Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1901-02-02

had marked 'em down and would be
back some night arter honey. 1t wasn't
an hour befO' l moved them hives out
of his reach and replaced 'em with two
hives filed with straw. l shet the old
dog up in the house that night, and
long bout midnight he begun to whine
and growl. | jest got to the wlnder
when the bar showed up. He was
arter that honey, and he hadn't no
time to waste. One hive wasn't huff
fur him, and he knocked both over as
soon as he got within reach and then
made ready fur a feast. When he
found them hives hard packed with
straw, he knowed 1t was joke, and
he sot up and looked so sheepish and
mean over it that l laughed fur half
an hour. That bar went away feelin
hurt In his feelin's, but l was suah
he'd come back agin some other night
and try to pay me off.
II had jest penned up likely pig,
and that bar was bound to hev pig
meat if he couldn't hev honey. He
and so l spent two hours greasin the
roof Of the pen with soft soap. When
I was through, it was so slippery that
even claws wouldn't take hold. On
the second night. bout IL o'clock, the
bar showed up ag'in. He had bin
thinkin Of fresh pork all the afternoon
and had got hungry over it, and arter
one look around he climbed upon the
roof Of the pen. 1t had steep pitch to
It, and 1t dropped off into a gully, and
that bar had skassly got up before he
was slidin down like a log Of wood.
He shot off the roof into the gully like
q big ball. and me and the old woman
laughed till the tears came. Three
times the bar tried it, and three times
he was dumped. | yelled at him and
called him names, and his feelin's was
hurt ag'ln. He was so 'shamed bout
things that he wouldn't even fight the
dog.
II knOwed the varmint wouldn't gin
up that way, but would keep comm
back till he got sunthin. 1t struck me
that he'd go fur the chickens next, and
so had a trap all ready fur him. He
was too cute to step into 1t, and arter
roamin around fur awhile he went off.
l laughed at him and called him a
mighty pore bar, and he appeared so
lonesome over it that | almost pitied
him. He didn't come back the next
night or the next, but on the third
night he showed up agln, and | had
another joke ready fur him. ! had
headed the old dawg up in stout bar'l
and then wrapped the bar'l around
with barbed wire. / used up 200 feet
of wire around that bar'l and the
barbs stuck out like quilts Of pOrcu-
pine. As soon as the bar appeared the
old dawg begun to bark and raise a
fuss. don't reckon that varmint had
ever heard of a dawg in barl befo'.
and I'm suah he hadn't never met with
no barbed wire. He jest walked around
to make sartin Of things and then
jumped in.
"Lemme tell yo' that thar was mo-
fun In the next ten minits than most
bars and dawgs and folks hev in hull
var. Bruin started in to bust that
bar'l by huggin, but he soon gin 1t up.
Then he rolled it bout, but every time
he struck it he got prick. Sometimes
he'd chase it, and sometimes he'd run
away from it, and he did hate to gin
up beat. 1t wasn't no use in him fight
In that BARI. though, and he finally let
1t go and sOrter cried over it. He went
Off with his head down and hOmesick
shamble, and the old woman turns to
me and asks:
"'Zeb, what'r that barskin be with
when snow fliesY
"'Bout S1O' says I.
"'Then yo air so out of pocket
that bar amt gwine to furgive yo'
fur hurtin his feelin's as yO' hev.'
"'But what kin he dor
"'Dunno. but yo' jest remember what
1 say
"The old woman was right" contin-
ued Zeb. THAT bar never showed up
no mo- around my place. Long bout
tuc luSI VI NONcIuDtI Stdl tCu Out
with my gun and dawg to gather him |
In. and was reckonin on the value Of |
his hide to git boots and shoes fur the
winter. / routed him out after long
tramp. and what dye think he did?
Findin that he must die. he headed fur
Sam Harpers place, three miles away,
and he actually went right up to the
doah and laid down and seemed to beg
Sam to come out and shoot him. He
was dead and bein skinned when got
thar, and all l got was piece Of the
fresh meat. | had had a heap Of fun,
hut that bar had beat me out Of my
winter boots to pay fur it."