Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1900-06-21

l kept quiet fur two hours, and he new
er moved Then flung a stone at
him, and he woke up and growled till
l had chill.
"Mebbe yo'll say orter hev taken
comfort in that cave, but when 1 found
the afternoon wearin away and the
bar hangin on l was mighty miserable
over it. The bars of Tennessee owed
me a powerful grudge fur the way I
had slaughtered them, and who was
to tell what this critter proposed to do?
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. l was hungry and
thirsty, and knowed the old woman
would be worryin, even though she
was mad. The bar didn't move off,
however. and at last l softly crept as
fur away as could and went to sleep.
l 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 was so mad and hungry that l
got desperate. With the rifle barl in
the cave and yelled fur him to come in
and hev it out with me. He wouldn't
do it. He growled and roared and
clawed, but he wouldn't come in. 1t
was narrer place to git out, and he
had all the advantage. l yelled and
whooped and flung stones and called
him names, but he let me tire myself
out. Noon come, and he was still thar
| had another row with him, and If
he'd bin a proper bar he'd hev come
in and showed his grit, but he staid
outside and growled.
81 looked fur the old woman all that
afternoon, but she didn't come. 1 had
an old shotgun in the house, and 1
knowed that if she come she'd load it
with buckshot and bring it along. If
the bar waited fur her, he was a gon-
err. Night come along ag'in, and l was
b'ilin over with madness and ready to I.
eat nails from hunger. Tie only thing
could do was to sleep, but it was a
nightmare all through the long dark
hours. l kin tell yo' / was mighty
glad to see he daylight ag'in. 1 went
to look fur the bar, and he was in the
same old place and as cheerful as ever.
We had jaw, but he wouldn't fight.
l made up my mind to wait about two
hours and then kill or be killed, but
was out of the cave before that time.
The old woman had come huntin fur
me, and she got clus up to that bar
and fired a handful Of buckshot into
him befo' he knowed what was up. AS
l crawled out Of the cave she looked at
me fur a mint and then keerlessly said:
Pears to me I've seen yo' befo'.
Are yo'r name Zeb White?'
That's it, says 1.
Generally spoken of as the possum
hunter of TENNESSEE?
Eyes
"'Man what has vishuns of coons
and possums in cave?'
I thought it was vishun.'
eyes, l know, but it was mighty
singular that when yo' was hevin vi
shun of coons and the possums yo'
| didn't see nuthin Of the bar Zeb
White, yo' come long home and go
work on that cabin roof and let vi
shuns and dreams so to pot
81 was glad huff to do so," explained
the old man, with sorrowful smile
II tagged along behind her till we
reached home, expectin she would hev
mo- to say, but she was mighty good
about it. She cooked me the biggesc
meal l had ever eat, and she let me go
to bed and sleep fur 20 hours, and all
| she said was:
'Zeb, yere's nails and hammer anu
boards, and now yo' hev vishun bout
leaks in the roof of this cabin"
| NJ QUAD.