Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1900-06-21


morrer, but today I've got to go up to
them limestone caves. 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 yarmints together, but
thar they was, and thar was 500 of
EN-
81 don't believe nuthin of the sortv
says the old woman. 'Yo' are allus
heyin vishuns bout bars and coons
and possums, but nobody ever knowed
yo' to hev vishun bout chopin wood
or hoein corn
"She was right bout that" said Zeb,
with smile, "but it riled me up jest
the same. l answered back purity
briskly, and she got mo- sassy, and so
we had row. l got up from the table
and took my gun and whistled to the
dawg and started off, and the old wom-
an called out to me that she hoped I'd
be clawed by wildcats l wasn't yarn
in bout that vishun. l was lyin on my
back in bed, eyes wide open, when that
vishun riz up befo' me. and L seen
things SO clear that l fell into a trem-
bic. Thar was cave full Of coons and
possums, and l went in and Stayed 'em
by the hundreds and got huff money
out Of their skins to buy me mewl
wanted to fix that leak, of co'se, but it
seemed powerful sin to let that VI
shun go by. hadn't got more'n half
mile from the house when the dawg
begun to hang back. The critter allus
'peared to take the old woman's side
whenever we had a row. When 1 no.
ticed him hangin back, yelled out at
him and grabbed up a club, but he
went out of sight like a rabbit. l
wanted that dawg to hold the mouth
of the cave while l went In and slaugh-
tered the varmints, and jest made up
my mind to kill him when l got home
Thar was three CO yes. and it was six
mile trip. The middle cave was the
biggest, and when l reached it looked
all around fur tracks. Not one was to
be found, but that didn't discourage
me. l peered around fur a spell and
then went in. 1t was narrer openin,
and the cave was dark, but l had
| brung along a taller candle l lighted
the candle and begun to look about me.
"Dod rot it, but what fule a man
kin make Of himself when he tries!"
exclaimed the old man after pause.
anybody Of senseknows that coons and
| possums don't so hangin around caves.
That viShun was tarnaShun lie That
cave was as big as half an acre. and
| walked all over it and found nuthin
| | was mad and kickin myself when
| 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 1 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
rifle with the stock broken. and l
could smell bar all around. 1t didn't
take me long to flgger out that a bar
had follered me into the cave and
fetched me whack 'longside the head.
In mint | heard him sniftin and mov-
in around outside the cave. and as
crawled along l found him on guard.
He was lyin down fair in the way, ami
l was his prisoner. If my rifle had bin
all right, could hev got rid Of him in
short order. but it couldn't be fired.
''As the bar heard me movin up he
showed his teeth and growled in way
to make my h'ar stand up. He didn't
come in after me, but it was plain
huff that he wasn't goin to let me out.
l thought it was best to keep still fur
awhile and see If he wouldn't go away,
and, d'yo' know, sub, to the best Of my
belief that critter went right to sleep.
! couldn't git out without steppin over
him, and it was too risky to try that