The Bellefontaine Republican. [volume] (Bellefontaine, Logan County, Ohio) 1855-1905, 1900-08-17

riz up to once. It wasn't no coon tall,
but one of the biggest wildcats ever
laid eyes on. He hadn't bin hurt by
the fall, but he was mad 'nuff to eat
nails. 1 had skeercely made out what
the va afmint was when he lit on me and
got to work. / don't reckon you ever
met up with 20 pound wildcat with
teeth and claws in good trim, but If
you ever do you'll find that buzzsaws
amt in it with him. The varmint
knocked me down at the fust jump,
and he had torn off half my clothes be-
fO' 1 could git up. Then we went at it
hammer and tOngs. l had denied the
children of Israel, and so 1 had to de-
pend upon the club. 1t wasn't much
of a weapon to fight wildcat with.
The critter lodged half the blows, and
the other half didn't seem to hurt any.
I yelled fur my dawg, but he didn't
cum. l yelled fur the old woman, and
bout the time yelled l cotched sight
of her two rods off, lookin on. She had
my rifle in her hands, and l hollered
fur her to cum cluser and shoot the cat.
"'Zeb White sez she, it amt fur me
to mix in this fOut. You went out in
defiance of the Lawd to cotch a coon,
and if you've cotched a wildcat in
stead it's proper punishment
"Her words made me mad and
teched my pride, and determined to
kill that cat without her help or be
clawed to death a-tryin. 1 got in two
or three good blows and sorter evened
up things, but it was nip and tuck.
Bimeby, when 1 begun to weaken,
says to the old woman:
"T amt akin you to shoot the var
mint, but you might shoot off paw or
two and gimme far show
'How about SundayY she asks,
never movin a foot.
Its purity good day.
els it the Lawd's day or a coon's
dayY
The Lawd's day, reckon. Gwine
to stand thar till the meat is clawed
off my bonesY
"'Can't tell yit. When the Lawd
brings about calamitous calamity to
punish a man fur denyin him it's fur
folks to be keerful how they mix in
Nobody has axed you to mix in,
says 1, and then l went fur that cat
like a hawk fur a chicken. Fur the
next five minutes 1 had the advantage
and was beginnin to feel peart, but the
loss of blood began to tell, and I found
| myself CROWN weak. The old woman
| noticed it and called out:
| "'Zeb, how about the BibleY
| "I'm a-believin in it, says I as ]
| makes an awful blow at the cat.
"'And how about the children OF
Israel?
I'm a-believin in them too
"'Did they cross the Red sea dry
shodY
"I'll bet they didv
"'Was Phario overwhelmedr
"'He was, and I'll lick any man who
denies itp
Jest one mo- question, Zeb,' says
the old woman as she Gums forward
Are thar gwine to be any mo- coon
huntin on SundaysY
Not if we never hev another pint
of 'lasses in the cabiny says I as the
cat rakes me across the shoulders.
.'That ended the fight. The old wo
man mixed in and shot the cat through
the head, and tumbled down and lay
thar fur half an hour befo' she could
/ help me hobble home. Bout all the
clothes 1 had left on me was one boot
and shirt collar, and it was TO- weeks
befo' the bites and scratches let me gil
around ag'in. On the fust Sunday
could sit out 1 saw bar up the noun
ting and started fur my gun, but the
old woman held up her hand and said
"'Zeb White, take cheer and sol
down. Yes; know it's bar, and we
are powerful short of meat, but we've
got somethin else to do. AS soon as
git my hands out of this dishwater I'll
fill my pipe and sot down, and you'll
read to me bout them children and the
Red sea. If you read slow and DOM
skip anything, mebbe you'll find some
thin bout wildcats toov"