The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1900-08-29

"ARE Yo'R NAME ZEB THITE?"
morrer, but today I've got to go up to
them limestone caves. had a power
full vishuI last night. In my vishun
saw q cave, and that cave was chuck
full Of coons and possums. I can't say
what brung the varmints together, but
thar they was, and thar was 500 Of
'em.'
"'I don't believe nuthin Of the sort!
says the old woman. 'Yo' are allus
hevin 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. I answered back purity
briskly, and she got mo- sassy, and so
we had row. I 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. wasn't yarn
in bout that vishun. I was lyin on my
back in bed, eyes wide open, when that
vishun riz up befo' me, and I seen
things so clear that fell into trem-
bic. Thar was cave full Of coons and
possums, and I went in and Stayed 'em
by the hundreds and got 'nuf money
out Of their skins to buy me mewl. I
wanted to fix that leak, Of co'se, but it
seemed a powerful sin to let that VI
shun go by. I hadn't got more'n half
8 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 I no.
ticed him hangin back, I yelled out at
him and grabbed up club, but he
went out Of sight like rabbit. I
wanted that dawg to hold the mouth
Of the cave while went in and slaugh
tered the varmints, and jest made up
my mind to kill him when got home.
Thar was three caves, and it was six
mile trip. The middle cave was the
biggest, and when reached it I looked
all around fur tracks. Not one was to
be found, but that didn't discourage
me. I peered around fur spell and
then went in. It was narrer openin,
and the cave was dark, but had
brung along taller candle. I lighted
the candle and begun to look about me.
"Dod rot it, but what fule man
kin make Of himself when he tries"
exclaimed the old man after q pause.
ANYBODY Of sense knows that coonsand
possums don't 60 hangin around caves.
That vishun was a tarnashun lie. That
cave was as big as half an acre. and
walked oil over it and found nuthin.
I was mad and kickin myself when I
started to go out, but I hadn't gone
fur when the roof Of the cave 'peared
to fall down upon me. Mebbe it was
half an hour later when I opened my
eyes and found myself on my back,
and it seemed as If one side Of my
head had bin caved in. I found my
rife with the stock broken, and I
could smell bar all around. It didn't
take me long to fgger out that bar
had follered me into the cave and
fetched me q whack 'longside the head.
In a mint heard him snif6n and NOV
in around outside the cave, and as l
crawled along I found him On guard.
He was lyin down fair in the way, and
I was his prisoner. If my rife had bin
all right, could hev got rid Of him in
short order. but it couldn't be fred.
Gas the bar heard me movin up he
showed his teeth and growled in a 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.
7 thought it was best to keep still fur
awhile and see if he wouldn't 60 away,
and. d'yc' know, sub, to the best Of my
belief that critter went right to sleep.
I couldn't git out without steppin over
him. and It was too risky to try. that
I kept quiet fur two hours, and he nev-
or moved. Then I flung q stone at
him. and he woke up and growled till
I had chill.
"Mebbe yo'll say I orter heT taken
comfort in that cave, but when l found
the afternoon wearin away and the
bar hangin on 1 was mighty miserable
over it. The bars Of Tennessee owed
me a powerful grudgc fur the way l
had slaughtered them, and who was
to tell what this critter proposed to Go!
He could finish me off any time he
wanted to, but he 'peared to be playin
another game. Bimeby it come dark,
but he didn't move. was hungry and
thirsty, and I knowed the old woman
would be worryin, even though she
was mad. The bar didn't move of,
however, and at last 1 softly crept as
fur away as could and went to sleep
don't reckon he come nigh me durin
the night, but he might hev slipped
away fur food or drink. He was thar
all right when daylight broke, and
then I was so mad and hungry that
got desperate. With the rifle barl II
nv hands 1 advanced to the mouth OF
the cave and yelled fur him to come IL
and hev it out with me. He wouldn't
do it. He growled and roared and
clawed, but he wouldn't come in. Ii
was q narrer place to cit out. and he