The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1900-07-17
''MRBBE. THE WHALE swA11ERED JOINER. /"

u hla-.
whats the matter that what's good
Rnuf fur Elder Hopkins. an everybody
Eelse round we're, amt good huff fur
syo'?'
U "'But Itsain't a-belieyin the story.
4How's man gwinen to live right on
aarter he's bin swallered by whale?#
II THAT'S none Of our bizness,' she
Says.
Il "'But I'm maxim it my bizness,' says
IL. What don't seem likely to me i
Bain't gwines to believe in
Il "'But yo' might keep shet about 1t
an not raise fuss. Who air yo', Zeb
White, that yo' disputes the Bible?'
II That started the row." said the old
imam, IAN we had some purity hot words.
IL said didn't believe the story, an she
said she didn't keer whether l did or
mot, an we was sassin away when we
heard "a crySup on the hillside. 1t was
sunthin like the cry of child. an the
old woman gifts up an listens an says:
".Zeb, thar's aleetle child wanderin
about in the bresh. Jest boot two or
three boots to draw it this way
1.-THE cry come ag'in. an then know
n
child, but prowlin wildcat. hadn't
heard one fur two vars, but was dog
suah Of the game. I'd hev told the old
woman, but she got mad bekase
wouldn't boot an called me names.
When the third cry comes, she says to
me:
"'Zeb White, that must be Joe Ba-
ker's leetle boy Jim, an he's wandered
two miles away from home. If yo've
got heart in yo'r busum, yo'll go up
the mounting an find him an bring him
down In yo'r arms IL
".I amt huntin fur lost boys says
as fills my pipe.
"oThen am. I'll go up thar myself
"'Better not
s'But / will. Befo' the Lawd but
don't know what's come over yo', Zeb.
Fust yo' go an deny that the whale
swallered joiner, an then yo' won't
move hand or foot to save an inherent
child from perishin. Mebbe yo' air git
from meY
"T amt takin wild varnints fur lost
boys says l as the scream come ag'in
.s"It's no wild varmint. It's the
voice of leetle Joe Baker, an he must
Observation-Disclosures to death of the dark
ness Yo' soti right; we're like an ole
mewl, i:anr Il H. go up an find him. Fin
thankin the Lawd yo' hain't got nc
children of yor own
4With that she grabs up stick AZ
starts up the hill. While knowed tha
i,,
think the old woman would come t.
any hurt. l hoped the cat would vel
out an skeer her, an SO it was ten min
its befo' follered on. She went push
in through the .bresh an calm to Joey
an now an then the cat cried out In an
swer. | was doin heap Of laughfn t.
myself when the old woman calls bacl
to me:
"'Come on, Zeb! I've dun found, tn
sr .Then bring him along says L. ].
80 can't. He's upSa tree. zeb,, 'dt
yo' ever hear of lost boy climbin
.sNot skassly, but mebbe they doit
ii" iAnshis eyes are ashinin like tw
Goals Of fire I never knowed that los
childrens eyes looked that way a
night
81 knowed the cat had clumb tire
an was lookin down at the old woman
an / had jest opened my mouth to or
out O warnin when the cat Missed a
growled an ratified the bark with he
claws. That.wa huff. The old won
an gin yell an started to run. but
the fust move she fell over a log.
reckon that cat must hev bin might
mad bout sunthin. fur she screame
out an jumped to the ground an in tw
Jumps was on the old womans back a
usin her teeth an claws like sin.
grabbed UP club an mixed in, but
>. the fust blow the club broke, an IL
cat turned on me. Lemme tell yo' SUI
thin bout wildcats. If yo' was TO
pitched into q hole on top Of fo'tee
buzzsaws, it wouldn't be as bad {
hevin row with one full grown will