St. Tammany farmer., 1899-08-12
Pete Was Swatted Hard
Aud II Wasn't Any Moving
Machine That Tore Him Up.



said the man from the Knob
country. ..they maturity wonder how he
happened to tumble into the thrashin'
machine, seein' that left ear o. his'n
hans.in' most down on his shoulder, and
his face ali wopperjawed. and him a
favorin' that left leg o. his'n as if he
want jest sure whether il was goin' to
stay there when he puts his foot down
or whether it want. Maturity that's
what folks wonders, and don't blame
'em.
Il says to Petc-he was comm long
the COW path that takes the turn round
tho south side o. the big laurel patch
t'other side o. the Knob, and fetches
you out in the Hobby road all right it
you foller it, and I see that he was goin'
to leave the path and make short cut
through the patch, jest cause it'd save
him mebbe somethin' like an eighth of
. mile-I says to him-I was standin'
in The path, three rod or SO from the
patch, and know'd what was standin'
there for-I says to Pete:
"sYou better keep the path, Peter.
i says. and 60 round
"Pete was as stubborn and head
strong as q mule-though he amt 60
much that way now-and he kind o.
shifted at me and says:
"'What fer?'
SWELL 1 says, it'll be a consider bic
further fer you, but il you keep the
path you'll git there a good deal sooner
] says.
Cause know'd it was in there, and
] had been more than six weeks gittin'
it there. The first time know'd it was
anywheres at all was when / was over
to the Eddy one day and heerd 'em
talkin' bout it.
".Why, blame it all!' says Eph, i
never see the likes of it! l was in
boat Jest below the narrows o. the
Lackawack fishin' for chubs. l heerd
a noise, and lookin' round, there it was,
wadin' right out to the boat. 1t must
a-come from the Tink Pond district
and swan the canal fore seen it. !
had more'n half bushel O. the con-
sarndest incest chubs you ever see, and
they was layin' there on the bottom O.
the boat. / hated like Sam Hill to
leave .em, but there wasn't no way
could git them fish out o the boat and
pulled for shore alone, cause it was
comm right along and p'inted straight
fer the boat. When I got ashore I
turned and looked. 1t had climbed in
the boat, and there it sat. feetlin' itself
on my chubs, and the boat goin' down
stream more'n five knots an hour! ]
found my boat next day. three miles
down the Lackawack, high and dry on
! rock, but there want no chubs in it,
darn the luck!' says Eph.
"sI wonder il Jones didn't see it
t'other day, back o. Lackawack? says
Gil. Il wouldn't never a thunk of it
ag'in, Eph. If you hadn't spoke about
that luck a your'n a-fishing. Yes, sir.
SAYS Gil. .rll bet anything that Jones
seen it back o. Lackawack t'other day.
The roads hain't been just as prime as
they ought to be down that way late
II. and Jake was haulin' in load o.
stun for Ira and Nose and the rest on
'em when he got stuck. The team
couldn't pull the load, and Jake had
10 tighten up. 'Mongst the things he
left long the road to come back after
was barl o. pork. Mebbe half an hour
or no later Jonas was comm out o the
woods to the road and strikin' an
cpenin' he looked ahead and seen it. He
seen it standin' by the bar'l O. pork
lake had left there TO come back after.
Jonas stood still and watched it, cause
he didn't have no gun, bein' only out on
: hunt fer railroads.&c. timber. and
,ou dent want no gun fer that. What
vou want fer that. nowadays. is micro
ecope. Jonas stood still and watched
il. II shifted At the barl and then
went to work and lcosened the top
hoop on the barl as slick as could be,
Med the head. and took out nice big
hunk Of pork. OF course. jonas thought
ia hustle away with that pork on the
acnble-uuick, but it didn't. 1t laid the
.hurk .. pork on the ground, and then
headed up the bar1 agin as proper rs
4 M before, aftes doin' which it shoul-
Sered the pork and wentinto the woods
:. cocl and deliberate ~ if it'd Just
6ourht <hs pofk. and paid cash down
"a Il. What do you think. Eph? Must
M ben. jt tlst Josas eeen, hsyv