The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1898-04-28
'POSSUM TALKS.
Zeb White Tells Of a Family Quar-
rel and a Woman Up Tree.
Copyright. 1893. By N. QUAD
Copyright. 1893.
By M. QUAD

that hev to shoulder my gun and go
off fur the day or hev a row with her,
and thar's times agin when she's as
humble as cat"
"But men are also that way" pro-
tested.
Eyes, mebbe so, though not quite as
bad. reckon wimin hev to hev family
row bout so often or they think they
amt livin' happily. I was thinkin'
bout our fust row. We'd bin married
bout two months when the ole woman
got up one mawnin' lookin' sorter dan
gerous. She walked around fur awhile,
and then finally said:
"'Zeb, thar amt no mo- co'n-mea]
in the house.
"'Shoo!' says I.
"'And no mo- Bacon
"'Shoo!'
"And no mo- sorgum.'
"'Shoo!'
"'And what YOU goin' to do bout it !?
says she.
Reckon I'll go out and hunt few
'possums.'
"Then she lit down on me-" said the
old man. "She called me lazy and shift.
less and onery, and the mo- she talked
the madden she got. It wasn't no great
shakes that we was out O. co'n-mea
and things. I could go out any day
and kill three or TO- 'possums or fox
and sell the pelts, but she was can.
tankerous and wanted trubble. Bime
by I said:
"'Mebbe yo' want bosses and silk
dresses and dimunds? Mebbe this yere
cabin and the man who owns it ain't
purity huff fur you? Mebbe yo' kin dc
heap better if yo' put on yo'r bunnit
and start right off?'
"'Mebbe yo' want me top says she
lookin' as mad as bar with sore eye
"'Mebbe yo' kin please yo'rself,
says I.
with that she says she Gums of 6
family which can't be bluffed by no
body, and she puts on her bunnit anc
starts out. She reckoned would cal
her back, but stood in the doah anc
looked arter her, and never said word
She took the trail over the mounting
and that showed she was goin' home
I waited about two hours, and then
follered arter. It was three miles ove1
to her pops. and at that time the wood:
was full o. varmints. I was mad, but
of co'se I didn't want no harm to cum
to her. When I got mile from TIL
cabin I found her. She was up tree
with her bunnit and one shoe gone
and at the foot of the tree, and lookin
up and lickin' his chops, was big bar
got up purity clus and sung out:
| 'Hev yo' got tired and clumb tina
tree to take leetle rest?'
"'It's none O. yo'r bizness what w
clumb this tree fur!' she yells back.
"'Gwine to stay up thar long?'
"'As long as please! Nobody is du1
akin yo' to git me DOWN.
"That showed me she was still mad, :
said the old man, land as it was sum
mer time and the old bar wasn't wutl
KILN I walked off and sot down. Tn
varmint looked arter me and growled
and seen he was standin' on three legs
He had mighty sore paw, as I ma,
tell yo', and that's the reason he didn'
climb up arter her. AFTER about tw,
hours I went back, and things hadn'
changed a bit. The ole woman was still
roostin' on the limb, and the bar wa
still lookin' up and wishin' he coult
git her. I leaned up agin a tree fu
awhile and then said:
'Mebbe yo' riz up this mawnin' feel
in mighty cantankerous?
"'And what if did?' says she.
"'Mebbe roostin' up tree fur thre
or TO- hours has humbled yo'r speerit
q leetle?'
"'And what if it has?'
"'Then I'm lookin' fur yo' to beg m.
pardin' fur them Words
| "But her speerits wasn't humbled,
said the old man, with sigh and
| shake of the head. "She called back t.
me that she'd stay up that tree It'll
snow flew befo' she'd beg my pardin
and Jest walked back to the cabin an
| left her thar. It was our fust row, an
| if she conkered me I was goner. I
was late in the AFTERNOON when wen
DUCK dR1A, duu SAC u Jill AOOSIAA.
that tree fur bout seven long hours.
! was in hopes that the bar had got tire
out and that the ole woman had slippe'
down and gone along, but they wa
both right thar yit. That bar wante
sunthin' good to eat, and he was will
in to wait fur it. G. 1a."&
"'Any bosses or dimunds or sill
dresses up thar'?' I says, as I got with
in speakin' distances. s& '. u TX
- Jest as many as down in yo'
shackelty ole cabin!' she answers.
Then mebbe yo' intend to stay q,
thar all night?'
1T shall stay as long as it please
lme!'''' ss4 I, s..s s.@1Is
And you went back home again 2"
asked, as the old man made a lon
pause. 13.s..3 s /. sss4 ~ .5 ..sl
Yes, ! went back home again." b
1 slowly replied. 'Her words made IN
i feel sot. The bar couldn't git her, a
Long as she stayed up thar, and
knowed I'd got to humble her or She
be boss. . hung around fur awhile i
II