St. Tammany farmer., 1899-08-12
"Eph he kind o. pulled his whiskers
md didn't say nothin'. but Paupack

Il hadn't said nothin', but begun to
think that if it was as interestin' az
they was sayin' it was, it behooved me
to git on its trail, SO says to Eph:
WAS it much for size" says. Was
it as big as any Gil ever killed? l says,
"'Cause Gil was tremendous hunt
er, but poor jedge O heft.
big as any Gil ever killed. says
Eph. why, thunder! 1t was bigger yit
than any Gil ever said he killed.
''Gil didn't say nothin', but begun ia
Steve he snorted right out. and says:
"'Eph,' he says, if I was you
wouldn't take jug with me no more
when / went fishin'; and when see
Jonas I'll have to warn him to have
the size of his snake-cure pocket cut
down from quart to pint, cause you
fellers is beginning to see things! be
says.
'But 1 thinks to myself that where
there was SO much smoke there must
be some fire, and thought it mowt be
worth my while gittin' onto its track.
So next day l started out. l heerd on
it here and there and most everywhere.
and begun to think that maybe Pau
pack Steve had been leetle too hard
on Eph and Jonas, after all. l heerd
ON it bein' at Jake's, where it broke into
the milkhouse, lugged out a 12-quart
crock o. cream that Jake's wife was
goin' to do her chrnin' with, and sot
down on the back stoop and swampet:
the hull 12 quarts, hardly stoppin' to
breathe. Then it took the crock ano
smashed it ag'in the door, as much as
il to give notice to the folks inside that
they'd better be a comm out and look
in after things. Jake told me all about
the doin's. He didn't see 'em himself,
he said, cause he didn't happen to be
home, but his wife seen 'em, he said,
and was SO scared that it was all she
could do to tell him when he got home.
"And that's the way it kept goin' on
similar all around the country, 'cordin'
to what folks'd tell me here and there,
but / couldn't strike its trail for GER
tain for more'n six weeks, and then !
did. Job told me that it had got into
one of his traps, and had took the trap
along with it. This give me the trail,
and it p,inted straight for the big tam
arack swamp. I hadn't gone more'n
two miles when / come to the trap. 1t
laid under a hemlock root, and there
was couple O. toes in it with cl.
on 'em two inches long.
SITS yanked itself loose, hay? p / - rs.
1t won't be so gay and funny now WI en-
1 come up to it as folks has been say
in it's been.' 1 says.
And before long l come up to it,
backed ag'in a big hemlock. nussin' is's
sore foot. When it see me it just ripp I'd
and tore. 1t sot me down as bein' the
one that had got it into trouble, and it
rig up and howled and smashed and
showed . set o. teeth that made r,e
quiver.
"'Eph was right says I. It's bigger
Wit than any Gil ever said he killed.
'Not wantin' to see such an unpleas-
in showin' of temper any longer than
l could help, pulled up and whanged
away. That must s'prised it, for it
turned and went smashin' away SO fast
that it got out o. sight in the brush
fore could give it another one. l fol-
lowed it, though, and it led plump to the
laurel patch t'other side o. the Knob.
I. hurried round by the cowpath and
was standih' there when l see Pete
comm long the path on his way to the
Hobby road, 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
q miled, and 1 says to him:
You'd better keep the path, Peter
1 says, and go round.'
s.Pete, bein' stubborn and head
strong, kind o. shifted at me and says:
"'What fer?'
"'Well, 1 says; it'll be considerable
further for you, but if you keep the
path you'll get there q good deal
sooner
"'Cause know'd It was in there, but
Pete gave sniff and plunged right
into the patch and went on. don't
know exac'ly whether it was on top
or whether Pete was on top when they
came out, and hain't never been able
to figure out jist how managed to git
a ball through it and stiffen of it out for
good and all without killin' Pete, they
was so kind o. mixed up; but 1 did.
Then I got Pete around, and as soon
as he could get back some idee O. what
had been goin' on he says:
..Dan1, think it swatted met
:" There amt no doubt about it, Pete
I says. You ought to KEEP the path
'The first time that folks sees Pete
they maturity wonder how he happened
to tumble into the thrashin' machine,
seein' that left ear o. his'n hangin' most
down on his shoulder, and his face all
and him q favorin' that
left leg o. his'n as il he want just sure
it was goin' to stay there when
he puts his foot down, or whether it
want. But he didn't tumble into no
thrashin' machine. He was swatted.
And the bear that swatted him was big
ger yet than any that Gil ever said he
Y. Sun.
A Hearty Eater.
Two girls were overheard talking to-