The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-05-06
FEB WHITE AND THE BEAR
A LEAkY ROOF AND A VISION or
MANY POSI- MS ~ 4 cave.
The Pleasures Of Hunting Triumph Over
Domestic Duties Siege Of . Man by Brain
The Lesson in Domestic Economy Taught
by u wife who Knew How to shoot Straight
lop,r,ohi. 1900 bu G.. 4. L.u,s.

BY u wife VINO Knew How 10 Snoot straight
Copyright. 1900, bvC h. Leuis.
The roof OF our cabin had bin leakin' fur
half n var, I reckon. began old Ieb White, tho
Tennessee possum hunter, but a. II didn't
rain more'n once n week and ~ the leak didn't
do any great hurt wasn't breakin' my bach
to fix II. The old woman didn't FAY nuthln'
til one mawnin' she got up with a heacGc,e
and was techy. Seem how II was, | didn't
say nuthin' TO provoke her, but she burned
her hand agin the stove. slubbed her toe ard
finally busted ont on me with:
"'Ieb white. OF all the shackelty critters on
this we're Cumberland mountain nobody Kin
hold n candle to 70"
WHAT'S wrong with meH'says1,
IN zap. and heaps OF things. This old
cabin il regularly fallin' 10 pieces fur the want
Of "A days work. but yo' amt man nun 10 take
hold and fix things
I'm Gs that leak to-morrer.'
That : the old song Yo1l 20 RICH, at il this
mint or thar1l be "A row
Look here, now says ], speakin a. softly
a, could I'll work all day to-morrer, but to-day
I've got to go UP 10 them limestone caves.
| had "A powerful vishun last night In nv
vishun | saw "A cave, and that cave was chuck
full of coons and posslms. ! cant say what
brIng the varmints together. but thar they
was. and thar was 500 of en-
81 don't believe nuthin' OF the sort says
the old woman, 'Yo' are allus hevin' vishuIs
bout bars and coons and pOssuIns. but nobody
ever knowpd o 10 hey a vishun bout chopin
wood or hoein' corn
She was right bout that. but il riled me Up
jest the zane. ! answered back purity hrislly,
and she got mo sasSy, and 80 We had a row.
] got up from the table and took my gun ard
whistled TO the dawg and started Of. and the
old woman called on, to me that she hoped
I'd be cIawed by Wildcats, | wasn't yarnin'
bout that vishun. was lynn on nv
back in bed. eyes wide open. when tina, vishun
riz up befo' me, and | seen things SO clear that
/ fell into a tremble. Thar was a cave full Of
coons and posslm-. and I went in and Stayed
'em by the hundreds and got nun money out
Of their skins 10 buy me a mewl, wanted 10 4,
that leak, of co'se, but II seemed a powerful
sin to let that yishun 20 by.
"Ihadn't got more'n half a mile from the house
when the dawg begun to hang back. The
critter allus 'pcared 20 take the old woman's
side whenever we had a row. When | noticed
him hangin' back, ! yelled ont az him and
grabbed up a club, but he went ont Of sight
like a rabbit. | wanted that dawg TO hold tie
mouth of the cave while I went in and slaugh-
tered the varmints, and iest made up my mind
70 kill him when got home. Thar was three
caves, and II was a siS-miie trip. The middle
cave was the biggest, md when | reached II |
looked nl around fur tracks. Not one was
10 be found. bnt that didn't discourage me
! peered around fur a spell and then went in.
II was Il narrer openin', and the cave was dark,
hnt | Ind bT1nD along n taller candle, lighted
the candle and begun TO look about me.
bod rot il. but what a !ule a man kin make
OF himself when he tries Anybody OF sense
know that ooons and possuIns don't go hsngin'
around caves, That vishun was a tarnashun
lie. That cave was q! biz az half an acre. and
walked all over i, and found nuthin'. was mad
and kIckin' myself when | started TO 60 out, but
] hadn't gone fur when the roof OF the cave
'peared to fall down upon me. M!ebbe II was
half an hour later when opened my eyes and
one side Of my head had bin caved In. found
my rifle with the stock broken, and l could
smell bar all around 1t didn't take me long
the cave and fetched me a whack 1ongsde the
head. In a minut heard him snif1n' and
Inovin'. around. outside, the cave. and as ]
lying down fair in the way. and I was his pris-
oner. II my rife had been all right, I could
have got rid Of him in short order, but 1t couldn't
be fred.
As the bar heard me movin' up be showed
his teeth and erowled in a way to make nv
bar stand mp He didn't come in after me.
lei me ont Thought II was best to keep stu fur
awhile and SEE if he wouldn't 20 away. and,
d'yo' know, sub, 10 the best Of my belief that
~i'Ser, w .,an5 5,ShS OVER TO I btm' and f {, van U get ,s out
TO try that. I kept quiet for two hours. and
he never moved Then ! hung q stone at him,
ana .M he SeI yo " snS fr "yter h ,H ! , asd a c cna1li
wearin' away and the bar hangin' on ] was
mighty miserable over T. The bars Of Tenn.
] had slaughtered them. and who was to tel,
wha, this c@ritter proposed TO do? He could
finish me of any time he wanted 20. but he
II come dark, but he didn't move. ! was hungry
and thirsty, and ! knowed the old woman would
BE- worryin', even though she was mad The
softly crept as fur away as ! could and went 10
sleep. don't reckon he come nigh me durin'
II" night but he might hev slipped away fur
light broke, and then ] was 80 mad and hungry
TINT I got desperate. With the rife barl IN
hards advanced TO the mouth OF the cave
aud yc'l"d fur him 10 come in and hey it out
with me. He wouldn't do II. He growled and
roared and clawed. but he wouldn't core in.
was a narrer place 70 or OUT, and he had all
flung stones aud called linn names. but he let
tire myself out. Noon come and he was
still thar. ! had another row with him. and
II he'd bin a proper bar he'd hev come in ard
showed his grit, but he stald outside and
Il looked fur the old woman all tina, after
noon. but she didn't come, | had an old shot
gun in the house, and ! knowed that If she
rome she'd load i, with buckshot and bring u
along. Y the bar waited fur her. he was .
Night came along ag'ln, and | was
b1lin over with madness and ready To eat nails
from hunger The only thing ] could do was 30
sleep, but II was a nightmare nil through the
i SIS % da sts hour ON so y ! KIN tell 20 wa mishlE
fur the bar, and he was in the tame old place