The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1898-04-07
The Yankins of Joe Vail.
May Be the Victim of a Deer and NAY
Be Only Liar.

IS puzzling me like everything"
said John Gilbert, the travelling
groceryman, trying to think it out
whether my old friend Joe Vail is lying,
or whether he is simply the innocent
victim of peculiar circumstances. I've
been trying for two weeks now to make
up my mind, and l can't, and it worries
me like fury.
"Once year I go up to spend few
days with Joe during the season of
pickerel fishing through the ice, and
this winter l didn't get up there until
late. l had sent word to Joe that |
would be there on certain day. 1t is
Il siX-mile drive from the railroad sta
ton in to Joe's place, and Joe always
meets me at the train to drive me in.
This time, though, Joe wasn't there, but
a man that works for him was in his
place. After we had got started a ways
l said to Joe's man:
Where's Joe? Why didn't he come
IMP
why said the man, didn't you
hear about it?'
Hear about it?' said. no. Hear
about what?'
"'About joe said the. man., looking
at me as if he was surprised that l
hadn't heard about it.
"'No,' said I. What about Joe?'
Hes yanked,' said the man.
"'Yanked?' said l. What do you
mean%
Il mean he's yankedn replied the
man, somewhat positively. a deer bit
him. or hooked him, or kicked him, or
sumpin' or other like that, and Joe
killed it. 1t might a been in the season
for deer to bite or hook or kick Joe,
but it don't seem to been in the season
it, and so they yanked him. That's
what l mean
Arrested him?' asked, puzzled and
worried.
YES replied the man. Took him
up. Yanlled him. And it looks to me
as if they was goin' to sock it to him,
too
isn't in jail, ;s'he?' 1 asked
"'No, said the man. 'Leastways, not
yit. But it looks to me as if they was
goin' to sock it 10 him. and if they sock
it to him l don't see but what he's list
as good as in Jail
"Tbis wasn't very pleasant news to
man who had come out for couple of
days sport, but I thought | wouldn't
coax any more information from Joe's
pesslmistic factotum. would wait I'M
til | heard Joe's story. That might put
an entirely different face on the mat
ter, I thought.
when we arrived at Joe's place Joe
came out to meet me. / saw at once
that he was respondent. After greet
ings be said:
"'Well, 1 s'pose you heerd 1 was
yanked?'
II told Joe had heard so.
"'What be we comm to- said he,
when a deer kin come and chaw you,
and rip you, and jump on you, and do
anything else he durn pleases to you
to make your wife a wilder, and, if the
moon or the season don't happen to be
jest right, you got to lay there and take
it without raisin' your hand agin the
deer, unless you want to git yanked
and be held for the grand jury? What
be we comm to"
81 told Joe l didn't know, and asked
for particulars of this difficulty he
seemed to have got into.
How did it happen, Joe . l asked.
"'It happened the aggravatinest
kind said Joe. You know Bushmiller's
pond, don't you? Well, l went over
there Yesterday to git some pickerel.
Say, John! never see 'em bite so!
l only had ten lines in, and them pick
erel bit so fast | had to pull out five o.
them lines cause I couldn't git around
to any more quick enough to haul out
the fish. Tip-ups in the air all the time,
and keepin' me on the run for more'n
an hour.
1.-The way it was goin' see that if
Their, pickerel didn't let 1r on me I'd
be so tired I'd never git home, so jest
pulled up all my lines and quit. You
ought to been there and seen the stacks
o. pickerel had layin' round there on
the ice. see there wasn't no kind o.
use o me thinkin' o. gittin' anyways
nigh a quarter of 'em home by bacllin'
'em in, so I was startin' for home to
git Sam and the OK team when heard
a noise behind me. looked back over
my shoulder, and there see a slammin'