'
II knowed what she went fur said the
old man as he rubbed his hands before the
file. "She believed In prayer the same as
/ believe in dry po WIDER and she was gwine
up into the bu:hes TO pray fur coons Jest
as she went away along came Hi Thomp-
son, and when l told him what was up,
he said:
g Zeb White, thar amt any question
abont Providence bein' in Tennessee, same
as the rest Of the keDtry, but she ain In
the coon bizness an I'll bet on It, She's
got heaps o bigger things to see TO, an yo'r
ole woniiia will only waste her breath
1T seemed that way TO me. too, but
when she cum back didn't say word
to discourage her. She looked happier
V,
night she woke up arter wed bin asieep
two hours 10 ak how much money twenty
coon skins would bring in at 80 cents
each. l figgered it out for her, and she
chucklec and went to sleep agin. Next
ipawnin' ! was feelin' a little better, and
she advised me to take my gun an look
fur coons. l went up to the hill an tramped
around fur SIX hours, but thar was no
sign OF coons. When got home she seemed
bit disappointed, but arser bit she saz.
Never mind, Zeb-mebhe Providence
was busy an didn't h ar me Yesterday,
an m go up tile hin an put leetle
mo power III my voice. Could yo' skin
twenty coons in day If yo' had emp
I'D try powerful hard, but if sum
was left over it wouldn't hurt
Want all big coons?'
Wall, If Providence is to send twenty
eoons, they might as well all be big ones.
as the cost won't be any mo- to her.
The small ores kin be saved over to an
other scum
''She went up the hill agin,' said Zeb,
''ahd heard her voice good an strong
this time. / wanted To sorter wink at
her, but she seemed so airnest l didn {
want to hurt her feelin's. She talked in
her sleep that night. an l heard her fig
germ over an over agin how much
twenty prime pelts would cum to at so
cents apiece. 1t was winter with snow
on the ground, but next mawnin' the wea-
ther was SOFT with a look o. rain. 1
wasn't goin to stir out, but arter awhile
the ole woman sez to me:
. Zeb, l reckon yo'd better go, but
yo' needn't take yo'r gun along. Jest
sosh around an see if sunthin don { hap
pen befo' noon.'
. How kin anythin' happen eff 1 don't
hey my gun along?'
Dunno, but Providence may bring
about what I've prayin' fur. If 1 h ar
yo' hoot III cum along an 1ine yo''
Bout an hour arter l left home"
said the old man, after throwing another
stick on the fire, lit begun TO rain. an
purity soon I was both wet an mad all
through. Thar wasn't so much as d coon
track to be seen, an I got under the
shelter of chestnut tree and prepared
to cuss. / was gwine to cuss coons,
'possums, the wah, the ole woman and
everuthn' else, when thar cum a flash
o. Iishtnin' and a roll o thunder to make
me jump. Jist then the rain begun to
pour down harder, an 1 sorter reckoned
if l got home all right I wouldn't cum
out on no mo- tomfool tramps. Down
below me, and about ten rods away was
a big dead tree, an I knowed from the
looks of it twas holIer. NY eyes was
on that tree when thar cum another flash,
followed by crash. / was knocked down
an put to sleep-lke fur five minits, an
when l sot up that ole tree was lynn on
the airth in splin ters-"
1T had been struck by thunderbolt?''
l said
Exactly, and 1t peared to be purity
clus call fur me, too. Bimeby, arter the
smoke an dust had cleared away,I walked
down among the splinters, and about the
fust thing saw w as q dead coon. hadn't
fairly made him out when seen another
and another, and, shuck my hide, sab, if
tile airth wasn't kiyered with the var
nintsi That ole tree had been chuck full
O. 'em, an when the lightnin' busted the
tree it also busted the coons. l was
standin' thar rubbin' my eyes andwonderin'
If 1 had gone blind, when the ole woman
showed up and seZ:
I heard the crash and knowed a tree
had been struck, an SO cum out to help
tote the coons home. How many do You
make of 'em, Zeb?'
How many did yo' pray fur?' sez I.
" Jest an even twenty, an it seems like
they ar all yere.
But how did twenty coons cum to be
in this ole tree, when nobody has seen even
rack around yere fur the last three
months?'