Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1899-05-02
TWO @FORRESTERs. .


wattee and Connesauga rivers live the
Forester families. They have been
known for many years as the "Fightine
Forresters'' because of their propensity
for pugilistic encounters. Old Hiram
Forester had for long time been
known as the "Bull of the Woods, . and
had never been licked by an antagonist.
He had two sons. Bill and Ben For
rester, who inherited much of their fa-
theirs love for fighting. Bill was about
8 and Ben year and half younger,
but the brothers were pretty evenly
matched in size, Bill being FIVE feet six
and weighing 100 poHnds, while Ben
was FIVE feet five and weighed but a
few pounds less than his elder brother.
Both were bull rccked, blue eyed and
sallow comple1iCGed youths, with
shocks of fiery red hair covering theiI
bullet heads. Slow in movements, after
the manner cf the typical Georgia
mountaineer, they were also quiet and
slow of speech, and neither was even
known to betIay the least excitement,
no matter what The emergency.
One day 1 was passing through the
by the roadside, 1 saw Ben Forester,
with his big slouched hat pushed back,
nibbling straw in meditative man
ner, as if revolving some serious prob
lem in his mind. One eye was blackened
as if by blow, and his right hand was
bound up in piece of rag.
''Hello, Benz" said I. drawing rein.
"You seem to have been in scrim-
mage.
''Yaas, jest had little scrap"
"Why, didn't take you for fight
er.
81 hain't ben tell this mornin"
''Who have you been fghtingT"
''Jest fit Brother Ben. +"
"What Fighting your own broth.
er?'' 1 said in amazement. "Tell me
about it. .
"Wun, hit war this way: Ne an
Ben's alters ben the best nv frien
Pap has tole us time an ag'in that VIC
didn't have no spunk. He says that by
the time he war our age he'd licked ev-
cry feller nv his size in the settlement.
But we hain't nuver tuck to fightin tell
this mornin.
eve war out in the fiel' knockin
round, when Ben, lie perches himself on
the fence an looks so burned indepen 'ent
down ON me as 1 stood leanin ag'in a
tree that hit suddenly come into my
min that he thought he war better
man than me.
=" Look a-here, Ben says I, don't
look at me in that kin nv quizzikil
style.
q I'll- look at ye as please, an ye
can't hep yerse'f, says Brother Ben.
" Then p'raps ye think ye're bet
ter man than me, said an felt my
dander rise at the very mention nv his
biggitiness.
" Eff Ye don't think so, p'raps ye'd
better try me, says Brother Ben.
'' Jest crawl down off'n that ERE
fence. an I'll show ye in bout three
shakes Nv sleeps tail which air the
best man. says l.
'sNo sooner said than done Ben he
lipt down f'om the fence an Topped his
VIKINGS an crowed like rooster. Wull,
that Jest sot me afire all over. squared
myself an let drive, an Ben staggered
back in the fence. 1 made fur i'm,
an he kotched me under the eye, an
then we went at it in good yearnes'
Hit wus blim, blim, blim, fur bout
two minits, an we didn't neither nv us
have much the vantage.
"Then we stopped to blow bit, an
Ben come at me ag'in. met i'm ha I
way, an the way we fit war a caution
to the Jews. Finally we clinched. an
Ben tripped me up, an we both come
down kerwhollop, Ben on top.
=" That's onfair to trip, says 1 with
my mouth ha'f full nv dirt an leaves.
'Lemme up an fight fair
ben turned loose, an we riz a-pufir
an a-bIowin like two young bulls in the
spring nv the year. Finally 1 hauled
away an struck Ben a lick under the
chin while he war of'n his gyard, an
he reeled back ards; then, bowin hi:
neck, he made a rush at me, an 1 could
see the Ole Scratch in his eyes.
eve scuff1ed and shuffled round az
tore up the groun tell we war both wet
with sweat, an still neither one nv us
didn't have no vantage over t'other.
But 1 seed that Ben war a-gittin winded,
an 1 struck out ag'in. He lodged. an
run jam up ag'in the fence, an Ben
fetched me reg lar maulin lick on the
side nv the head.
'fThat made me good an mad. an
turned round an peeled him one on the
nose that fetched the blood. 'Hooray 7
says I, 'fust blood's mine.
s'Ben wheeled round, an pasted him
.foTN him hit