Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1900-07-04

I kept quiet fur two hours, and he new
er moved. Then L flung a stone at
him, and he woke up and growled till
lad 4 chill
"Mebbe yo'll say 1 orter hev taken
comfort in that cave, but when 1 found
| the afternoon wearin away and the
bar hangin on 1 was mighty miserable
over it. The bars of Tennessee owed
me a powerful Srudge fur the way 1
had slaughtered them, and who was
to tell what this critter proposed to do?
He could finish me off any time he
wanted to, but he 'peared to be playin
another game. Bimeby it come dark,
but he didn't move. 1 was hungry and
thirsty, and 1 knowed the old woman
would be wor-yin, even though she
was mad. The bar didn't move OF,
however. and at last L softly crept as
fur away as l could and went to sleep.
l don't reckon he come nigh me durin
the night, but he might hev slipped
away fur food or drink. He was thar
all right when daylight broke, and
then was so mad and hungry that
got desperate. With the rifle BARI in
my hands L advanced to the mouth of
the cave and yelled fur him to come in
and hev it out with me. He wouldn't
do it. He growled and roared and
cIawed, but he wouldn't come in. 1t
was a narrer place to git out, and he
had all the advantage. l yelled and
whooped and flung stones and called
him names, but he let me tire myself
out. Noon come and he was still thar.
1 had another row with him, and If
he'd bin a proper bar he'd hev come
in and showed his grit, but he staid
outside and growled.
Il looked fur the old woman all that
afternoon, but she didn't come. 1 had
an old shotgun in the house, and L
knowed that If she come she'd load 1t
with buckshot and bring it along. If
the bar waited fur her, he was a gon-
er. Night come along ag'in, and was
b'ilin over with madness and ready to
eat nails from hunger. The only thing
could do was to sleep, but it was a
nightmare all through the long dark
hours. L kin tell yo' 1 was mighty
glad TO see the daylight ag'in. 1 went
TO look fur the bar, and he was in the
same old place and as cheerful as ever.
We had jaw, but lie wouldn't fight.
1 made up my mind to wait about two
hours and then kill or be killed, but L
was out of the cave before that time.
The old woman had come huntin fur
me, and she got clus up to that bar
and fired n handful of buckshot into
him befo' he knowed what was up. AS
/ crawled out of the cave she looked at
me fur n mint and then keerlessly said:
"''Pears TO me I've seen yo' befo'.
Are yo'r name Zeb White:'
That's it, says l.
Generally spoken of as the possum
hunter of Tennessee?'
Eyes
Man what has viShunS of coonS
and possums in a cave?
:" Il thought it was a vishun.'
Yes, L know, but it was mighty
singular that when yo' was hevin wi
shun of coons and the possums yo'
didn't see nuthin of the bar. Zeb
White, yo' come long home and 90 to
work on that cabin roof and let vi
shuns and dreams go to pot
Il was glad huff to do So" explained
the old man, with Il sorrowful smile.
Il tagged along behind her till we
reached home, eXpectin she would hev
mo- to say, but she was mighty good
about it. She cooked me the biggest
meal L had ever eat, and she let me go
TO bed and sleep fur 90 hours, and all
she said was:
'Zeb, yere's nails and hammer and |
boards, and now yO' hev vishun bout |
leaks in the roof of this cabin"
NJ. QUAD.