The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1900-12-28

''IRUN UP AG' IN sUNTHIN IN THE DARKNESS. "
through me. 'YO' jest keep right OH
coon huntn. and yo'll find IL coon SOON
er or later and it'll turn out mighty
bad find TO yo'.'
Then l knowed she s'pected what
was up to, but as she didn't say nuthin
mo- | didn't. That night when l went
over to the still | felt little skittish
The old womans words had kind 4of
skeered me. Them revenew fellers was
around lOokin fur stills, and | was liz.
BILE to run across 'em in the woods any
time. If they ketched me with a keg
of moonshine on my shoulder. itmeant
a year in prison fur me fur suah
When Jim Harper found was skit-
fish, he says:
IF it's got to that pint whar Zeb
White. the celebrated bar killer and
possum hunter of Tennessee has be-
come afraid of rabbits, then he'd better
stay home of nights and play check
ers.'
Then Bill Hope chips in and says it's
wonderful that man who has killed
wildcat with club should be afraid Of
wOOdchucks. The other two men
laughed at me and said | was gittin
old and feeble, aud. Of co'se. the talk
r'iled me and made me determined to
go. 1t was about 10 o'clock when |
slung keg of moonshinc on my shout
derS and SOt out. 1t wasn't Il cloudy
night. but man wanted the eyes of a
cat to foller the paths over the hills
and through the bresh. tried to think
it was all right, but the old woman's
words kept comm back to me, and
felt my knees grow weak as scuffed
along. was jest about half way over
the hills and had sot down to rest when
l heard bar sniftin in the breSh The
noise he made was sort Of sniff snuff.
with 'woof' at the end Of it. That's
the way bar allus does when he
smells a man at night.
Look yere, Zeb White says | to
myself as that bar kept comm nearer.
If yo' amt in Il Scrape then I'll eat
my butes. In the darkness and over
these hills yo' can't run fur shucks.
and how yo' gwine to fight bar bare
handedT
''Yo' bet / wished | had needed the
old woman. but it was too late then.
thought the best way was to git up
and go along and give that varmint a
cold bluff. but | was tremblin all over
as made forward. | tried to whistle,
but my lips X-asSdry as paper. | start
ed to sing, but my own voice skeered
me. | was movin along slow and hop
i'll the bar would take the bluff when
| run up ag'in sunthin in the darkness.
/ put out my hand and felt the fur Of q
bar. but | hadn't more'n teched him
when sunthin hit me 'longside the head.
and ! went head over heels down hill
and into the bushes. 1t was as II
mule had kicked me on the ear. and
sshad jest sense huff to wonder how it
would feel when the critter begun to
tear me to pieces. l heard him snuffin
and snuffin and movin around, but he
~didn't come to me- and bimeby heard
: him moyin away.
When / went head over heels. lost
the keg. | didn't stop to look fur. It
when the bar moved of. but crawled
rback to the path and started off. l was
!feelin the thankfulest man in Tennes-
ssee, though my head felt as big as
bar'l when somebody grabbed me and
flashed hight in my face. True as
you live, 1 had run ag,in three reve-
new fellars who was hidin and waitin
far me. L
",Good exerain, Zeb White said one
OF 'em as they made suah It was me.