The Washington weekly post., 1899-10-24
Copyright. lsse. By c. B. Lsw!E.,
Zeb Whites Possum Hunt.

nor hair of one. On this night ! dreamt
of bein' out on the mountain. and seein
over 30 'pOEsums in a drove. and OF KILL
In the huh lot. That was OF Saturday
night. Next mawnlng ] dun reckoned to
Ec out and see II that dream would come
true. bat the old woman says 10 me:
'Zeb White. thar gwine 70 be preachin
al the skule-house to-day-powerful
preachiB'-and we-uns VII 90 over"
I'm gwine out fur 'possum,' says l.
but ] want 20 hear that powerful
preachln.' says she. II you go arter
'pOssums on the Lawd's Day, when thar
H. preachin' sunthin mighty bad is bound
20 happen 10 you.
If Il hadn't bin fur that dream" said
the old man 10 me. I'd hev gone TO the
skule-house. but them drove Of 'possums
was so plain In my mind that felt /
IGust look up The spot. The old woman
got mad about it. and when / was ready
10 20 she says:
Mark my words, Zeb White. When
critter dun prefers 'possums 10 presehin',
the Lawd Is gWine 10 fetch him UP with
a twist. and yOu'll be mighty sOrry for
this befo' sundown!
Il went my way arter 'pOssUms, and
she put on her bonnet and started for
the skule-hOuse. ] felt kind o. mean
about huntin' on Sunday, and as 1 trav-
eled along / didn't mind much what was
befo' me. That was my undOin'. Jest
the day befo' I had set a bar trap on
path up the mOunt'in. 1t was whOppin
big steel trap, all nicely kivered over with
leaves and dirt. Whatever made me fur
git about that tran / never shall under
stand. but I'm tellin you that jest am
blCd along and stepped right into It. This
vHryFr TO HaF h. TraH D. 10
up and closed above the knee. Lawd
bless you sab, but | dun thought i had
bin grabbed by five or six bars all to
once, and the yell ] let out Orter bin
beard seven miles! If you was niver
cOtched in bar trap you can't imagine
the pain. It's like tryin' TO saw mans
leg on with a piece Of broken glass. How
many times / yelled I dunno, but purity
soon the trees begun 10 dance and whirl
and / tainted away. when / cum 20
was lyin' on the ground with the teeth of
that trap nipIin' into the bone of my
leg. ! reckoned TO spring the Jaws and
git loose and / went to work at IL, but
had an awful time. 1t took me a hull
hour, / reckon, and ! never did hOller so
loud in all my life befO'. / finally got the
trap loose. but over ] went in faint and
was as good as dead. When / cum to
was a long time maxim out whether |
was dead OF alive. ] found out | was liv-
an, and then cum a new punishment"
You saw fat bear near at hand?'
suggested
No. sah-didn't see no bar round.
he replied ut was 'pOssums-possums
by the hundred. 1t was possums run
min over my body and squealn' in my
ears that brung me out of the faint.
Oh nf Of
! looked around to find the woods alive
with 'em. 'Peared like every 'possurn
in the State of Tennessee had met in
convenshun. Thar was old and young
and middle-aged Thar was fat and
lean thar was long tailed and short
tailed. They was en- the ground and
they was hangin' by their tails from
every limb, ard the smell of the var
mints mighty nigh choked me. Wall,
you see how il was. / had my rifle
along, but / was too weak to use II.
Dozens of them pOssums walked over
me and played circus around me, but
j couldn't raise a hand II was a
punishment sent by Ire LaWd and /
had TO take IT, Drat nv ole hide, sab,
but II was tough on me to figger out
that thar was ten thousand 'possums
around me, with every peIt wuth
seventy cents, and ! dun broke down
and had no mo- grit than woman /
reckon them varmints played circus fur
two mortal hours, and then they
formed in d line two deep and walked
over my body and disappeared IN the
bresh. 1t was arternon then, and /
begun to holler fur help. / hadn't
yelled over twenty times when | lost
my voice. From that on to purity nigh
sUndCwn | was half-dyin' and half
livin'. Sometimes I'd laugh, and some
times I'd cry, and that leg o. mine was
CROWN TO the size of bar'l. II was
gittin' darkish In the woods when ]
heard footsteps. and as l tried to call
out the old woman stood befo' me- She
fggered things out fur herself and said
'Zeb White, mebbe you've bin con-
siderin' bout the Lawd's dayr
'Mebbe 1 hev'
Mebbe it's a good day TO go over
10 the skule-house and hear a power
full sermon, and mebbe it's a god day
fur huntin' 'pOssums What's your idea
bout it?'
I'm fur the skuie-house and the
sermon
"'And how bout dreams-possum
dreamsg
I've dun got through with EN-
mind, 'Zeb.' she went on, calm as
could be, that I've got any rights
around the cabin, or do you still think
you boss the roost and most OF Ten
nessee besides? And you might figgeI
little and decide whether bars and
coons and 'possums is of more conse.
quence than a wife Fur the last three
or four vars I've had TO play second
fiddle 10 the varmints, and it's time fui
q change"
And you promised all she asked?'
! queried as the old man hitched around
on his chair and turned his face away
Reckon | did sah." he slowly re-
plied. Yes, reckon ! promised, anc
she got help 10 bring me home, anC
when ] was able TO hobble about agir
] found she was bossin' things She's
never let go her grip and never will
Jest runs things TO please herself, anC
II ] don't like it ! kin 20 out and chaW
roots. Powerful tough, sab. but She:
got the Lawd and that bar trap on hel
side and i can't fight EN-"