The Washington weekly post. (Washington, D.C.) 1878-1916, 1899-08-08
'PossUm alks.

Possum / alkS.
| I'D bin mighty pore with chi.ls ard
fever" said the old man. as We sat smok-
| Ing on the cabin door steps. and / was
/ jest able 70 crawl around the house when
[ a Critter named 81 Carter comes over to
make me feel bad. He was all CAB and
biJff, and he wouldn't hev dared say d
word 10 ne when / was well Known
wasn't able 10 hurt Iiy, he comes over
/ from the Co'her one evenin', and, stand
in out thar by that stump he crows like
a rooster and then calls 20 me.
! IS Do a critter named Zeb White live in
/ this yere cabin? II he do, let him hear
{ me when l saF that I've walked five miles
to whop him till he can't hOllePI They say
he's a powerful man on the fout, and
/ tEat nuthin' on these we're mountings has
ever stood up befo' him, but the man is
right we're who kin make him yell like a
coon in trap. Zeb White, come 10th and
/ be whopped"
/ Il couldn't hev got out thar 10 save my
life," said the cid man. land it jest broke
me all up to hear that buffer go on that
way. l got so mad about it that ! shed
tears, and nutEin' the old woman could
say would console me. That Carter, he
Eept on CROWN and BLOWN fur half an
hour, and Of course he purtended to be-
lieve that l was a coward and dasn't come
out TO him. He went away sayin' he'd
be back the next night, and that if l
didn't come out and gin him tussle he'd
spread the news all over the county. He
made out that unless lac had a fout he'd
die Of a broken heart, and my old woman
was so mad that she was q mind TO 60 out
and tackle him herself. / didn't do nuth-
in but worry all next day. All l wanted
was strength huff TO 60 out thar and git
hold with one hand, but il wouldn't come
to me. / cussed and / cried and I prayed,
but it was no use. When night cum that
critter showed up agin. He Topped his
arms and crowed, and then sung out:
'Zeb White, ar yo' a man or an old
woman? If yo' ar a man and hev got
Whiskers on yO'r chin and teeth to chaw
with, come out yere and face a person
what's dyin fur tussle. / won't lick 20
to death, cause yo'r Old woman would be
left all alone, but ia make yo' chaw grass
and beg my pardon fur livin'.' .
IF I'd owned all Tennessee" said Zeb,
I'D hev given every acre of ii to be
well, but 1t was no use. ! had to sot tber
in the house and take 1t all. and If 1t
hadn't bin fur the camphor bottle at my
nose | should heV tainted away in my
medness. That critter hung around for d
good hour, and he did rub il in on me for
all he was with. l was begin the old
woman to hev shot at HIM rom the
winder, when he concluded TO g. away.
but he said he was coming back the next
night. He had set out to whop me- and he
felt that he couldn't die in peace Till he
had done it. Next day was fiat on my
back in bed. and | reckon the old woman
had it planned TO dress up In my clothes
and 90 out and make as good fout as
she could. She didn't hev to, however.
Bout half an hour befo' Carter was TO
snoW up bar cum down the side Of the
mounting to inspect my hawg-pen. In
mousin' around he got tangled Up in a
barbed-wire fence, and the way he smash
ed the empty hencoop an growled around
showed that he was tightin mad He
was trying to pull that hawg-pen down
when Carter appeared and begun his US
ual crow. AFTER he got tired OF 1appin' |
and CROWN We heard him sayin':
Zeb White | axes yo to have pity on !
sufferin' feIIow-critter, and cum out
and face me. I've got TO hev a fout or l |
shant live week. 1t runs in the family |
and l can't help it. My grandfather never |
chaWed up lcss'n seven men a week, and |
my father licked every man in Davis |
County twice over, and then grieved MIS- |
self 10 death bekase nobody was left TO |
face him.
He was still BLOWN away when we |
heard that bar pass the doah with a |
grOwl in his throat an his claws d!ggin' |
deep into the airth. The old woman grin /
ned and picked me right up in her arms 1
and carried me 10 Their wiuder 1t wasn't /
moonlight. but it wasn't very dark. / |
could see 81 Carter very plain, and he |
was jest maxim ready fur mo- bluff. /
when that bar sailed in on him. II Car
ter thought il was ME, he wasn't long in /
tndin' the difference. The fust cuff the
b ar made rolled the buffer over and over
On the ground, and when he got up he |
wanted 10 90 home right off. That barbed /
wire mad got that bars dander up, how
ever, and he was bound to hev a circus /
with some one. He didn't seem TO want
TO kill Carter, but TO sorter toy with linn.
and that toyin lasted good ten minutes,
W hen the man finally got away he hadn't /
nuthin' but his boots on, and he was so
scratched and bloody that l felt 10 pity
him. The bar let him go, and then walk
ed of hisseif. and IS the old woman car
ried me back TO bed she said:
- 'Zeb White, there won't be no more
BLOWN and bluftn' roun' these parts till
you've had time TO git on yor feet It's
the dOin's OF the Lawd, and We can't be
too thankful"
But what story did ST Carter tell
about it?' | asked.
"Yo' might reckon bout how he piled il
on" answered Zeb. He dun declared
that me an the ole oman. an the daWg.
an q bar and two wildcats pitched nto
him TO onct. and that he had Us on the
run when his strength gin out"
And didn't you ever meet him and
have II out with him when you got well?"
Yes, ! met him, but there wasn't no
fuss. Might hev been a fuss, fur ! was
mad VII. but that critter Gums right up
to me with his hand out, and says:
'Zeb White. I've jest bet my mewl
agin Z cConskin that you kin out-yell.
out-cUss, out-jump, and outright any
thing On legs in this we're State Of Tennes-
see, and ! want 10 shake hands with 70
and. be lowed 10 walk round Ia yo'r
tracks
That's the way he put 1t. sab. and, Of
co'se / couldn't git Up no fuss ar;er that
OF cO'se nor. He had forty-six claw
marks on his body from that bar. and |
reckon th2t was good nun pay Tor MS
D!ufilA'."