The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1899-07-12
Pete Was SWatted Hard
And 1t Wasn't Any Moving
Machine That Tore Him Up
A1THE first time folks sees Pete"

Il
happened to tumble into the thrashin'
machine, seem that left ear O. his'n
hangin' most down on his shoulder, and
his face ali wopperjawed, and him a
favorin' that left leg O. his'n as if ne
want jest sure whether il was goin' to
stay there when he puts his foot down
or whether it want. Maturity that's
what folks wonders, and l don't blame
EN-.
Il says to Pete-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 / 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
n mile-I says to him-I was standin'
in the path, three rod or so from the
patch, and know'd what l was standin'
there for-I says to Pete:
".You better keep the path, Peter
l says. and go round.
Pete was as stubborn and head
strong as 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
i says.
"'Cause know'd it was in there, and
l had been more than six weeks gittin'
it there. The first time l know'd it was
anywheres at all was when l was over
to the Eddy one day and heerd 'em
talkin' bout it.
"'Why, blame it ALI says Eph, L
never see the likes of it! l was in
boat jest below the narrows O. the
Lackawack fishin' for clubs. / 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. l
had more'n half bushel O the con-
sarndest incest clubs you ever see, and
they was layin' there on the bottom O.
the boat. | hated like Sam Hill to
leave 'em, but there wasn't no way /
could git them fish out O. the boat and
pulled for shore alone, cause it was
comm right along and pinted straight
for the boat. When l got ashore 1
turned and looked. 1t had climbed in
the boat, and there it sat, feedin' itself
on my clubs, and the boat goin' down
stream more'n five knots an hour!
found my boat next day, three miles
down the Lackawack, high and dry on
a rock, but there wa'n't no clubs in it,
darn the luck!' says Eph.
81 wonder if Jones didn't see it
t'other day, back O Lackawack?' says
Gil. L wouldn't never a thunk of it
ag'in, Eph, if you hadn't spoke about
that luck O. your'n a-fishing. Yes, SIR
says Gil, 'Fll bet anything that Jones
seen it back O. Lackawack t'other day.
The roads hain't 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 bari O. pork. Mebbe half an hour
or so later Jonas was comm out O. the
openin' he looked ahead and seen it. He
seen it standin' by the bari o. pork
Jake had left there to come back after.
Jonas stood still and watched it, cause
he didn't have no gun, bein' only out on
hunt fer railroad-tie timber, and
you don't want no gun fer that. What
you want fer that, nowadays, is micro
scope. Jonas stood still and watched
it. 1t shifted at the bari and then
went to work and loosened the top
hoop on the bari 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. 1t laid the
hunk O. pork on the ground, and then
headed up the bari ag'in as proper as
it was before, after 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
have been it that Jonas seen, hey"
"Eph he kind O. pulled his whiskers
and didn't say nothin' but Paupack
Steve he lips in and says:
course it was! My idea is that it
Iugged slammin' big mess O. them
clubs o. Eph's home with it, and want
ed that pork to fry 'em in!'
81 hadn't said nothin', but l begun to
think that if it was as interestin' as
they was sayin' it was, it behooved me
to git on it's trail, SO 1 says to Eph:
"'Was it much for size" / says. Was
it as big as any Gil ever killed? | says.
"'Cause Gil was a tremendous hunt
er, but poor jedge o heft.