Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1900-06-01
loud, sort o, pleasant like:

| purity deariesl' But they want no an
swer, an begins to get kinder mad. l
wss jest startin' to look over the fence
| an see what was the matter when I
heard growl behind me an turned
| round quick. Lands o. rattlesnakes,
boys, what sight met my eyes! Thar
was big, ugly-lookin' cinnamon bar
standin' under an apple tree an a-look.
in right at me. Wall. I'll bet those
beautiful locks of mine stood on end
like porc'pine quills. They want no
use feelin' for n gun, cause l knowed
didn't have any, not even n jackknife or
weapon of no kind. 1t was a leetle hot
ter proposition than I wanted to tackle
Jest then, so I bade Mr.. Bruin hasty
farewell an made for the fence.
"But now, boys, come the trouble in
earnest. 1t was an easy enough matter
to get over that fence, but when it come
to gettin' back, why that was diff.
ferent thing. I seen 1 couldn't do it
nohow, an so 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 moon was shinin'
out bright an clear above us, an as he
stood thar between ME an it he was one
of the most skeery-lool1n' sights 1 ever
seen. He didn't appear to be narvous
or discontented in the least, an l made
up my mind 1 wouldn't be narvous
either. So, looltin' straight into his face
49,, l,e4n II ,,r
n spot on the big feller'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 1 jest took it across that
o'chard as if the devil was at my heels.
Lordy, how my feet did welt the
ground! At last l seen hole in the
fence whar board was gone. and at ii
/ went; l reached il all right, an was
Jest about half way through when ]
heard a shufflin' an pantin' behind me
at made my blood freeze up in knotty
leetle Jumps. Boys, did you ever know
a bar could bunt? Well, 1 have had the
fact drilled into me in purity forcible
way; for what knocked me through the
fence at such lively gait that night
was nothin' more nor less than that
bars head l was knocked into heap
on the outside of the fence, an thar !
laid huggin' the ground an shiverin'
an expectin' every second to find Bruin
on top of me.
"Wall, I was purity sore when / got
back to the camp, but didn't say moth
in bout that an the gals put up nice
leetle story, tellin' me how when they
saw the bar they was so skeert they
couldn't say nothin' an jest ran back to
the house. took in everything they |
said. an the next night when they asst
me if l wanted to go long down with |
'em an explore the old mine, was jest
tickled to death to get the chance. We
took an old minin' lamp with us, an
when we got thar / started in ahead !
carryin' the light. The old drift hadn't |
been worked for years, an dirty water |
was drippin' from the roof an coverin |
my best coat as l CROPPED my way in |
never doubtin' 'at the gals would fol. |
Ter. had only got dozen feet or So |
an was Jest turnin' round to see if the |
damsels was gettin' on all right when |
I stumbled over somethin' an went |
sprawlin'. The light went out in the |
furry an the fust thing knowed they
was deep growl at echoed through |
the mine an somethin' had hold of me |
by the bootleg.
at was pitch dark in the hole, but n |
flood of moonlight TO one side told me |
whar the openin' was. With an awful |
effort ierked my leg free an scram-
bled to my feet with the intention of
maxim n dash towards that flood OF
moonlight. Wal, had only jest nicely |
got onto my feet an turned around
when l felt somethin' shoot between
my legs an tip me back. 1 clutched |
wildly in front of me an got my both |
hands imbedded in the shaggy hair of
Bruin-for llnowed right well by this
time what it was. The bar shot out |
of that drift at an almighty rapid gait,
an / didn't dare drop off for fear OF
buttin' my brains out against the sides, |
so l jest laid fat an hugged tight,
watchin' for a good chance to make a
leap.
"Wal, kin sit here now an laugh |
with the rest of you, when l look back
at it; but you kin bet they want no
fun in it fer me jest then.
Right outside the mouth of the drift
was n little decline, an at the bottom
of it was n pool of water that was made
by the leetle stream fowin' out of the
NINE. / was all ready, an as soon as I
seen 'at | was out in the open air again |
jest slid off, easy as you please, from |
the bars back an struck right in that |
pool of water. Wow! But l did get a |
nice duckin' an no mistake.
"The first thing done was to cuss
myself for bein' such blamed fool as |
to drop in that water, an then pulled |
myself up onto my feet an proceeded |
to look myself over. Never lettin' up |
on my cussin' for minute, 1 mean
dered back to the camp an jest sneaked |
in an went to bed without sayin' moth.
in to nobody. 1t was little late when |