Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1902-08-01
TWO PLUGS NEEDED FOR EACH
MAN.
Guide Explains How Life Was Saved
Through Presence of Mind.
[From the Chicago Post. ]


Il hopes as how you will excuse me.
gents" said the guide, as he proceeded
to make an inventory of the supplies pro-
vided for the hunting trip, but l like
to make sure that everything's O. X.
faint proper to take no chances in these
here matters, an l specially wants to
know that the liquor is all here. Y see
/ knowed a man once who'd passed in
his checks good an plenty If it hadn't
been fer couple O. bottles of the old
stuff
Snake bite?" asked one of the party.
The guide shook his head Accident"
he said.
Accident" exclaimed the other in
surprise. oh. 1 suppose the whiskey
acted as stimulant and kept his strength
up until you could get medical assist
ance."
moo; 'twan't just that" answered
the guide but the thing gave us all
bad scare. an I amt never took no
chances of bein' without few bottles
since then"
Tell us about it."
Well said the guide, as soon as he
had convinced himself that the whiskey
was there. 'It was this here way: Ne
an Bill, my partner, has big party out
an one of the fellows is a little measley
fool of chap with SO gun that he IS
forever a shootin' off. Now a IS rifle
amt the biggest thing in the way of a
shootfn' iron there is in these parts but
1t can bore hole an plenty big enough
TO suit most folks, an this fellow seems
just achin to plug somebody He acts
like he really wants to do it, an we has
to talk to him frequent an strong about
hlazin' away promiscous like but II
don't do any good. He goes away from
camp every night to blaze away at any
thing he sees in the woods an one
night he catches Bill.
Me an Bill is sittin' by the camp fire
when the stunt comes off. an We has two
bottles in front of us. That's the only
thing that saves Bits life If we'd for
got these bottles he'd "a been a goner
fer sure; he'd "a tramped the golden
stairs 'thout havin' time to take his
boots off, which would "a been powerful
bad manners, an Bnrs stickler fer dom
things right an proper But the bottles
is there, an he is saved"
But how did they save him?" de-
manded an impatient member of the
party.
''Huh?'
How did they save him? You
haven't told us yet"
"Oh. fer surne" exclaimed the guide
alphabetically. "Clean forgot to tell you
how twas done, didn't 1? Y see, 1t hap
pens like this: Me an Bill is sitting by
the fire with the bottles in front of us,
feelin' its shame to turn in leavin' any
TO be split by some careless galoot, when
a bullet from this here 3S comes singin'
along an hits Bill in the right breast.
soin' right through his body. Well, in
course its dollars TO dry twigs he'll bleed
to death If that there wound amt fixed
up mighty sudden. There amt no time
fer foolin' when a bullet goes clean
through man, an that's where we was
lucky in not fergettin' the whisky"
But what good did that do you?'
asked the impatient one.
''Huh?'
81 say, what good did that do your
"Oh, what good did that do? Why
Bill he's a man what amt ever fabber-
gasted. He knows what to do eyerr
time. he does. an he jest reaches over
fer the two corks, an he takes one an
/ takes the other, an he plugs up the
hole In front an I plugs up the hole be-
hind an there he is as good as ever
The various members of the party
looked hard at the guide, but he was
solemn as an owl.
mo SIR" he said, cit amt safe to take
no chances, an If you'll excuse me,
gents, I'll just say as how the supply is
little short"
"Short!' they exclaimed. "Why there
are eight bottles here"
Fer sure" replied the guide calmly
but there's six in the party. an Bits
accident has taught me that faint safe
to start 'thout having two plugs fer each
man."