Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1897-06-23
CHAPTER I.-CoNr1NUEp.


t. It'll his wife and daughter was seated
ut the supper table when Clarence came
IN. His hunting suit presented a very
disorderly appearance, and his slouched
bat was more slouched than usual.
Where in heavens name have you
been, SOM" asked his mother.
"At the bottom of Orion creek, moth
ar, where old Uncle Jobe lies now-but
l will change my clothes and tell you all
about it,
! Uncle Jobe in the bottom of Orion
creek" exclaimed Mrs Hill and Clara
Poor SOUL" and tears came to their
eyes.
IN 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 a bateau from the
nill, and 1 fished along up the creek.
Uncle Jobe was sitting in the stern pad
dling-we kept moving furtb:r 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 Inc lying on the bank an
Glligator-a larger one 1 have never
seen in the creek-and / was surprised
TO see him there in February, but hav-
ing had no cold weather this winter, [
guess they've stayed out of their holes;
] raised my gun instanter and fired
I,s. 'trot nr c1I of i,,+D = he
and raised under the bow of the bateau,
giving his powerful tail swing. that
splintered its side and overturned it.
Il heard one yell from Uncle Jobe
as we both fell into the creek; it is very
deep just there, with mud bottom; but
gun in hand | managed to paddle to the
Tank, get hold of cypress root, and
pull myself out. l 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; 1 could scarcely see across
the stream. ' called aloud several
times
" 'Jobe! ,Jobe!' but there was no an
swer; l could neither hear nor see any
sign of him, nor could ] see anything
of the bateau; L stood there waiting
wringing wet for some time, and then
concluded that Uncle Jobe had found
a watery grave--and through the Cy-
prus swamp, stumbling over knees and
fallen trees, for three miles, | 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 herr"
Yes, [ went there first of ALL and
when l told her, she said: L tell dat
boy fer de pas forty years: Look
out, Brer' Jobe! gator git you" an
now gator dun got him, suah nuff.'
. i will take men and go drag for his
body in the morning. 1 said
No use, chile, no use. Gators dun
got pore Brer' Jobe now
Poor old Jobe," said Mrs. Hill. ''Aft-
er toiling faithfully all his life, to be
eaten by alligators. IT'S too much"
Yes said the squire, Il guess there
would be rather too much of him for
one. unless it was a very large gator,
as Clarence says this was; but there's
plenty of gators Jobe wouldn't make
mouthful each for them"
Amt you ashamed of yourself. Alb
ner?"
Yes, wife, 1 am; but couldn't help
it. 1 would be willing to give thou
sand dollars to undo his drowning and
bring him back, but it's too late; now
as to Jobe's life of toll, you forget
that he was my fathers body servant
when l was a boy. He has always had
an easy time with me. Why. look at his
age, and he was scarcely bent, but stood
erect at seventy-something unusual
for negro"
That evening Clara Hill and her
mother took a walk over to Aunt
Dinah's cabin; as they neared the
open door they saw many dusky fig
ures seated about on benches in the
cabin and heard Luke, the negro preach
er of the plantation, say:
Sis Dinah, you no 'cashun fer
mourn, case Brer' Jobe is gone right