The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-03-06
A~GoODGUN? WELL, 1T WAS
THE KNOB COUNTRY NAV SAID so,
AND HE KNEW ABOUT II
ne Hna Been Trying 10 Buy 1t while II was
Beins levied On asa Traded and Given
Away, ana mt Fast n 0uoer Train or Events
Cave Him His Opportunity TO Acquire II.

said the man from the Knob country, I" what
do YOU want to sell the gun fort It's n good
gun. amt itr I says.
"'Good gum says Sam. We'll, there want
never no better gun p'intcd Mt a bear than that
gun is.' says Sam. Nc, nor as good a ono. by
smokc!' says he.
''Then,' 1 says. what In Sam Hill do you
want to'scll: It fort Amt short o. money. be
your / says.
ct knowcd the gun from way back. It he.
lonRed first to OIL Solly Ebers,'an' then II was n
swivel britch. with a couple o bar'ls that never
barkcd unless they bit. l met Uncle Solly the
first time he went out with it. and 1 says:
"'Uncle Solly, where you goin'f
"'Goin' to try my swivel britch,' he says.
"I don't think much O. swivel b%ritches,' I
says. They don't lug your load fur enough to
tumble things that's jest on the pint O. gottin'
outen your reach ! says.
II noticed that Uncle Solly was prickin' up
his ears while I was talkin'. and ! hadn't hardly
got through yit when he wheels plumb around,
claps the swivel britch to his shoulder, and let's
her boiler. ] hadn't see nor hoard nothin', and
I thunk to myself that Solly was maybe Jest
wantin' to hear her bark, but he hadn't no
more'n whangcd her Off in that direction than
what does he do but wheel In t'other direction.
clap her to his shoulder, and let her bark ag'in.
Then he says, as cool as a cowcumber:
may Dt IOJ, no oaso. sIuS w licy CON u
lug your load fur enough to tumble things that's
on tho pint O. gittin' outen your reach no
says, but 1 bet you them two bears has got q DIFF.
ferent idee-leastways they'd have n different
idee IL they was in shape to have any idees at
ALL says he. Come along and look at en-
says he.
II was SO nigh gumspluttcred that I couldn't
say a word. i hadn't see no bear, nor heerd no
bear, and l thought Uncle Solly must "a gone a
little crazy over that new swivel britch o. his'n,
but l went along. Solly led off In the direction
he had let the gun go the first time. and We
walked so fur that I was most gittin' tired,
when Uncle Solly stopped and p'inted Off in the
brush.
" Go ask that bear what he thinks o.
swivel britches luggin' loads says he.
There laid a slammin' big bear with q hole
plumb through his gullet.
Uncle Solly!' l says. This is amazin'!"
Not for this gum says he.
'"Then we went back in t'other direction, and
walked just as fur If not furder. and there lay
another bear. deader'n a stone, with q ball clean
through wa. hi he on the pint o. les, rittiD. ou,en
my reach each or %' wasn't as Sef says tncie Fsoiiy. ~
out Of reach, but he was about three rod outen
all sorts o reach Of any gun I'd ever see or heerd
tel. tell v on b afGrs, and d,f Sn@1EG TDa my s n1iHd a rsomt
acres o homlock timber land for the gun, out he
wouldn't take II; He mnwt better "a done it.
though, fer he died only the next week. and they
T Woh t. 'h Pot swl owed p the M 2dsi pn Eud hi' thi G t
Ike the darn fool he was :" lot her have the gun
for the debt, The Wilder Budd was the mean.
woman that ever sot down in that country. Joe
Sewers he tried 10 buy the gun Of her, but she
wouldn't S mnrr, sell h and Th1 ,f,d d9 you t tnink e. joe eit dG 'Rsi
gun! Did he git itl No. sir! The wilder
| ahn lay{Ila1 md epf inyrn m loo = fhnt ha
The house, took It back in the stone msdder,
THE widder had been wantin' to buy some
timber land o me. and wouldn't sell, but a
eri I went down to the widder's and told her
I'd sell her 'he timber II she'd sell me the gun.
~ don't want your durn timber she snapped.
"Ididn't burst ask her what she'd done with the
gun. but found out that she had traded it to
went huntini. and | couldn't see what he want
ed to trade a steer fer a gum 30 l mosged over to
I" Sim ! says, I hear you traded a steer fer
the widder's gun,
":9Ye ss!s sa gsr Sim. 'asS What's the hookin.est and
ftsnan is It's hind Sfsd'' feet I'm in the Seet air pS and to ast 1T it's
horns, says he: He .h'isted that boy Jim o
mine 20 e. high hshss .' s;nSs s day 1t that ,H,: Si% huISt been ssn
In the hay NOW an KEEP her there two hours
fore we could get pitchforks enough in him to
make him think there WAS sumpin' else with
while besides kickin' and hookin'; So / thought
maybe h. mowt be Just the erittsr that folks
struck up a decker with her. and traded the
steer for the gun. Seems as If he must a
well. Sim says 1. I've come to buy the
ss %&;W asi the he s sszs' D d s:Pe: says y9ss H. tHo"'a that I
Why, no, he says. i ,sposed you knowed
Pulled Off whatf I says.
-" Pulled of Ter constable Sim says. I
run fer cons,a BIZ too. and id that if jake run n
t theto I w ssys to jake no tR Rae E IF inS dFq pun oar az" I'd
give him the gun, and that Jake said he'd pull
OIL OF. and s !Pos ! F yoa n kno wee E1 tha tHa says as p1 si@.
I'D rather be constable than have the gun
5That made mo so consarncd mad tina. I
went home and run agin Sim for constable my
self. and heat him outen his hoots; Then what
daughter. Jimmie. and Jake gives him the gun
for a wedding present; and .n he . hid it It ever since il 2;
sell the gun. I says to him:
sam, / says. what do You want to sell the
GU" Good ts51 i Gum; : s ssss 2 s"n: "' VIII IT, there want
gun is says he. NO, nor as good a one. by
Then What in Sam Hill do you want to sci!
II fort / says. Amt short o money. be your
mot pnrtic'lar,' Sam says. but ! hired out TO
Miles Boyd TO do the work on his farm, and not
hire my gun out to Miles. not by q durn sight,
says Sam. Now Jest look a-here how things is
runnin'. Only yesterday l was settin' on tho
back stoop up to Milcs's. greasin' a double har-
ness. Miles he was dom chores round the
barnyard. His chickens was scratchin' and
peckin' away. when n cheeky big hawk sweeps
down from ~somewheres or other. and sweeps
away agin with one o Miles's chickens. Course
I didn't see none o. this. but suddenly l heerd
Miles say: -. .,.
Sc alluz keep my gun Jest behind the kitchen
door says SAM, and when | hoerd Miles holler.
I maturity runs and grabs 1t. and runs with 1t to
the barnyard. AS l got there Miles hollers:
Wonder he is. gol ding himi' and no
pointed up into a dead pine tree more'n n quar-
Ter of a mile away. where the hawk was settin',
rippin' his dinner outen Miles's chicken. 'Yon.
der he Isl" Miles hollers. Hes got the DOM
mick non! Whang him, gOl ding himi"
Now says sam, Il want q goin' to strain
that gun by whangin' q hawk that was a quar-