The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1900-05-08


the old woman didn't call arter me.
Mebbe I'd got half mile from the
| house when the dawg took arter a
varmint and run it up a tree. l jest
got glimpse of the thing and took it
fur coon, but orter hev known bet
ter. Every ha'r on that dawg's back
was standin up and his eyes as big as
sassers, and if l hadn't bin cantanker-
GUS I'd hev figgered it out that no coon
could excite him in that way. The
thing to do was to tie the dawg to the
tree and go home fur an ak. The dawg
didn't want to be tied, but managed
it and went back.
"'Hev you cum back to read to me
bout them children of Israeli asks
the old woman as ! arrove.
emo; I've cum fur the ak to cut
down coon tree
care you gwine to risk your soul fur
the sake of coonY
"'Don't be silly. Coonskins is with
60 cents apiece, and we are out Of
'lasses, and the Lawd amt gwine to
punish folks fur gittin somethin to eat,
even on Sunday.
"'Zeb, says she as l was turnin
away, If you've got a coon up tree,
mebbe it wouldn't be SO awfully wick
ed to chop him down, but if was you
I'd kinder smooth it over with Provi-
dence first Bein as you left the dawg
on watch you kin read me that chapter
befo' you go. I've sorter forgotten how
clus Phario was to 'em when the wa
tiers rolled back and kiyered him up
"I don't believe it ever happened,
says l, feelin a new streak Of cantan-
nervousness comm over me.
"'Whatl Do you deny thatY
"'Reckon l do, and heaps of other
things besides.'
Then, Zeb White. you jest git ready
fur calamitous calamity! It's denyin
the Lawd, and the Lawd amt gwine to
stand it. Go on arter your coon, but I'm
sayin goodby to you. l shall be wild
der befo' the clock strikes r.
81 wasn't troubled a bit in my mind"
said Zeb, "but was sorter astonished
when l got back to the coon tree. Bits
of ha'r was lyin around on the ground,
and the old dog was gone. 'Peared to
me that thar had bin a fout around
thar, but / didn't fgger fur long 1t
was tree which stood alone, and
away up in the top could see the coon
hidin away in a crotch of limb. 1t
| took me but half an hour to cut the
tree down, and all the time l was chop
min was sayin to myself that the chill
dren Of Israel never passed through
| the Red sea dry shod. Jest befo' the
tree fell heard yeowlin and snarl-
In from the varmint in the top, but
took it that the coon had got shaky.
The tree went down with crash, and
( run up with club to give the coon
knock on the head. | hadn't reached
| The fust limbs when he cum out to
beet me- and all the hairs on my head
riz up to once 1t wasn't no coon tall,
but one of the biggest wildcats | ever
laid eyes on. He hadn't bin hurt by
the fall, but he was mad huff to eat
nails I had skeercely made out what
the varmint was when he lit on me and
got to work. l don't reckon you ever
met up with 20 pound wildcat with
teeth and claws in good trim, but If
| you ever do you'll find that buzzsaws
| amt in it with him. The varmint
| knocked me down at the fust jump,
and he had torn off half my clothes be-
| fo' could git up. Then we went at it
| hammer and tongs. | had denied the
children Of Israel, and so had to de-
| pend upon the club. 1t wasn't much
of weapon to fight a wildcat with.
The critter lodged half the blows, and
the other half didn't seem. to hurt any.
l yelled fur my dawg, but he didn't
cum | yelled fur the old woman, and
bout the time yelled cotched sight
of her two rods off, lookin on. She had
my rife in her hands, and l hollered
fur her to cum cluser and shoot the cat.
"'Zeb White SEE she, 1t amt fur me
to mix in this fout. You went out in
defiance of the Lawd to cotch coon,
and If you've cotched a wildcat In
stead it's proper punishment
"Her words made me mad and
teched my pride, and l determined to
kill that cat without her help or be
clawed to death a-tryin. l got in two
or three good blows and sorter evened
up things, but 1t was nip and tuck
Bimeby, when l begun to weaken,
says to the old woman:
81 amt akin you to shoot the var
mint, but you might shoot off paw OF
two and gimme far show.
"'How about SundayT she asks
never movin foot.
It's purity good day.
els it the Lawd's day or coon's
dayY