The Worthington advance., 1899-07-14


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
hangin' most down on his shoulder, and
his face all wopperjawed, and him a
favorin' that left leg O. his'n as if he
want je:t sure whether it was goin' to
stay there when he puts his foot down
or whether it want. Maturity that's
EN-. :,
Il says to Petc-he was comm long
the cow path that takes the turn round
the south side O. the big laurel patch
t'other side O. the Knob, and fetches
you out in the Hobby road all right if
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
q 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:
"'You better keep the path, Peter
I says. and go 'round.'
''Pete was as stubborn and head
strong as a mule-though he amt so
much that way now-and he kind O.
shifted at me and says:
"'What fer?'
WELL l says, it'll be a considerable
further fer you, but if you keep the
path you'll git there good deal sooner,'
says.
"'Cause I know'd it was in there, and
I had been more than six weeks gittin'
it there. The first time I know'd it was
anywheres at all was when I was over
to the Eddy one day and heerd 'em
talkin' bout it.
"'Why, blame it all!' says Eph, Il
never seq the likes of it! I was in a
boat jest below the narrows o. the
Laclawack fshin' for chubs / 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 l seen it. 1
had more'n half bushel o. the con-
they was layin' there on the bottom O.
the boat. 1 hated like Sam Hill to
leave 'em, but there wasn't no way 1
could git them fish out O. the boat and
pulled for shore alone, cause it was
comm right along and p'inted straight
for the boat. When I got ashore 1
turned and looked. It had climbed in
the boat, and there it sat, feedin' itself
on my chubs, and the boat goin' down
stream. more'n five knots an hour! I
found my boat next day, three miles
down the Lackawack, high and dry on
a rocl;, but there want no clubs in it,
darn the luck!' says Eph.
'I wonder if 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 O. your'n a-fshing.. Yes, sir,
says Gil, I'll bet anything that Jones
seen it back o. Lackawack t'other day.
The roads haint been just as prime as
they Ought to be down that way late
ly, and Jake was haulin' in a load o.
stuff for Ira and Nose and the rest on
'em when he got stuck. The team
couldn't pull the load, and Jake had
to tighten up. 'Mongst the things he
left long the road to come back after
WAS bar'l O. pork. Mebbe half an hour
or so later Jonas was comm out O. the
woods to the road and strikin' an
openin' he looked ahead and seen it. He
seen it standin' by the bar'l o. pork
Jake had left there to come back after.
Jonas stood still and watched it, cause
he didn't have no gun, bcin' only out on
hunt fer railroad-tie timber, and
you don't want no gun fer that. What
you want fer that, nowadays,is is micro
scope. Jonas stoo1still and watched
it. 1t shifted at the barl and then
went to work and loosened the ton
hoop on the ibar1 as slick as could be,
lifted the head, and took out nice big
hunk of pork. Of course, Jonas thought
it'd hustle away with that pork on the
double-quick, but it didn't. It laid the
hunk o. pork on the ground, and then
headed up the bar1 ag'in as proper as
twas before, ter doin' which it Shout
dered the pork and went into the woods
as cool and deliberate as if it'd Just
bought the pork, and paid cash down
for it. What do you think, Eph? Must
hays been it that Jonas seen. hey 3