Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1900-11-28


rk'
"'I'vc got Il sore thumb and can't
fiddle. ana. as fur Noer. he will keep
till some ether time. Muffin rushin
bout NOcr.'
with that she turns on me ard
looks me squar in the face. and arter
n mint she says:
"'Zcb White. don't yo' 20 to foolIn
with NOer and his nrk or sunthin pow
erful bad will cone out Of II. Dan
Skinner may feel pcekish. or lie may
be dyIn. but what We wants to know Is
how all them critters found their way
into the ark. How did II happen that
the hens didn't eat UP the tatcr bugs
while they was walkin togetherr
"'Dunno.'
why didn't the foxes cat all the
hcnsY
Dunno
".why didn't the bars cat the pigsr
"DunnO'
"'Of co'se yo' don't. and that's why
want yo' to squat right down ycre
with me and try and figger 1t out. I
shar't never be satisfied to die till
find out how the elephants and hOsscs
and cattle managed to git into that ark
without trcadin on the sarpints and
bugs
II seen that her jaw was sot fur
row." continued Zcb. ''but had sold
that whisky and must git 1t out that
night. and SO I told hcr Id 20 along
over to SINNERS and put In the next
two nights with her on Eoer. She
looked at me ag'in. but didn't say
nuthin till was on the doalistcp. Then
she p'intcd her finger ut me and said:
"'Go right along. Zeb White. hut II
the Lawd don't Gun git yo' Into a
heap Of trubble over 1t then ! don't
know chestnuts from punkins!'
Il hurried or without sayin anythin.
back and half IN hour later was bring
In up the Kegs. II was tlOd rOttr,l biZ-
ness. had to slide down rope. hitch
on TO kcg and then climb up and
pull the keS arter me. Ought to had
niger to help me. but thar wasn't
one around to trust. Id got up TO
kegs all right and was comm up to
happened. Jest Us ] was ncarin the
top Of the hole I heard n growl and
q 'whOor and a big bar made n stroke
mt my head with his paw. l was that
durn skeered that jest let 60 and
drapped to the bottom Of the shaft and
got jar that made my bones ache fur
q week.
what they calls the situashun was
this: was down in n hole and n bar
was waitin fur me to come up and do
bizncss with him. Yo' kin see that the
pesky varmint had all the advantage.
He could smash my skull with one
blow Of his paw as my head come
within reach. yelled and hollered at
him. thinkin to skeer him away. but he
looked over the edge Of the hole at me
and growled and shifted and seemed
minded to fail on top Of me. 1t wasn't
five minits hefo' wished I was home
talkin bout Noer. but wlshin was no
good. kept quiet fur two or three
hours and then started to climb up.
The bar was thar. He was thar at
midn:sht and sunrise. and I'm tellin
so that he was thar at noon and at TO
o'clock in the AFTERNOON. The shaft
was as dry as bone. and was thirsty
nun to drink swamp water. The
way things was fixed that bar could
keep me down thar till ! perished.
and when he appeared as II lie was
like to do 1t felt that I hadn't used
my old woman right and wanted to
ask her to furgive me- Bout TO- O'Clock.
while I was keepin mighty quiet.
hears a rifle shot above. and directly
To-
on me. It was the old woman's. She
drawed the rope up beyand my reach
and then called down:
rs anybody down thar visitin Dan
Skinner who feels peekish and wants
to play checkersr
III yo'n lemme up. I'll AZ yo'r par
don,' says I.
"'Mebbe that voice belongs to Zeb
Whiter
"'She do
"'And mebbe his sore thumb has got
well % that he kin fiddle?
"'She has
".Then wen hev some flddlin and
singin.'
And with that she lowers the fiddle
by a string. and as soon as got tuned
up she began singin and kept 1t up fur
an hour. Then she calls down:
"'Zeb, what about Noer and his ark 2
"T'm willin to talk says L
"'How long will 20 talkr
".Au the rest Of the fall and winter.
'Peared to me when yo' spoke Of It last
evenin that didn't keer much bout
Noer and his ark, but I'm flndin out
that take q heap Of interest In 'em.
I'm willin to sit up all night and try to
ageer ont bout the hens and tater
bugs
"'Then mebbe yo'd better come up
Gays she. and she draps the rope fur