The Washington weekly post., 1900-08-21

| seein' 'em ag'in when they showed up.
| was all alone at the still that day, but
| had ropes at hand TO tie 'em up in case
| our plan worked, and l poured Two full
| quarts OF whisky into the pan and set il
out in the old place. Them bars had bin
| roamin' around and keepin' sober fur so
| long that they was dyin' fur a spree, and
| they Tapped up every drop OF that Ticker
and licked their chops fur mo-. They
| didn't git jolly, as / looked fur. On the
| contrary, they snarled and growled and
| wanted 10 pick a fuss with each other.
Mebbe bar is like a'man about drinkin'.
| Let him git too much, and he's ugly in
stead of jolly. 1 waited awhile and then
| follered 'em, hopin' to find 'em asleep.
and that's how 1 cum to see a sight to
make my ha'r stand up.
Down around the bend in the ravine
| was a grassy spot, and what / saw was
| them bars rOllin' four men over the
ground. II wasn't Il mint befO' | knoWed
who them men was. They was reveEOo
| feilers who he'd got news of my still ard
was sneakin' up the ravine 10 ketch me
red handed. The bars had met 'em and
pitched right in. i reckon the fellers was
TOO surprised to fire a shot though all
| had pistols, and the way them bars lid
slam em around was a caution. Two of
the fellers broke away as soon as / got
thar, but the other two was so badly
clawed that arter the bars left 'em they
could skassly crawl, and I'm suah they
laid out in the woods all night / was
much ooleeged 10 the varmints, as yo'
may reckon. as they he'd saved me from 4
surprise, and in my gratitOod l said 10
the ole woman:
Il amt gwine to play no tricks on Q
varmint what has saved me from ruin.
ans | shan't try to captur' 'em. Deed.
but I'll furnish 'em with free con Juice
and let 'em hev good time
They was back next day fur their
drink, and, rememberin' how a quart had
made 'em ugly drunk, only sot out a
pint They Tapped it up and looked fur
mo-, and when no mo was fo'thcornin'
they gin us a surprise party. Thar was
fo' men of US at the still that day. and
arter growlin' around fur awhile them
bars cum chargin' down upon US. We
had to scatter mighty sudden. and they
kept us away fur an hour. Thar was no
whisky 10 be got at. and they tore down
our shanty. claWed our blankets into
strips. and went of grOwiin' at each 9th
er- We didn't see EN- ag'in fur a month.
i men OIlc udS hS was CdTryln q keg OF
the stuff on my shoulder along a mountain
path run full tilt into the Two of 'enl. /
knowed 'em in a mint, and 1 Jest counted
on heyin a fuss with 'em. 1t vas no use
tryin' TO git away. and put down the keg
and stood back 10 gin EN- a chance at T.
But they didn't take il. They walked up
and shifted about, and as soon as they
recognized the smell they s0rter shook
their heads and walked OF and gin me a
clear road. As / figgered il, them bar
had tried whisky and found that il brune
nuthin but headaches and fightin' and
hard knocks. They'd jest made up their
minds that it was bad stuff and he'd gone
back or ii. and that keg was no temp
tashun. Yes, sub, they walked of ana
let me pass on, and never shall hear the
last OF il from the ole woman. | never
hev taken d nip Of con juice since then
that she wasn't ready to speak out:
Thar " 70 go agin, Zeb Whitei Law
me, but il 20 only he'd the brains Ol a
b ar, what happy woman I'd be"''