Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1900-11-13

of moonshine on my shoulder, it meant
q year in prison fur me fur suah.
When Jim Harper found 1 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 a man who has killed a
wildcat with club should be afraid of
woodchucks. The other two men
laughed at me and said 1 was gittin
old and feeble, and, Of co'Se, the talk
r'iled me and made me determined to
so. 1t was about 10 o'clock when l
slung n keg of moonshine on my shout
derS and sot out. 1t wasn't a cloudy
night, but a man wanted the eyes of n
cat to foller the paths over the hills
and through the bresh. 1 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 1 scuffed
along. l was jest about half way over
the hills and had sot down to rest when
l heard a bar sniffin in the bresh. The
IL
with a 'woof at the end of it. That's
the way a bar allus does when he
smells man at night.
Look yere. Zeb White says 1 to
myself as that bar kept comm nearer.
if yo' amt in a 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
handed%
''Yo' bet wished 1 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 l was trenholm all over
as | made forward. l tried to whistle,
but my lips vas dry as paper. | start
ed to sing. but my own voice skeered
me. | was movin along slow and hop
in the bar would take the bluff when
| run up ag'in sunthin in the darkness.
put out my hand and felt the fur of a
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 if q
mule had kicked me on the ear, and
had Jest sense huff to wonder how it
would feel when the critter begun to
tear me to pieces. l heard hiSn snuffin
and snuftin and movin around, but he
didn't come to me. and bimeby l heard
him movin away.
when | went head over heels, lost
the keg. | didn't stop to look fur it
when the bar moved off. but I rawled
back to the path and started off. / was
feelin the thankfulest man in Tennes-
see. though my head felt as big as 4
bari. when somebody grabbed me and
flashed a light in my face. True as
you live. 1 had run ag'in three reve
new fellers who was hidin and waitin
fur me.
"'Good evenin. FEB White. said one
of 'em as they made suah it Tfs me.
1.-The same says l, pullin myself
together as hard as l could.
"'Out fur n leetle walk this eveninP
- be-
"'Nice evenin to walk. Mebbe yo've
bin pickin wild flowers? By the way,
whar's the keg of moonshine?
Il jest bluffed 'em right down." said
the old man. with Il grim smile. LAS
the keg was gone and they couldn't
tech me, wasn't afraid to talk. They
and bulldozed, but 1 stuck
they dasn't hold me. Bimeby l started
fur home. l was mighty narvus about
mo- bars. but l got home without see
in any. The old woman was sittin up
readin the Bible, and she looks up and
quietly says:
"'Yo're home ahead Of time, Zeb. Is
coons skeerce tonight?
d" Mighty skeerce.'
"'Did yo' see any 'tallP
"T jest met one
"I See yo' did, and he fetched yO'
that clip on the ear and sent yo'
home. l reckoned yo'd meet up with |
q coon If yo' kept on. Better wash off |
the blood and rub in some possum's |
fat
"And while l was dom it," said the |
old man in a whisper, Il heard the old |
woman gigglin softly to herself and
bobbin around in her cheer. l dasn't |
ak her no questions, bekase I'd made |
Il fool of myself. but do yo' know what |
I've allus thought? Say. now, but / |
believe that bar in the path was my |
old woman! Yes. sab, l believe she |
put on b'arskin we had in the house |
and sncaked out into the woods to |
meet me. and when 1 got close up to |
her she fetched me whack with a |
club. / dun believe it, sub. but as 1t |
saved me from them revenew fellers |