Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1900-09-29

| three weeks" said the old possum
\ hunter of Tennessee, when thumpin
big bar cum down out of the thicket
one day and acted in a mighty Gurus
| way. 1t was in the summer, and he
| was sheddin his fur, and, though l
| had my rifle handy. 1 didn't keer to
| shoot him. That bar smelt the wills
| ky, and he shifted and snuffed and
seemed to want a taste. l hollered at
| him and driv him off two or three
| times, but he kept comm back. My
| ole woman had come over with my
| supper and arter watchin the bar fur
| awhile she said:
"'Zeb, that bar wants a drink OF
con juice suah's yo'r bon, and I'm fur
givin it TO him
Il laughed at the idea, but as he
continued to hang around the place
the old woman poured about a pint of
| the stuff into n pan and set it on 4
stOne 30 rods away. She had skassly
turned her back befo' the bar was
| lappin il up, and he smacked his lips
over it jest like a man. In a leetle
| while he walked off, and later on we
heard SIGH a row down around the
| bend that we crept down to see what
IL was. 1t was our bar and his mate.
That pint of whisky had made our
bar feel mighty jolly. and he was in
sistin that the other bar dance around
and roll over with him. One was drunk
and jolly and the other sober and mad,
and the way they carried on was as
good as Il circus. Next day both bars
showed up fur whisky and went off as
jolly as you please, and half an hour
later l walked right up to them as
they slept and snored. 1 wasn't fur
givin away any mo- Ticker. but the
ole woman thinks it over and says:
"'Zeb. the fur of them bars won't be
with shucks fur three months. but
what's the matter with shettiu the
varmiEts UP i'll our outdoor cellar fur
the rest of the summer? l reckon we
kin manage to feed 'em. and each hide
will fetch SO as soon as the fur is
prime
Il decided that it was a good idea,
and we put out hull quart of whisky
fur 'em, but fur some reason they had
left the nayburhood. The old woman
reckOned they'd got ashamed of them
selves and gone off 10 avoid temp
tashun. and kinder figgered that they
was off spreadin the news and invitin
other bars 10 come along and sheer
a good thing. We'd about given up
seein 'em ag'in when they showed up
| was ell alone ut 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 1t out i'll the old place. Them
bars had bin roamin around and keep
in sober fur 50 long that they was
dyin fur n spree, and they tapped up
every drop Of that Ticker and licked
their chops fur mo-. They didn't git
jolly, as l looked fur. On the contrary,
they snarled and growled and wanted
to pick a fuss with each other. Mebbe
q bar is like a man about drinkin.
Let him git too much. and he's ugly
instead of jolly. i waited awhile and
then follered 'em. hopin to find 'em
asleep. and that's how l cum to see n
sight to make my ha'r stand up.
Down around the bend in the ra-
vine was a grassy spot, and what l
saw was them bars rollin four men
over the ground. 1t wasn't mint
befO' ! knowed who them men was.
They was revenOo fellers who he'd got
news of my still and was sneakin up
the ravine to ketch me red handed.
The bars had met 'em and pitched
right in. / reckon the fellerS was too
surprised to fire shot, though all had
pistols, and the way them bars did
slam 'em around was n caution. Two
of the fellers broke away as soon as l
got thar. but the other two was so bad |
~ clawed that arter the bars left EN-
they could skassly crawl. and I'm suah |
they laid out in the woods all night. / |
was much obleeged to the varmints. as |
yo' may reckon. as they he'd saved me |
from Il surprise. and in my gratitood l |
said to the ole woman:
II amt gwine to play no tricks on
a varmint what has saved me from |
ruin, and l shan't try TO Captur' 'em. |
Deed. but I'll furnish 'em with free |
con juice and let 'em bev a good |
time
They was back next day fur their |
drink. and. rememberiu how a quart |
had made 'em ugly drunk, / only sot |
out a pint. They Tapped IL up and |
looked fur mo-. and when no mo- was |
they gin US surprise party.
Thar was TO 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 to be got |
at. and they tore down our shanty.
clawed our blankets into strips and
went off growlin at each other. We
didn't see 'em ag'in fur a month.
Then one day as 1 was carryin a keg
Of the stun on my shoulder along a
I rrrn nj fiIt into 10 |
two of 'em. l knowed 'em in a mint,
and l jest counted on hevin fuss with
EN-. 1t was no use tryin to git away,
and put down the key and stood back
TO gin 'em n chance at it. But they
didn't take it They walked up and
shifted about, and as soon as they rec