West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1901-01-10

- around yere,' said the old pos.
poSsum hunter of Tennessee,
"we had fo'teen kegs of whisky in the shaft
of an old iron mine on the side of the moan
taiug. That shaft was 30 feet deep and
grown about 10y bushes. Arter the whisky
had Staid thar over two years il was planned
fur me TO. take it out aud sell il and divide
up the money. The old woman knew of
the plant, but wasn't goiu TO say nuthin
bout my geNiu the kegs out. She was rec.
onin all along that some one else would do
that One afternoon driv the mule and
cart as nigh the place as could, aud aloug
'bou, two hours arter nightfall says to the
old woman
"lf yo' don't consider to object. reckon
I'll so over aud see Dan Skinner this evenin.
Dan is ieelin peekish aud lonesome. and
likely we'll hev a game OF checkers To
brighten him up"
"'Ba, do object, she says. Il was
reckonin to sing some hymns tonight while
yo' played the fiddle. also want to talk
TO yo' 'bou, Noer and his ark
'-l've got a sore thumb and can't fiddle,
and, as fur Noer, he will keep Till some
other time. Nuihin ruShin bou, Noer.
with that she turns ON me and looks me
sqnar in the facs, and artcr mini, she says
"'Zeb White, don't go go To fooin with
Noer aud his ark OF sum,hn' powerful bad
will come out of il. Dan Skinner may feel
peekish. or he may he dyin'. but what we
wants to know is how all them critters found
their way into the ark. How did IL happen
that the hens didn't eat up the tater bugs
while they was walkin' together ?"
Dunno
"'Why didn't the foxes eat all the hens P
dunno
why didn', the bars eat the pigs
dunno
"'Oi co'ss yo' don't, and THAT'S why
want yo' to squat righ, down yerc with me
and try and igger /, out. | shan't never
be satisfied TO die till find out how the
elephants and hosses aud cattle managed to
sat into that ark without treadn on. the
sarpinis and bugs.
81 seen that her jaw was sot fur row, &"
continued Zcb. '.bui had sold tha, whisky
and must 81, il on, that night. and so told
her I'd so along over to SINNERS aud put
in the next two nights with her on Noer.
She looked at me ag'in, but didn't say
nuthin I'LL was on the dcahstep. Then
she p'inted her finger at me and said
'''Go right along, Zeb White, but If the
Lawd don't dun git yo' into heap of tub
bic over il then / don't know cheanuts
from punkins .
81 hurried off without sayin anything
back and half an hour later was bringing up
the kegs II was dod rolted bizness. /
had TO slide down rope, hitch on to kcg
and then climb up aud pull the keg arter
me. Ought 10 had niger 10 help me,
but thar wasn' one around to trust. I'd
got up fo' kegs all righ, and was comm up
to pull the fifth one up when sunthin hap.
pened. jest as was nearin the top of the
hole ! heard grow and 'whoof and
big bar made stroke at my head with his
paw. was that durn skeered that lest
let 80 and drapped TO the bottom of the
shaft and got jar that made my bones
ache fur week.
What they calls the situashun was this /:
! was down in hole and bar was waitin
fur me to come up aud do bizness with him.
Yo' kin see that the pesky varmint had all
the advantage. lie could smash my skull
with one blow Of his paw as my head come
within reach. yelled and hollercd at him,
thinkin 70 skcer him away, but he looked
over the edge Of the hole at me and growIed
and shifted and seemed minded to fall on
top Of me. Il wasn't five mini;s befo' I
wished I was home ialkin bout Noer. but
wishin' was no good. ! kept quiet fur two
or three hours and then started 10 climb up.
The bar was thar. lie was thar at mid.
night and sunrise, and I'm teliin' yo' that
be vas thar at noon and at TO- O'Clock in the
afternoon. The shaft was as dry as a bone.
aud was thirsty 'nun TO drink swamp
water. The way things was fixed that bar
could keep me down thar ull perished,
and when he appeared as II he was like 10
do u ! felt that I hadn't used nav old woman
right and wanted 10 ask her 20 furgive nae.
Bout 70 O'Clock, while ! was keepin mighty
quiet, hears rifle shot above, and directly
afterwards human face looks down ON me.
II was the old woman. She drawed the
rope up beyond my reach and then called
down
els anybody down thar yisitn Dan Ssin-
ner who feels peckish and wants 20 play
checkers 2
"Ii yo'll lemms up, rlan yo'r pardon.
says T.
q slcbbie ,hs, voice belong. to zeb
Whue2"
"'She do.
And mebbe his sore thumb has got
we'll so that be kin fiddle
"'Shc has,.
Then we'll hey some Gddlin and singin
"And with that she lowers The fiddle by
q string, and as soon as ! got tuned up she
began singin and kept u up fur an hour.
Then she calls down.
"'Icb, what about Noer aud his ark
I'm wilin 70 talk, says T..
How long will yo talk p
All the rest of the fall and winter.
Feared 90 me when yo spoke of Il last
even ~ that didni kccf much bout N0er
and bis ark. but I'm 6ndiu out that take
e heap Of interest 10 em. I'm wiilin 90 sit
up AT night and Try io hgger out bout the
hens and tatcf bugs
Then mebbe yod better come up.
says she, and she dmps the rope fur me To-
climb by never felt SO glad in my life as
when got oui and seen a dead bar thar.
wanted TO gin the old woman a kiss, but
she waves me 0h and saws
2" Don't so be in sich hurry, Mr
White. Auer yo' hey ate and drank and
slept, and auer we've pnt in bout TO-
weeks hggerin on Noer, ven see boat the
kissin bizncs5 Chuck them kegs back into
the hole. load up the bar, and we'll e.