The Minneapolis journal., 1901-10-16

VIC WSul lOWdIu our SOOQ FARMER place
| and supper.
Found, Bull Dog.
But We had to pass by another farmer s
| on the way, and he was of the variety who
are always hunting for trouble. And of
verify | am not of their confraternity
who like to see such baffied in the search.
! Now this bad man was leaning on his
| fence with a most Wicked-looking bull
| dog sitting on the ground at his feet. AS
came up l bade him a civil good evening,
but he only sneered and Missed under his
breath to his dog, which promptly rushed
out into the road and attacked old Duke.
He rolled the old dog over at the onset, but
as he came up into range I knocked him
out with the gun butt.
Then the bad man came over the fence.
briefly made oration to the effect that 1
was city dude, that he could whip a
ten-acre lot full Of me any morning before
breakfast, and that If 1 would drop my
gun he would lick me till wouldn't know
myself from last years corpse in less'n
holy minute, which moroccan of ,elo-
Quence he rolled, out in one sentence. and
with an accompanying fire of blasphemy
that would have held an army teamster
dumb with admiration. AS I said before
F, l never like to see an earnest seeker after
anything get left, and I dropped the gun
and pitching my shooting coat after 1t,
Sehleyed him. That is I went at him
with my whole battery at work. and he
went the way his dog had gone in short
order. He was very useful man, and
strong as man need be, but he was Of
tnose who had never been devotee of
science, which is why he wasn't in It with
me, who have gone the journey with some
OF the ablest living professors When
he went out resumed my way, and found
! old Duke waiting for me about mile
| down the road that sagacious animal hav-
! ing decamped as soon as l had relieved
him from the incubus of the bull dog
and engaged the farmer. bear some
of the tokens of good will the latter pre-
sented me yet, but you just ought to see
| him.
! Ny host hinted that while hunting
next day 1t would be wise to keep we'll
| out Of Winchester range of my late an
tagonist's place, as he was rather of a
nature to bear malice for slight cause,
and might try to pot me if the chance
came his way. Well, saw that 1t didn't.
took long detour to the west when
l came near his place, and after that,
though keeping my bearings generally,
| took little especial heed to where I went;
| but did know when the shadows began
| to fall, that by going straight ahead
| through dense tract of timber I would
come out on the road about midway be-
tween the farm of the hostile, and that
OF the friendly. Well, 1 was travelling
through that piece of woods in Gods
peace, and Uncle Sans, when a moose at
tackled me. At least thought 1t was g.
moose, as 1t might have been, for what
heard afterwards may have been only in
| the nature of a coincidence, but the light
was very dim, the attack came with ap-
| palltng suddenness and I've never seen
a live moose anywhere-supposing that
my assailant wasn't one-so you see that
1 may we'll be pardoned for mistaking the
nature Of the attacker, if mistake it did.
Anyway, 1t came at me like a Nebraska
cyclone, and tell you never did better
sprinting in my life than 1 did to get
away from the raging brute that was
laundering hard at my heels, and so close
that could feel his hot breath on the
back Of my neck. OF course held onto
my gun, but as there was nothing but
shot in it I dared not risk turning and
pouring It's contents into the beasts face.
He'd have got me surely If had, and I
wouldn't have more than made him lit
tie madder than he was. Old Duke?
Why, he displayed the good judgment that
has made him famous and departed at the
first rush Of the enemy, and I saw no more
of him till reached my farmers house
Well, to cut the story a deal shorter
than the race seemed, caught sight of
tree that had been felled and in fall
ing had dropped onto big pine stump so
that It's branches were twenty feet UP in
the air, and up that tree trunk I went
like the house cat when the dog is after
her and the door too far off to reach l
don't know whether the bull-I'm sure he
was q bull anyhow-tried to climb the
tree after me or not, but / know that l
gave him both barrels right in the face
as soon as 1 could get footing, by way
Of discouraging any intentions that he
might harbor. He paved and beloved
around a while after that and then went
Off through the woods, still sounding his
war cry and cussin' generally as he went.
I waited till all was quiet, and then
climbed down and hot-footed for my
domicile of the present.
got there to find my host very
anxious about me, as his belligerent
neighbor had sent word that his Jersey
bull had come home with half his face
shot off; that the bad man believed that
had done 1t, and that he meant to shoot
me on sight. Ny farmer thought 1t the
part of wisdom for me to come to town
while darkness made that movement per-
fectly safe, and here I am, but I never