The Neihart herald. [volume] (Neihart, Mont.) 1890-1901, 1900-08-25

tree fell heard n yeDwlin and Il snarl
In from the varmint in the top. but
took it that the coon had got Shaky
The tree went down with crash. and
| run up with club to give the coon a
knock on the head. hadn't reached
the fust limbs when he cum out to
meet me, and all the hairs on my head
riz up to once. 1t wasn't no coon tall,
but one of the biggest wildcats ever
laid eyes on. He hadn't bin hurt by
the fall, but he was mad huff to eat
nails. | had skeercely made out what
the varmint was when he lit on me and
got to work. | don't reckon you ever
met up with a 20 pound wildcat with
teeth and claws in good trim, but If
you ever do you'll find that buzzsaws
amt in it with him The varmint
Knocked me down at the fust iump.
and he had torn off half my clothes be-
70 | could git up. Then we went at it
hammer and tongs. | had denied the
children of Israel, and so | had to de.
pend upon the club. 1t wasn't much
of weapon to fight wildcat with.
The critter lodged half the blows. and
the other half didn't seem To hurt any.
yelled fur my duwg, but he didn't
cum. | yelled fur the old woman. and
bout the time | yelled | cotcEed sight
of her two rods off, lookin on. She had
my rifle in her hands. and hollcred
fur her to cum cluser and shoot the cat.
'Zeb White sez she, 1T ain't fur ME
to mix in this fout. You went out in
defiance of the Lawd to cotch a coon,
and If you've cotched wildcat in
stead it's proper punishment
Her words made me mad and
teched my pride, and ! determined to
kill that cat without her help or he
clawed to death a-tryin. | got in two
or three good blows and sorter evened
up things, but it was nip and tuck,
Bimeby, when | begun to weaken,
says to the old woman:
Il amt akin you to shoot the var
mint, but you might shoot off a paw or
two and gimme far show
How about SundayY she asks,
never movin foot
ITS purity good day
els 1t the Lawd's day or a coon's
day?
THE Lawd's day, reckon. Gwiue
to stand thar till the meat is clawed
off my honesY
Cant tell yit. When the Iawd
brings about a calamitous calamity 10
punish man fur denyin him it's fur
folks to be keerful bow they mix in.
Nobody has axed you to mix IN.
says |, and then | went fur that eat
like hawk fur chicken. Fur the
next five minutes had the advantage
and was beginnin to feel peart, but tho
loss of blood began to tell. and found
myself CROWN weak, The old woman
noticed it and called out:
Zeh, how about the BibleY
"'lm a-believin in it, says | as
makes an awful blow at the cat.
"'And how about the children of
Israeli
I'm a-believin in them too
Ibid they cross the Red sea dry
shod|
I'll bet they didp
Was Phario overwhelmedY
He was, and I'll lick any man who
denies itp
Jest one mo- question, Zeb,' says
the old woman as she Gums forward.
Are thar gwine to be any mo- cool
huntin on SundaysT
Not if we never hev another pint
of 'lasses in the cabin! says | as the
cat rakes me across the shoulders.
That ended the fight The old wo.
man mixed in and shot the cat through
the head. and | tumbled down and lay
thar fur half an hour befo' she could
help me hobble home. Bout all the
clothes | had left on me was one boot
and shirt collar, and it was fo' weeks
befo' the bites and scratches let me git
around agin. on the fust Sunday !
Gould sit out saw a bar up the noun.
ting and started fur my gun. but the
old woman held up her hand and said:
'Zeb White, take n cheer and sot
down. Yes; ! know it's bar, and we
are powerful short of meat, but we've
got somethin else to do AS soon as
git my hands out of this dshwater I'll
fill my pipe and sot down, and you'll
read to me bout them children and the
Red sea. If you read slow and don't
skip anything, mebbe you'll find some.
thin bout wildcats toor"