The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1901-12-20
he thought would be the worst wipe

he thought would be the worst wipe
yit."
1t seems that Jephtha Virgins was
the greatest pelt gatherer in the Old
Passadanky country, and he had a
daughter named Prudence. Paley
Since, likely young woodsman, was
in love with Prudence, and the feeling
was reciprocal
"Now," as the Passadanky narrator
will tell you, ''mebbe you mowt wen
der what under the canopy Old Belize
bub had to do with that. Nothin', meb-
be. 'Tain't likely that he cared a snap
whether Paley SINCE loved Prudence
Virgins. But Jepthy Virgins cared.
He had other ideas for his daughter,
and well that amazin' bear knowed it..
Jepthy wanted the Squire Bimbler pos
sessions in his family, and he could git
'em by marryin' Prudence to the
squire's son forum. forum didn't
want to git married, and Prudence
didn't want to marry forum, but Jo-
rum and Prudence didn't have any
say in it. The squire and Jepthy fixed
it to suit themselves. The weddin'
night come, but no Jorum Along in
the forenoon of the next day in come
forum to Virgins.
old Beelzebub kidnapped me as
was on my way over here through the
woods yisterdayv said forum. He run
me straight and fast to Gormley's bar
pen, way back at the head Of the big
swamp, and KEEP me there all night"
Jephtha Virgins swore that he would
hunt down that vengeful and vindic-
tive bear and strip off his pelt if it took
him all the rest of his days.
''It was gittin' along lords Christ
mas time when Paley plucEed up cour-
age to ask Jepthy ag'in for Prudence.
Jepthy turned on him, GRIMM the ag-
gravatinest kind, and blurted out:
eyes. you kin have her-that is, if
you fetch me two black sheepskinS for
a Christmas present! If you don't, you
can't never have her!'
''NOw, of course, that was just as
good as tellin' Paley that there wasn't
any use. He never knowed to his
dyin' day what it could "a been that
sent him roamin' and roamin' that day,
but he went a-roamin', and the first
thing he knowed he found himself on
the edge of a scrubby lookin' clearin'
in the Sour Medder district, and he
seen a man clubbin' what he s'posed
was a tame bar That riled him
more'n ever. and he shouted to the
man:
"'What are you poundin' that poor
bar for?
cts my BAR the man shouted
back, and if you don't like what I'm
doin' come here and I'll pound you
awhile and give the bar restv
"And what did Paley do but so over
there, and l s'pose that when he got
through with that citizen of the Sour
the worst whipped man ever seen in
them parts.
"'Therev said Paley. when you
run ag'in me, you haven't got no bar
to fool with!
"And then Paley see that it was Bart
Sproat he had been lickin' and that the
bar was Old Beelzebub. Paley hadn't
gone more than hundred yards on
his way when, lookin' over into Bart's
field, he see two of the biggest and
blacklist sheep that ever cropped sor-
rel!
""The only two black sheep in the
hull blame country Paley groaned,
and here I've gone and most hammer
ed the life out of the man that owns
'em! Tossed Prudence away jest to
take the part Of a rambunctious old
sheep stealth barr
"Paley. actually batted himself ag'in
his head with his fist and lifted up his
voice and wept. After awhile he cooled
down leetle and got an idee.
"T'll go back and apologize to Bart,
said he, and offer him twenty dollars
for them sheep! That's as much as his
hull clearin' would fetchv
$50 Paley went back. The bar laid
on the ground lickin' himself, and Bart