Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1898-09-18

direction, but they never did find it.
The reason was bekaSe it was right I'M
der their noses"
Where was it?'' l asked.
Back thar in the Kitchen, sab, and
three different times they was IN THIS
room when it was hard at work. II
you think they ought to hev smelled 1t
then III tell you that whenever the
still was at work the old woman was
also at work She was making hot
poultice of roots an herbs fur the
nevis sore back, and the smell of that
killed the smell Of the mash. 1t was
takin' big chances to run that still, but
l kept her goin' and sorter depended on
luck. One day Bill Halpin come along
and, told me that he had seen TO rev.
enoo fellers slyin' about up thar on the
hill. and jest about then the old Wo-
man woke up from a daytime nap and
said to me:
See yere, Zeb, I've had a powerful
bad dream, and you want to let that
still rest fur day or two
whats the dream?" says l.
"'Reyenoo fellers in the woods. |
seen fO' Of 'em as plain as day, and
they'll git you fur sure
81 didn't go much by the dream, }"
said Zeb, but l was feelin' narvous
and put out, so | let the fire go out and
decided to take a rest. Next day. when
everything was kivered up, | should
cred my rifle and went up the hill to
kill a few squirrels. Purity soon | run
across Tom letters, and Tom says:
"Zeb, [ got sight Of wild cat a few
minits ago, and | reckon she is hid
among them rocks. Fur ain't no good
in summer. but we might hev some fun
drivin' her out
81 thought so, too, and we went
pokin' around fur half an hour. Bimeby
we found den and started a smoke.
We could hear the critter growlin' and
clawin', but she didn't come out fur a
long time. When she did there was
three OF email big cats. They come
out snarlin' and spittin' and hoppin'
mad and fur time it looked as if they
was goin to stop and fight us. They
went eff grudgingly and arter few
minits we follered on. Tom had no gun
at all. being out arte~ roots, while |
had only one bullet left. Three wild
cats was a heap to tackle, but | reck-
Oned | might git a shot at one alone.
We fOllered and fOllered, and finally |
got shot. | wounded a cat, as we
knowed by her yell, and it was heap
better'n than to hev killed her. The
three made a rush through the woods,
and next mint we was hearin' sounds
to make the hair stand up on a stone
wall"
'Were they fighting among them
selves?" l asked.
'FNo. sah-fur from it. We was cluS
to that big chestnut tree, and they
made fur it. Reckon them wild cats
knowed all about the holler, and they
intended to dodge III thar Tom and
me couldn't make out at fust what the
row was all about. Thar was growlin'
and spittin' and hissin', which was
from the cats sure huff, but 1t 'peared
that mems voices was yellin' 'poliee!'
and murder, and lots of other things.
We hung back fur awhile, as l had
fired my last bullet, but when we was
sure that men and cats was all mixed
up. and heard the shootin' to boot we
crept up. Lawd, sab, but sunthin'
mighty quare had happened"
What was it,
"WaIl. them fo' revenoo fellers had
made camp in that holler tree, and was
all in thar eatinf luncheon, when the
cats piled in on EN-. You know the
natur' of wild cat, do your
1--WE heard they were very savage"
LET me tell you. sab. that thar amt
nothin' as walks or flies mo- savage
rous nor a wild cat. She's allus on the
look out fur tout, and big buzz
saw, driv at full speed by a ten boss
power engine. Amt no match fur a
full grown wild cat. Then three cats
was rippin' mad from nose to tail and
when they jumped into that holler aud
found men thar they was tickled half
to death. They just begin bizness right
off. and it wasn't ended when Tom and
me got thar Lawd save you, but them
men was a sight, 1t had come sudden
on EN-. and they WIS too upset TO fight
at fust. They did some shootin' arter
awhile. and one of the cats was killed,
but if we hadn't come up I reckon the
To- men would hev knocked under. |
got one O. their pistols and killed cat
arter she had,clawed my leg. and Tom
sent a bullet into the other jest as she
fastened to his foot
"And the men were badly used up?'
I asked.
81 neved did see anything like it in
all my bon days. They had on light
clothes, and them clothes was Jest
clawed to strings. The only things
that wasn't tattered was their butes.