Akron daily Democrat. [volume] (Akron, Ohio) 1892-1902, 1900-12-24

THE BAR WAS THAR.
while yo' played the fiddle. I also
want to talk to yo' bout Noer and his
ark
"J've got sore thumb and can't
fiddle, and, as fur Noer he will keep
till some other time. Nuthin rushin
bout Noer.'
"With that sine turns on me and
looks me squar In the face, and arter
a mint she says:
"'Zeb White, don't yo' go to foolin
with Noer and his ark or sunthin pow
erful bad will come out of it. Dan
Skinner may feel peeklsh, or he may
be dyln, but what we wants to know is
how all them critters found their way
into the ark. How did 1t happen that
the hens didn't eat up the later bugs
while they was walkin togetherT
"'Dunno.'
"'why didn't the foxes eat all the
hens? sn
"'Dunno.'
".Why didn't the bars eat the pigsT,
"'Dunno.'
"'Of co'se yo' don't, and that's why
I want yo' to squat right down yere
with me and try and figger it out.
shan't never be satisfied to die till
find out how the elephants and hosses
and cattle managed to git into that ark
without treadin on the sarpints and
bugs
III seen that her jaw was sot fur a
row." continued Zeb, but had sold
that whisky and must git 1t out that
night, and so I told her I'd 60 along
over to SINNERS and put in the next
two nights with her on Noer. She
looked at me ag'in. but didn't say
nuthin till was on the doahstep, Then
she p'lnted her finger at me and said:
$50 right along, Zeb White, but II
the Lawd don't dun git yo' into n
heap Of trubble over 1t then l don't
know chestnuts from punklns!
II hurried off without sayin anything
back and half an hour later was bring
ness. had to slide down rope. hitch
on 10 keg and then climb up and
pull the keg arter me. Ought to had
niger to help me, hut thar wasn't
one around to trust. I'd got up fo'
kegs all right and was comm up to
pull the fifth one up when sunthin
happened. Jest as | was nearin the
top of the hole | heard growl and
n 'whoof' and big bar made stroke
durn skeered that Jest let 20 and
| drapped to the bottom of the shaft and
| got jar that made my bones ache fur
| q week.
"What they calls the situashun was
this: l was down in Il hole and bar
was waitln fur me to come UP and do
| bizness with him. Yo' kin see that the
| pcsky varmlnt had all the advantage.
He could smash my skull with one
blow of his paw as my head come
within reach. yelled and hollered at
him, thinkin to skeer him away, but he
looked over tie edge of the hole ut me
| and growled and shifted and seemed
minded to fall on top of me. 1t wasn't
five minits befo' l wished l was home
talkln bout Noer, but wlshin was no
good. / kept quiet fur two or three
hours and then started to climb up
The bar wns thar. He was thar at
|
yo' that he was thar at noon and at TO
o'clock in the AFTERNOON. The shaft
was as dry as bone. and l was thirsty
nun to drink swamp water. The
way things was fixed that bar could
Keep me down thar till l perished
and when he appeared as If he was
like to do 1t l felt that hadn't used
my old woman right and wanted tC
ask her to furgive me. Bout fo' o'clock
while I was keepin mighty quiet,
hears rifle shot above, and directly
nrterward a human face looks dowI
on me. II was the old woman's. She
drawed the rope up beyand my reacl
and then called down.
"ls anybody down thar visitin Dan
Skinner who feels peekish and wants
10 play checkersT
"'lf yo'll lemme up, III ak yor par
don says l.
Mebbe that voice belongs to Eel
White?
"'She do
"'And mebbe his sore thumb has go
well so that he Kin fiddleT
!, '" She has,