Akron daily Democrat. [volume] (Akron, Ohio) 1892-1902, 1899-07-08
Q S-S-J sS-S-GS-@-
FlGn TING
FOR SAIL

How came 5ou TO lose it?' | asked. |
was on 4 hunting tour ont in the Rock
les" and it was NY guide | addressed,
and the subject of the inquiry was the
better half of his left ear.
In fair fight was the reply.
81 trust I have given no offense,"
hastened 10 say.
Not the le,tstesi Nj Sprawley, for l
know you didn't mean ter"
! l made Ho rei.ly. bnt left it to Mr..
Scruff TO more fully explain or not. rs he
chose the circumstances attending the
loss of his ear.
He appreciated the Ielicacy. and. after
q swig from his ticker of whisky and
snakeroot. first offered 10 myself and de
clined- principally. honesty compelS me
to add. m account OF the snakeroot-my
companion proceeded.
Me an Sile Budd. you see, was both
courtin Sail Bowler. 1t was hard To tell
which on US she give the most encourage
ment to.
old Bowler seemed ia like Us both. al
when me an SLED happen TO go to see
Sail on the same evenin. as chanced
poorly often, the old man'd set up TO
httD lilt DtstNc tttN tVll U.s. tiAa tAltsl W
three'd set a-talkin an abusin the wealth
er an the neighbors till Said git tired
an slip off to bed-arer which NE an
Sled pick up cur hats an leave. partin
at the door without biddin one another
good night.
After awhile things begun TO run
down in the settlement. Fust they built
courthouse, then schooihouse, an as
soon as they got schoolmarster 10 come,
darned eff the game didn't seem to git as
skeered as the boys did. Soon you
couldn't git crack at anything bigger'n
gray squirrel or a wild turkey.
''The schoolmarster was Il hifalutin
chap. He wore store clos, talked out o
the diXenerry an boarded round with the
scholars. He soon larnt the best places
to bunk at, an one o the best. he seemed
to think, was old Bowler's. Three nights
in the week the marster was TO be found
thar sittin up to Sail, but lettin on he'd
come home with her brother Bill to help
him out in long division.
me an Sie Budd served separate no.
tees on the cuss to the effec' that eff he
didn't mind his eye we'd sev'rally bung
it. He thanked rs Individually for the
politeness, said that lie was noncom-
bytant, an besides that he didn't mean
nothin.
"Bimeby the schoolmarster began to
take a shine to me. He took an 'intrst
in huntin,' he said. an wanted me to
teach him.
"One day, when | was showin him how
to draw bead. he broke me off sid
denly:
"'Do you know what sile Budd sep
q" No, l don't sez I.
"'He sez he can lick YOU, sez the
echoolmarster.
lies liar! sez /. an he knows it
81 never like to make mischief sez
the schoolmarster; 4 only repeat what
Sie sez.'
"'Wili you see him soon? sez I.
This eyeI'n, prob bly, sez he.
"'Will you take him message from
meT sez /.
O." TO oheege you,' sez he.
"'Waal. you jes' tell him. sez l, that
Tobe Scruff sez he can whip the con-
safe out o. the best Budd that ever brag-
ged,' seZ l.
"'I'll tell him. sez the schoolmarster,
to obleege you, but / wouldn't be the
means o maxim mischief for ennything.'
'The schoolmarster kept his word
punctooal, an poorly sassy verbal cSr-
respondence sprung up atween Sile as
me, the schoolmarster actin as postman.
''The upshOt was, we agreed to meet
an fight it out at the crossroads one Sat
urday afternoon.
"On the opp'inted day, with the eXcep
ton o. the sick an afflicted, most every
man, woman an child in the settlement
was on hand. Among. the absent was
Sail and the schoomarster.
'Sile an me tuck off our jackets an tie6
our galluses round our waists.
"'Pitch in. boysr shouted old Bowler
when all was ready.
1--WE fit by main siren 'th for we hadn't
no science 10 mention. Thar was no dodg-
in or sparrin or goin down to avoid pun
ishmept 1t was jes' square, stand up,
give an take fight.
at last we clinched an wres'led round
an round the ring Sile had both onder-
holts, but | could beat him on the trip,
so thar want much advantage either
way. an when we come down it was a
dog fall. neither bein on top.
AS we lay side an side the scrinlmagin
went on as hard as ever At last Silc get
my left ear atween his teeth, an got one
O. his fingers atween mine, an we jes' hilt
on an worried like a couple o coon dogs.
Part 'em, boys; part EN-, screeched
old Bowler, or they'll disfgure one an
other! Neither on 'em won't never hol
Ter. It's fair draw
when we was drug apart, | was a
marked man for life, with crap off the
left ear, an the fust jipt o Sile's right
forefnger mister'ously disappeared.
Come. .boys, seq old Bowler, takin me
an Sile at enc side when we'd washed an
fixed up Il bit; come, boys, you've nit like
men, an there mustn't be no bad blood
atween you. know what it's all about.
So both on you come right along home
with me- an Sail shall make choice atweep
you on the spot, an whichever she chooses
t'other must give in cheerful, for she
can't marry but one on you, you know
"The old mans talk sounded reas'na-
BILE. an me an Sie accepted his farms.
"'Whar's Saii:' sez the old man when
we got TO the house.
"'Gone out 18th the schoolmarster.' sez
Bill.
leone wharf
"'Dunno. She rugged up in her best
luds an went out 18th the schoolmarster.
He sot me this sum-, sez Bill. TO work
out agin he got back
eve waited an waited, but no Sail an
no schoOlmarstcr come back. In few
days Sail an the schoolmarster come back
married. New York News.