Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1897-03-12


Jobe."
Squire Hill passed out on the lawn
where the overseer was standing.
well, Corbett, anything amiss?"
mo, squire, not much but Uncle
Jobe's drowned"
What! No! and nothing amiss? I
should say there was. Jobe will be
missed sure. Not for plantation work,
/ know, for he's too old for that. Why,
lobe was over seventy. He belonged to
my father-trottedm me on his knee when
was boy-and now he's drowned.
Well! Well! Nothing amiss! 1 guess
II you go and tell his sister, Aunt Dinah,
about it, you'll think there's something
amiss."
"Mr. Clarence has gone up to tell her"
I'D sooner him than me, Corbett.
Anything else?'
Angus Brice sent word that he'd
be here with the schooner next Wednes-
day for the turpentine."
That's good. Bruce is as reliable as
the sun"
There's nothing else, squire I've got
forty Of the hands worliin' on the di-
vision banks and the main deck. repair
in'-ten's blowing On uplands. and Bill
Links got fifteen at the sawmill; there's
ten in the woods spiittin' rails; the bal
ance is all workin' here and there.
Everything's all right"
What are you going to do, Corbett,
about Uncle Jobe?"
why, Clarence says that where he
got drownded it's three miles up the
creek, nearly to the pond; it's too late
TO go up tonight, but your son said he'd
take some of the hands and go up in the
morning and drag for him."
''That's all right, Corbett, if the alli-
gators don't eat him before that time;
but, as you say, by the time they could
get there tonight it would be SO dark
among those cypress and pines that
they could see nothing. Well, pre-
sumo you've got things moving all
right, Corbett. so good night"
Good night, squire"
Squire Hill entered the house, and
with his wife and daughter was seated
Mt the supper table when Clarence came
i'll. His hunting suit presented very
disorderly appearance, and his slouched
hat was more slouched than usual.
"Where in heavens name have you
been, soh?" asked his mother
"At the bottom of Orion creek, moth
CT, where old Uncle Jobe lies now-but
will change my clothes and tell you all
about it,"
"Uncle Jobe in the bottom of orion
oreek!" exclaimed Mrs. Hill and Clara.
Poor SOUL" and tears came to their
eyes.
'I'll never fish in Orion creek again."
said Clara. "I'll have no one to take the
fish from the hook; poor faithful Uncle
Jobe."
Clarence was soon seated at the table.
"How did it happen, son?"'
well, we took bateau from the
H,ill, and fished along up the creek
| Uncle Jobe was sitting in the stern pad
Gling-we kept moving further and fur
Their up, and had some fine fish in the
bottom of the boat, and was just think
ing of turning back for home, when, as
we rounded bend in the creek, saw
Just ahead of lne lying on the bank an
Glligator--a larger one have never
seen in the creek-and was surprised
TO see him there in February, but hav-
ing had no cold weather this winter, I
guess they've stayed out of their holes;
] raised my gun instanter and fired
the gator slumped off into the creek,
and raised under the bow of the bateau,
giving his powerful tail a swing. that
splintered its side and overturned it.
II heard one yell from Uncle lobe
as we both fell into the creek; tits very
deep just there, with mud bottom; but
gun in hand l managed to paddleto the
hank. get hold of cypress root, and
pull myself out. dropped my gun,
and turned back to attempt to save
Uncle Jobe. The cypress are very dense
there, their limbs overhanging and
meeting from the opposite banks of
the stream, and they hanging festooned
with moss; could scarcely see across
the stream. ! called aloud several
| times
lobe! Jobe!' but there was no an
swer; could neither hear nor see any
sign of him, nor could I see anything
of the bateau; stood there waiting
wringing wet for some time, and then
concluded that Uncle Jobe had found
q watery graye-and through the Cy-
prus swamp, stumbling over knees and
fallen trees, for three miles, I struggled
to reach home-minus fish, minus fish
ing tackle, minus poor old Uncle lobe
When got home my clothes were dry"
"Poor Dinah," said his mother; "have
you told her?"
eyes, went there first of all, and
when l told her, she said: 4 tell dat
boy fer de pas forty years: Look
out, Brer' Jobe! gator git you." an
now gator dun got him, suah nuff.'
~ will take men and go drag for his
body in the morning. said.
No use, chile. no use. Gators dun
I got pore Brer' Jobe now.'"
Poor old Jobe," said Mrs. HILL "Aft-
er toiling faithfully all his life, to be
eaten by alligators. 'Tis too much"
YES" said the squire, II guess there
would be rather too much Of him TO,
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