The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1900-07-05

ARE 70 NAME FEB WHlTEI
morrer, but today I've got to go up to
them limestone caves. 1 had a power
full vishun last night. In my vishun
saw a cave, and that cave was chuck
full of coons and possums. can't say
what brung the varmlnts together, but
thar they was, and thar was 500 Of
'em.'
"I don't believe nuthin of the sortv
says the old woman. 'Yo' are allus
heyin vishuns bout b'ars and coons
and possums, but nobody ever knowed
yo' to hev a vishun bout chopin wood
or hoein corn
"She was right bout that" said Zeb.
the same. I answered back purity
briskly, and she got mo- sassy, and SO
we had row. got up from the table
and took my gun and whistled to the
dawg and started OF. and the old wom-
an called out to me that she hoped I'd
be clawed by Wildcats. I wasn't yarn
in bout that vishun. was lyin on my
back in bed, eyes wide open, when that
;vishun riz up befo' me, and seen
things so clear that fell into tpem-
BILE. Thar was cave full Of coons and
possums, and went in and Stayed 'em
by the hundreds and got 'nuff money
out Of their skins to buy me mewl. I
wanted to fix that leak, Of co'se, but 1t
seemed q powerful sin to let that vi
shun go by. hadn't got more'n half
q mile from the house when the dawg
begun to hang back. The critter allus
Ppeared to take the old woman's side
whenever we had row. When no.
ticed him hangin back. yelled out at
him and grabbed up q club, but he
went out Of sight like rabbit. I
wanted that dawg to hold the mouth
of the cave while ] went In and slaugh-
tered the varmints. and jest made up
my mind to kill him when got home.
Thar was three ca YES, and 1t was six
mile trip. The middle cave was the
biggest, and when reached it I looked
all around fur tracks. Not one was to
be found, but that didn't discourage
me. peered around fur spell and
then went in. It was narrer openin,
and the cave was dark, but / had
brung along taller candle. / lighted
the candle and begun to look about me.
"Dod rot it, but what fule man
kin make of himself when he tries"
exclaimed the old man after a pause.
Anybody of sense knowsthat coons and
possums don't go hangin around caves.
That vishun was tarnashun lie. That
cave was as big as half an acre. and
walked all over 1t and found nuthin.
I was mad and kickin myself when I
started to go out. but l hadn't gone
fur when the roof Of the cave 'peared
to fall down upon me. Mebbe it was
half an hour later when opened my
eyes and found myself on my back,
and it seemed as if one side of my
head had bin caved in. found my
rife with the stock broken. and I
could smell bar all around. 1t didn't
take me long to fgger out that bar
had follered me into the cave and
fetched me whack 'longside the head.
In mint heard him sniffin and NOV
in around outside the cave, and as l
icrawled along found him on guard.
He was lyin down fair In the way. and
II was his prisoner. II my rifle had bin
all right, could hev got rid of him In
short order. but 1t couldn't be fired.
Gas the bar heard me moyin up he
showed his teeth and growled in a way
to make my h'ar stand up. He didn't
come IA after me, but It was plain
nun that he wasn't goin to let me out.
Il Thought II was best to keep still fuz
awhile and zee IL he wouldnt 50 away,
and, d'yO' know. sub. 70 tie best q my
Ibeaief fhst critter M1nt F1Ght 70 deep
B couldnst git ont without steppin ora
him, and It WAS too risky to ny that