The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-02-13
THE. YANKING OF JOE VAIL.
MAYBE THE TIoTIM OF a DEER,
MAYBE ONLY a IAR

ana Reoke1 Initn sna Kicked Hin. ana
That ne ouiy Aotea IN selr-Dersnce-But the
Carcasssr the Beer Had = Buiiet Hole IN nG.
cit is puzzlIng me like everything said John
Gilbert, the travelling sroceryman, trying to
think It out whether my old friend Joe Vail n
lying, or whether he IN simply the innocent VIC
tim of peculiar circumstances Two been try.
ing for two weeks now to make up my mind,
and / can't, and IL worries me like fury.
"0nce q year I go up to spend a few days with
Joe during the season of pickerel fishing through
the Ice, and this winter 1 didn't get up there
until late. I had sent word to Joe that 1 would
be there on a certain day. II is q six.mile
drive from : tho railroad station 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 q man that works for him was In
his place. After We had got started q ways I
said to Joe's man:
"'where's:Joei why didn't he CONT inr
"'why,' said tho man, didn't you hear about
itr
"'Hear about itr I said. No. Hear about
whatr
about Joe,' said the man, looking at me
az II he was surprised that I hadn't heard
about Il.
Nc said I. What about Joef
yanked.' said the man.
"'Yankedf said I. What do you meant
"I moan he's yankedl' replied the mar, ,somo-
what positively. "A door bit him, or hooked
him, or kicked him, or sumpin' or other like that,
and Joe killed 1t. It might q been in the season
for deer to bite or hook or kick Joe, but It don't
seem to boon in the season for Joe to kill the
deer for dom of it, and 80 they yanked him.
That's what / mean
ARRESTED himi' I asked, puzzled and wor.
ried.
'"Yes,' replied tho man. Took him up.
Yanked him. And 1t looks to me as If they
was goin' to sock 1t to him, too
''Isn't in Jail. is her 1 asked.
"'No.' said the man. 'Leastways, not yit.
But It looks to me as IL they was Roin' to sock
1t to him. and IL they sock 1t to him 1 don't see
but what he's jist as good as in jail
This wasn't very pleasant news TO a man who
had come out for q couple Of days sport. but I
thought 1 wouldn't coax any moro information
from Joe's pessimistic factotum. would wait
until I heard Joe's story. That might put an
entirely different face on the matter, / thought.
when we arrived ct Joe's place Joe came
out to meet me. 1 saw at once that he was
dependent. After greetings he said:
"'Wen, I s'pose you heerd I was yankedr
81 told Joe l had heard 30.
"'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
moonsor the season don't happen to be jest right,
you got to lay there and take 1t without raisin'
your hand sgin the deer unless you want to git
II It told Joe I didn't know. and asked for par.
ticulars of this difficulty he seemed to have got
".How did 1t happen, Joei' / asked.
Joe. You know Bushmiller's Pond. don't youi
Well, / went over there Yesterday to git sons
t only had ten lines in. and them pickereI bit so
fast l had to pull out hve o them lines cause I
SauI out y 81 the srG ssh. Y Ti hpyipa0i IN q the air fnG all tho he
time, and keepin' me on the run for more'n an
1.-THE way it was goin' I see that II them pick.
erel didn't let up on me ID be SO tired I'd never
stacks o picSsrreii had IA lay Iayin 'i FOUND 9TH there ree on the the
Ice. ] see there wasn't no kind O. use O. mo
Snf home BY y'i Saeki hr' 'em in n So I was as1 starti n.
for Ssef home q n % GIT s sSm am me, the I OK team psc when eR, I
buck comm right lords me. There was q lot
footin'. First along i thought he hadn't seen
or snified me. and was only crossin' the pond.
b | di no de %an an 70 !. be 1 run fnr nsTp so ana w aroand iG "nG
hollered at him. Now what had that consumed
deer ought to up and donei Accordin' to the gen.
10 been scared half to death then and there, and
turned and bounced away like a gale @ wind.
In away. like a real. law.abidin' deer ought to
uohOy ho ~ up ZIG vi w ncth VII tIlty
mad b%ll. he come for me ike locomotive.
if he had ada. an idoe e% 9! dom some sh hook dfis 20 Inc "'
.earip 5n Where T i aIoa ne 7 man ann ,S9' "a and ons as sid he come qns
deer was goin' so fast that he went on by me
mere'n fifty yards fore he could stop and turn;
into shoestrinEs By that buck. and IL aw va / dug
-! !S%rs sh fSs Sn SSp Gou1 to Eth cit there here e End ID climb il a tree
kerous enough to foller me. He was rantankerous
didn't climb he tres: l have always kind o
down, as 6ein' critters that was high feeiin' and
wouldn't stoop to do anything low.
a%ppinted il deer. They, amt. what, I've, al;
ways CRACKED EN- up to be. If that buck had
down. to be ia a clumb that tree. But he
wasn't, and jest as p! had grabbed the trunk o
that buck reached up and fastened onto me with
his Jaws Jest below where my hind gallus but
DOWN " Il aS 9iler SO quick u Ky th aafu I can't sn nov SsGS ,eii y '"s
now which end o. me hit the snow first! Fast
sRsa q on nbes ps Jest sn. as 4 a he MAS s Hotnin' more ore
dog, insted of a bold and boundin' roebuck o
ths mS4Hntsin in-m DisHSIP Psp, l was never SO
Z" Then what does that deer dot Nothin' only
chuck me clean back on the pond. ag'in. and
came 30 tight that he stubbed his toes on me,
and went all in a heap on the Ice himself.
was up Tore no was and l want to tell you
This is a-goin' a leetIe too fur!" | says.
hull O. that pond to yourself II you want it'll
says. 'but there hain't no deer ever lived kin
sneak up and bite me like n durn ornery sheep.
stealth dog without mo a hittin' back!"
Tho deer was a-comin' for me head on agin
and / knowed from tho way he looked that no
was ptntn' to hooksme down tand then :churn'
the innerds out o me-. I'd a turned and lodged
him and got up the tree this time IL he hadn't
bit mest'other' time. That was more'n ! could
stand, and when he come a prancin' up to ma
with his head down to scoop me. i ketched him
by tho horns. whopped him over on his back.
aud run my knife across his throat fore he ever
knowed what he had run aR,in. Did IL Well,
and then set down and let him hook and stomp
me into hash besidesf Not this year!
"'Well, sir, the first thing ] knowed This
mornin' Gabe Sawyer, the constable, comes over
here and says TO me:
you, and IN have to yank you"
"."Yank mel" ! says. what furf'
"."Killin' deer outen season" he says.
81 was SO took back that i couldn't say a