The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-06-25

lowered them to the bottom. Then he
dropped down y0e's grape vine, and Joined
Joe in the Fut.
Look in yender,'' said ice pointing to
big hole in the rocks. Sam looked, and
saw four balls of fire, all in a row.
Each pair of them balls o ire said Joe,
Is 81 for bounty, an 81 fer hide. That's
tootems four is eight and this Teller her
that we've plinked already is tootems two
Is four, maxim twelve 'cOrdin' to the way
l hgger You take the TWO balls on the
off side. When 1 say three, let her bim.
1t seemed a good while to Sam before
Joe said three, but when the word came
he let her bim,' according to directions.
Both guns went off at once and the four
balls Of fire disappeared, but some thing
else came in sight. Two wild cats bound
ed out of the hole in the rocks over the
bodies of the two Joe and Sam had shot
and while the report of the guns was still
bowling along the narrow passage in
booming echoes and before the boys mad
time to be surprised they found them
selves mixed up on the rocky bottom of
the DeviPs Rut, with wild cats grape
vines, guns and stones, in such a way that
the impress of it on their minds will be
fresh and vivid long after the impression
1t made on their bodies have disappeared
Neither Joe nor Sam could recall just
how they managed to bring the end about
but the condition of the two wild cats
heads conveyed the impression that il was
accomplished principally by the butts of
guns. AT any rate, when the rush and
whirl and yelling were all over, the boys
found themselves sitting on the bottom
of the rut, without much clothing on to
speak of. and with scarcely a spot four
inches square from their shoulders down
that didn't have the marks of a wild cats
claw imprinted on it. AS they sat there
wiping the blood with such bits of shirt
and sF~rr L.
the first to break the silence
" That hole said he was a leetle full
er o wild cat than 1 calkllated on But
them last ones makes tootems four is
eight more, Sam
Sam said he 'know'd it, but made the
apt suggestion that they had better be
digging out of there for home to get
patched up. They hauled themselves out
of the rut by the grapevines and limped
homeWard.
1T happened that not long after Sam
Pomeroy had abandoned operations in the
potato field and joined Joe Crane in the
wildcat hunt, his father strolled over 10
the field to see how he was getting along
Finding the hoe there alone, Farmer
Pomeroy hurried home to see what had
become OF Sam. Not finding Sam but
noticing that the gun was gone. he started
for the woods. In the course of his recon-
noiterng he at last came upon Sam and
Joe as tney were making the best time
they could homeward, tattered and dis
abled
" Jist what ben 'spectin,' exclaimed
Farmer Pomeroy That gun has gone an
busted on you at last. Sarves you right,
an I'll give yer hide tannin' when l git
ye home.
Don't know about that, pap, said
Sam. You won't find much hide left on
me TO tan I'm thnkin'
Then the boys told the wildcat story
and Farmer Pomeroy helped them home
on the double quick, turned them over to
their mothers, sent for the doctor and lie
and Joe's father went to the Devils Rut
and brought in the wildcats and guns
After Doc Barnes had patched Sam and
Joe up he said:
=" Potato plantin' will be over, Sam
when you get around again.
" so 1 spose. said Sam. But then
! comes the grass an the rye. Them wild
cats has seen me through the later plant
in all right. an now l only wisht that me
an Joe could find another hole full o more
of 'em Thatd kind o. help me over hay
in an harvest, too"