The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-07-02
jim BULLINGER'S LOST LEG.
AN OIL COUNTRY MAN VINO LIKED
TO BE OBLIGING.

vana oil regions when things were new over
there" said John Gilbert. the travelling gro
ceryman. ''and one day / was driving along
one OF the rough and hilly ROADS peculiar to
that region and overlook n man who was
trudging along on foot / stopped and asked
him II he wanted ride. He said he didn't
mind, and climbed in. We hadn't gone far
when the man said:
last time rode over this way was with
jim Bullinger OF Tug HolIer. Funny how
Jim found his leg. wasn't IT, l must have
looked surprised for the man added: 'Didnt
you know Jim?'
NO I replied
That's too bad said the man. You ought
to knowed him. He was worth II. Then you
never heard how lie found his leGT
Il repIisd that had never heard OF It.
" 'Lordv exclaimed he man: you must
hear about that! It'd never do fer you to
travel through this district and not know about
how jim Buinger found his leg. for II IL got
out around. folksd suspicion you. and won
der where you was brung up! He was the
joest chap. Jim was. that ever drove inter-
glycerine wagon over these humpy and thumpy
roads OF our'n. lie was all heart Jim Bull
niger was. Always wanting to do something
to help somebody along and give him a lit.
I'll never forget the lfs he gave me- right at
this road. That creek down there at the foot
Tanglebottom Creek. was on my way down
the mountain. right about here. to shoot q
well over Wonder about two mile hooflng It
like was to day when Jim overhauled me
with his team. carrying the inter- glycerins
that we was going to do the shooting with.
=" Cit in" Gays Jim. What's the use o.
walkin?"
80 Guess | won't git in" says I. You've
got load enough already because didn't like
tIn pDt ~ Ill 3,,,
jim and his niterSlycerine.
"Pooh!' says jim. I've only got forty
| quarts aboard. Git in"
Jim" says. drive on. need exer.
| else. and I'm going to walk down."
Blast your gizzard !" says jim. grnning
the chseriulest kind. git in and ride. or III
waste some glycerine right here"
And he said that he reached back and
picked MA can Of the stun and raised 1t up.
ready to slam it against Il rock. Maybe Jim
wouldn't slammed it. but he was Jolly and full
Of jokes ana l didn't want to see the nitsr-
| glycerine wasted. for It had cost money and
wasn't mine. So | clum in the wagon along
side Of Jim.
Il always help neighbor whenever
! kin '..says Jim. as we Joted along. For In
/ stance" says he. that nigh boss there be-
| longs to Sam Huley. sam huint never drove
! him but three times. and the hoss run away
WIN MN every t'no. ilo run away WIN Dam
tremendous yesterday" says Jim. Smashed
Sans wagon all 10 flinders and smashed sam
! blame nigh as bad l went around to see sam
lust night. He had couple O. legs broke and
, his head was scrunched consider BILE / had
TO Jam my ear sock ag'in SANS mouth. soys
jim. to hear what he was sayin'. He asked
and Ia do IT all right. Then he told me that
at IA stretch without runnin away he could get
couple o hundred Tor the critter. Sam said
said he didn't believe it could be- 1 don Uu' nut
that II i could he done he knowed could do it,
tod sam Of course %, that I'd try the boss. but
that money. That didn't make no difference
though ; says Jim; nBen always ready TO
ia try the boss and See how he'd perform"
Then jim paused ana gave me cheerful
look. Then he y inted toward the bosses with
That's sam s boss Wonder" he says That
nigh one. And Pm irwin him. says Jim
1 sort o nut in the next few seconds try.
ing to think up something to say that would
be anrropriate to riding on a load of inter.
know what it would have been. for never got
saw its chance Just then. and the next second
we were bowling down the road like a railroad
train; AYE ,i seen runaway horses doing some
Sans could have beat oil the others rolled into
ole, Why that Giycerine didn, 70 OIL before
/ We had zone twenty feet l don't know. /
could hear the cans rafting like milk cans in
a wagon. Jim BulIinger pulled and saved on
.I. This here i t9o PAD !" heard MIN say
cant win that two hundred Ter him. nohowl"
Then pretty soon he saws TO me: II
the way we're goin'." he saws were liable to
waste all this hero glyceriqe and i cost the
down yonder a, the We'll. says Vim" jim. and il
We don't git there with 1t he i pe terrible dis
cit 70 that hat rock yandsr. says jim. Il
think maybe k In save it,
an, ~, Most amazing as i was. the glycerlne
~ show It to You when we come to it-Iim
Put all bis strength on one rein and gave IL
ways SQUARE toward the creek side Of the road
and whizz! they lenped from the rock. All the
footing they had then was twenty feet OF emp-
~ air beneath EN-. and horses. wagon and all
shot out clear of the bank and came down
water. That stopped the runa way. Jim and I
swan 10 the other shore; aud so did the horses
saved tue BOSS SIS Giyc.rine all right"
SAYS jim: but I'm sorry all through for Door
= That's thc, jolly. unselhsh sort of a chap
that Jim Buliringer Was and it's pity YOU
never , knowed hun: Then YOU could anprs-
had been lost more than twelve years. Funny
how 1nat was.
wonr cver In iTf he T aWf oer dsres
aud one day he was on his way with big can
The man that owned it was a ciose. hsted. Nm.
sentimental kind OF char. and no made Jim
ntng IDN can on the Tcacn OF the wagon, 40 &c
wouldn't Jar and Jounce AMI run SO much risk
of being busted. Jim was hpffv us Sam Hill
about that. and he swore he'd never haul an
other can Of Elycerine for such mean man as
that, On the way to the well what should get
up from n mud hole in the middle OF the road
lut hear that had tumbel In the re- TO wallow
That scared the horses and away key went.
They didut run far. The wagon struck a
was banged against rock at the bottom Of
the hole and wouldn't stand II. Jim didn t
remember ANYTHING for he never knOwed how
long, Then he found himself hanging to the
top OF a rail fence. nfty feet or more from tho
spOt where lie quit remembering. On that
spot there was n hole bigger than n cellar. Not
even a grease spot orr, splinter was visible
anywhere to sort o. remind him that n team OF
horses and q wagon had been passing that way
some time before.
." Serves. the s:inGv old cuss right" SAYS
Jim. referring to the man that owned the out
III. Then Jim started To climb down OIL the
fence, but discovered that he'd have TO do all
the climbing with his left To-. for the right
one WAS gone from the knee down. A couple
Of well-drilera had heard the noise Of the
l. In y i ~