Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1900-10-31
SHE DUMPED H1M our.


she'd said all she meant to. When she
got ready, she started off through the
woods IN never even looked at me.
Ny rifle was out Of order, IN my old
dawg had run away, an so couldn't
go strollin through the woods. sot
down on the doahstep an smoked a
pipe or two, an as 1t was warm day
1 begun to feel sleepy. 1 went over
an tumbled on to the bed, an it wasn't
five minits befo' was sound asleep.
The doah was left wide open, an bout
the last thing heard befo' I drapped
off was the old mewl brayin in the sta
BILE. I'd bin asleep an hour when sun
thin crowded me over ag'in the wall,
IN I woke up. opened my eyes to
find big bar on the bed with me.
He'd found the doah open an walked
In, IN, seem me asleep, he sot out to
hev some fun. He didn't see me open
my eyes, an took keer to shet ZEN
agin arter one look. Befo' the Lawd,
but I was skeered! felt the cold
chills creepin up an down my back, an
the sweat busted out on me as II was
chopin at a big tree.
II had found fault with the Lawd
fur not maxim bobtailed coons," con.
tinued the old man as he refilled his
pipe. ian bobtailed bar had bin sent
In revenge. 1t wasn't no use to think
Of jumpin UP or fightin him. He had
all the advantage, an If made him
mad he'd finish me up in mint My
game was to play possum on him, but
hope l shall never hev SIGH another
two hours while live. That bar
wanted a good time. He was feelin
good natured, an he jest tried all sorts
of circus tricks with me. He'd roll me
over ag'in the wall with bang, an
then arter chuckle he'd roll me back
with q flop. He didn't bite ut all, but
every time he put his claws on to me
they went through the cloth. / be-
lieve that varmint turned me over so
times befo' he got little tired Of It.
was playin dead all the time an
didn't know what mint he'd git mad
an set out to finish me. He finally got
thirsty an jumped off the bed an went
to the water pail on the bench an lap
ped away fur ten minits. / had my
eyes open all the time an was anxious
to git away, but was afeared of him.
couldn't fight him barehahded an
stand any show.
II Jest laid thar till the yarlnint had
quenched his thirst an looked around,
an >then he come back ag'in. The cir
Gus was only half over. He was SO
rough at times that almost yelled out
with the pain, an between the clawin
an the skeer I wasn't much better than
dead man. The mewl smelt of bar
an kept up tremendous brayin, an
the old woman heard the noise when
she was yit mile away. Bimeby,
when the varmlnt had had a show
with the price Of admission, he settled
down fur rest. was then lyin with
my face to the wall, an he planted all
four feet ag'in my back an kept up a
sort of purrin. He had me crowded
ag'in the cabin logs till could hardly
breathe, an 1 had made up my mind
that I'd never tree another coon when
the old woman got back from preachin.
The old mewl was kickin an brayin, m
she seen the tracks of the bar ieadin
into the cabin. She. stood in the doah
an got sight of the varmint on the bed,
an she did thing which no man on
these yerc Cumberland mountings
would hev attempted. Thar was no
gun at hand to shoot with, an her only
show was to take that bar by sur
prise. That's what she did. She tip
toed up to the bed an fastened her fin
gers in his fur, an, though no was
betty load, she carried him to the doah
an dumped him out. never knowed
she was home till she pulled the bar
nway. AS riz up the astonished var
mint was maxim fur the woods, while
the old woman hadn't even turned
pale.
'Was-was 1t u barY I asked as
she took off her sunbonnet an began to
clatter the stove.
"'Of cose,' she keerlessly replied.
".An what did yo' do with him3'
"Jest dumped him outdoahs. Pears
to me yo've bin hevin heaps of fun.
Most Of yor clothes hev bin clawed off,
the bedquilts chawed to rags, an yo'
ar blood from head to heel. Mebbe
yo' was learnin that bar a lot Of
tricksY
81 tried to git out of bed to hug her
an praise her spunk," explained Zeb to
me, 'but was SO wenk that I eell