The Houma courier. (Houma, La.) 1878-1939, 1900-07-14

mention the incident for the sake of
explainin' why it was 'at I ever went |
back to the lumber business at all.
you see, everything went sort o.
contrary with me in town after that
1 got sick of the whole business, an
all the time while was drivin' them
spanlxin' hosses through the streets
my mind would keep a-runnin' back
to the old camp life, where I knowed
they want like to be no dudes nor
no gals to play hide-an'-seek with a
feIler's heart. So back 1 goes to the
old Slate Run job, where was well
known an only had to whistle to get
work
'Wall, the very first night I spent
in the camp made up my mind it
want no use for me to try to get
away from the gals. Right il. that
camp they was two as purity gals as
you'd care to see-nieces of the boss
wife, / guess, a-visitin' thar, they told
me, for their health. found out afore
/ was in the camp very long at they
was little too healthy for that place
as it was, an you'll see purity soon
what made me think so.
"The damsels started right in by
firtin' with me, an they was so win
some at forgot all about the city gal
right away. I met 'em half way in
the firtin' game an it seemed to me
was all gettin' jealous of the way
the gals was shinin' round me; but
it want exactly my fault if they
want in it, so I didn't bother about
that Wall, things went on lovely for
about week, an one night the gals
says to me, they says: Let's GO along
down an get some apples
''Now the O'chard was quite a ways
below the camp an it was closed in by
a big board fence about six feet high.
Of course, 1 went. We had a jolly time
goin" toward the o'chard an the gals
sef bed more lovin' to me than ever.
When we got thar an 1 seed the high
fence 1 wanted to help the gals over,
but they says: No, you go fust, an
then Wen foller.' So of course 1 went.
1 put board up to the fence an clumb
over an then waited to ketch the gals.
Wall, it must have been a minute 1
waited thar an didn't hear sound
from the other side,
Yes says 1 to myself, 4 see what
they're at; they don't want me to help
'em over otter all Then l says out
\ loud sort~o' pleasant like; oh,
thought you'd change your minds,
/ purity dearies!' But they wa'n'tno an-
an begins % siuder nad
N
see Ehaf the when
6Had behind NE turned
roupd 4uiel5 Lands tlesnaises
boys, what gllt mo my eyes Thar
was loQazs cinnamon b3ar
standH ander al All tree an a-loolz-
in right at me. Wen, I'll bet those
beautiful locks Of mine stood on end
! like. pore pine qnills They wa'n't no
use feelin' for d gum. ea9se / knowed I
didn't have any, not even a jaclsknife or
weapon Of no kind It was a 1eetIe hot
i ter proposition than wanted to tackle
Jest then, so bade Mr. Bruin hasty
farewell an, made for the fence,
''But now, boys. come the trouble in
q earnest. Tt was an easy enough matter
Il to get over that Tense, but when it come
to gettin' hack, why that was a diff
ferent thing. ] seen. / couldn't do. it
nohow, an so I jest stood an turned my
back to the fence an waited. Bruin
was within three feet Of me then, an he
riz up onto his hind feet an stood thar
moVin' his head about in a threatenin'
manner an motionin' at me with his
big, ugly paws. The moonwa shinin'
out bright an clear above us, an as he
stoed thar between me an it he was one
of the most slleery-loolCin' sights 1 ever
seen He didn't appear to be naryous
or discontented in the least, an ] made
up my mind / wouldn't be narvous
either, So, Ioolin' straight into his face
an reckonin' the distance, picked out
a spot On the big feIler's under jaw an
give him such a kick with my big cow
hide boot 'at he yelled with pain
''You can bet / didn't wait to see the
result, but Jest took it across that
o'chard as il the devil was at my heels.
Lordy, how my feet did welt the
ground! At last j seen a hole in the
fence whar board was gone, and at it
/ went; i reached it all right, an was
jest about halt way through when
heard a shufiin' an pantin' behind me
'at made my blood freeze up in knotty
Hectic Jumps Boys did YOU ever know
q bar could bunt? Well, / have had the
fact drilled into me in a purity foreible
way; for what knocked me through the
fence at suclf lively gait that night
was nothin' more nor less than that
bars head. / was knocked into heap
on the outside of the fence, an thar /
laid, huggin' the ground an shiyerin'
an ezpectins every second to fnd Bruin
on top Of me.
~ don't know how long it was fore
dared raise my head an look round,
but when i did they want no bar in
Sight. I made mp my mind afterwards
at Bruin was Jest as anxious to get
out O. that fenee as was. He must
. have gone in through that very hole
in the. fence an vas probably putin
lin his best lieks to get ont again fore
# could give him another kick When
. i got TO the hole ahead Of him Of
course he couldn't very Well do any
thing else than lnock me out O. the
Ea9
Wall i was purity sore when / got
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