Evening journal., 1901-03-04
SAVED BY THE BEARS
THEY ROUTED THE REVENUE MEN
WHO WE'RE HUNTING WHISKY.
zeb white Tells How the Pesisy
varmints Sampled His Moonshine
Juice and the Result, and Mrs. zeb
Has a Word to Say About BraLns.
copyright, 1900, by c. B. Lewis.l

Has "A Word to Say About Brains.
copyright, 1900, by c. B. Lewis.l
"We'd bin maxim moonshine whis-
XIV over in the big ravine fur about
three weeks" said the old possum
hunter of Tennessee, "when thumpin
big bar cum down out of the thicket
one day and acted in a mighty Gurus
way. 1t was In the summer. and he
was sheddln his fur, and, though
had my rife handy, 1 didn't keer to
shoot him. That bar smelt the whis-
XIV. and he shifted and snuffed and
seemed to want taste. hollered at
him and driv him of two or three
times. but ne kept comm back. My
ole woman had come over with my
supper, and arter watchin the bar fur
awhile she said:
"'Zeb, that bar wants a drink Of
con Juice suah's yo'r bon, and I'm fur
givin It TO him.
Il laughed at the idea, but as he |
continued to hang around the place |
the old woman poured about pint of
the stuff into a pan and set 1t on a
stone 80 rods away. She had skassly
turned her back befo' the bar was
lappin 1t up, and he smacked his lips
over It Jest like a man. In q leetle
while he walked Of, and later on we
heard sich row down around the
bend that we crept down to see what
Il was. It was our bar and his mate.
That pint of whisky had made our
bar feel mighty jolly, and he was IN
I sIstin that the other bar dance around
and roll over with him. One was drunk
] and Jolly and the other sober and mad,
and the way they carried on was as
} good as n circus. Next day both bars
r showed up fur whisky and went Off as
1 Jolly as you please. and half an hour
! later / walked right up to them as
! 4 they slept and snOred. l wasn't fur
givin away any mo- licker, but the
ole woman thinks 1t over and says:
"'zeb, the fur Of them bars won't be
D wuth shucks fur three months, but
n what's the matter with shettin the
d varmints up in our outdoor cellar fur
the rest of the summer? 1 reckon we
a kin manage to feed 'em. and each hide
= VIII fetch SIS as soon as the fur Is
prime
"I decided that It was good idea,
. and we put out hull quart Of whisky
~ fur 'em, but fur some reason they had
left the nayburhood. The old woman
II reckoned they'd got ashamed Of them
r selves and gone off to avoid temp
d, tashun, and kinder fggered that they
D. was off spreadln the news and invitin
k, other bars to come along and sheer
good thing. We'd about given VI
seein 'em ag'in when they showed up
was all alone at the still that day
Of but had ropes at hand to tie 'em up in
tn case our plan worked, and poured
r. two full quarts Of whisky into the par
ST and set 1t out In the old place. Them
as bars had bin roamin around and keep
gu In sober fur so long that they was
~ ~ dyin fur q spree, and they tapped NJ
every drop Of that licker and licked
their chops fur mo-. They didn't 81
Jolly, as / looked fur. On the contrary
they snarled and growled and wanted
to pick a fuss with each other. Mebb'
bar is like a man about drinkin
Let him git too much, and he's ugll
instead Of jolly. 1 waited awhile an6
then follered 'em, hopin to find ZEN
asleep, and that's how cum to see
sight to make my ha'r stand up.
"Down around the bend In the ra
vine was a grassy spot and what
saw was them bars rollin four mel
over the ground. 1t wasn't a mini
befo' l knowed who them men was
They was revenoo fellers who he'd 90
news OF my still and was sneakin II
the ravine to ketch me red handed
The bars had met 'em and pitches
right in. / reckon the fellers was to-
surprised to fire a shot, though all hal
pistols, and the way them bars di'
slam 'em around was a caution. Tw
of the fellers broke away as soon as
got thar, but the other two was so bad
ly clawed that arter the bars left 'er
they could skassly crawl, and Pm sua
they laid out in the woods all night
was much obleeged to the varmints.
yo' may reckon, as they he'd saved m
from a surprise, and in my gratitood
said to the ole woman:
az amt gwine to play no tricks o
a varmint what has saved me fror
ruin. and / shan't try to captur' zen
Deed, but I'll furnish 'em with FIRE
con Juice and let 'em hev a goo
time
"They was back next day fur thel
drink, and, rememberin how quar-
had made 'em ugly drunk, / only sc
ont a pint They Tapped 1t up an
looked fur mo-, and when no mo- wa
fo'thcomin they gin us a surprise part,
Thar was TO men Of us at the sti
that day, and arter growlin around II
awhile them bars cum chargin dow
upon us. We had to scatter might
sudden, and they kept us away fur a
hour. Thar was no whisky to be q
at, and they tore down our shant,
clawed our blankets into strips an
went of growlin at each other. W
didn't see 'en ag'in fur a mont
Then one day as I was carryin a Ike
of the stuff on nv shoulder along