The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1899-06-30
afore l heard Footsteps up the road. A

| \ ~ = 49,
man come outen the woods an inter the
moonlit clearin, where I could see he
was ole Hen Bingle. l whistled agin
an called softlike to him. He sneaked
up to the gate an looked agin.
"'Hen. help l whispers.
"'Who is you a-growin outen the
side O. Alb Rickaback' shanty?' he calls,
kinder hoarse and scared. With that
he pints a musket at mt VERY threat.
enin.
"'Hen Bingle. sails l. Don't you
dast shoot! It's ne, Alb Rickaback, an |
want you to pull me out. I'm goin to
war.
"Then it dawned on him what l was
up to-, an he CONF over an looks at me.
I seen he he'd on his blues, too, an l
knowd ez he had given his woman the
sneak an was off to fight %Spanyards.
He wanted to laugh, but l told him it
| were no time fer sech foolin, but Jest
to break off that splinter an pull me
loose.
"Now, Hens an obliein, patriotic
kind O. a Teller. an tho. as he sayd, he
hadn't much time to waste, ez his wo.
man was likely to wake up any minute
an find him gone, he reached up an
broke off the splinter. But l fit the
hole so tight l couldn't bulge, an he
sayd he'd pull me out. So he gifts upon
the wall O. the we'll which was jist be
low me an grabs me be both hands
an drawed. I'd moved about an inch,
when he kicked out wildlike an hung to
me like a ton O hay an gasped an
groaned. l thought tibet yank he'd dis.
tinted me all over. an yells, Let go!'
Don't you dast let go!' he sails.
lookin up at me kind O. agonizin.
'Then I see that neither me nor Hen
Bingle was ever goin to fight Spayn-
yards, fer he'd stepped off the wall an
was hangin down into the well.
"splinters! Why, I'd ruther he'd a
splinter stickin in every inch O. my
body AN ole Hen Bingle's 900 pounds
a-drawin MT from my natural height
O. 8 feet 8 inter a man O. 6 feet 3.
Thet's what it seemed like. Hen, he
asts how deep me we'll was. an when I
sayd 40 feet, with Is feet O. VOTER at
the bottom, he sayd he'd never speak to
me ag'in if l let 60 my holt on him. I
sayd I guest he wouldn't, an he let out
a whoop tibet brought the missus an the
little ones a-tumblin outen the house.
"Marthy stared at us a minute. Then
che sails. 'Abner, where was you ago
inY'
1910 fight s%paynyards, sails I, sheep.
ishlike.
"'An you, Hen Bingle p she asts.
Same gasps Hen.
Does your wife know you're outf
sails the misses, stern as a jedge.
mo sails Hen.
Then I've a mind to go over to
your place an git her. sails Marthy.
It's two miles,, Hen groaned, AN
I'll be drowned ag'in You git back.
Lemme up now, an I'll 90 home an stay
"Marthy turns around quietlike,
walks inter the house an comes out
with the family Bible.
"'Hen Bingle,' she sails, solemnlike,
holdin the book to his mouth, does you
promise to tell the whole truth an moth
In but the truth an not to 60 to war;
"Hen didn't waste no time in kissin
that book so loud I could hear IN echo
of it owe along the ridge. I kissed it
loud meself, to be sure. The mis-
sus lifted Hen outen the we'll, an he
off home. His woman never
knowed nawthin about the trouble tell
she met my missus two weeks later at
meeting over to Pine Swamp
Ez fer me, but fer a splinter
I'd be in Sandyago now. st. Louis
Republic.