The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1902-02-13
!: No Tobacco for
!: Solomon
: a Henlock Belt Story Hboue
!. p Gifted Catfish
arTHE man sat on the top rail of the

John Gilbert, the travelling grocery
man, referring to an incident of a trip
through the Hemlock Belt last fall.
"He hailed me and | stopped my horse.
"'Cap'n,' said he. kin you give me
toler'ble good-sized chaw off O. your
Plug o. black navy terbacker|
81 told him / could not.
"'Tain't fer me. said the man. It's
fer solomon. If Solomon don't git a
chaw o. navy plug terbacker he'll be
dead afore night \ comfortable sized
hunk off O. your plug might see him
through, Cap'n.'
"T can't help you out said |. l
haven't got any navy plug tobacco
"'Socks!' said the man, getting an
easier position on the rail. This is
tough! Solomon's goner, sure as
catS!'
II told the man that thought that
any person who was such a slave to to-
6acco that he would die unless ne got
chaw would be about 5 well off dead as
alive.
Yes said the man. But I'm afeard
your pint don't jest eNac'ly hit Solo
mon. They told you about Solomon.
didn't they. down to Geeville?
II said they hadn't mentioned Solo
mon.
Sing'lar how folks don't think o.
things when they oughter,' said the
man, much put out over the forgetful-
ness Of people at Geevl,e. why, a dog
fight. or an ask to come have somethin'
even. used to take back seat for teliin'
about solomon, down to Geeville.'
81 was in quite hurry and was start
ing on my way when the man on the top
rail hailed me again and paused.
"'Though you say you hain't got no
black navy pug, Cap'n.' said he, i
don't want you TO go away with wrong
.idees about Solomon. It won't never
do. The way of was this: Twas bob
bin for catfish over in Ganderneck
pond one night, and | kctched some
thin like bushel. One of them was a
good two-pound in heft, and | noticed
that he swore and iawed at me with a
good deal more vim, and a good deal
longer. than any o the others did.
az logged my fish home, and this
sassy big fel,er KEEP mp his iawin' al,
the way. / chucked him and the rest Of
EN- in box on the back stoop, and ]
could hear him pitchin' into me long
after had gone to bed. Next mornin'
when | went out there was that big
feller as full o life and vim as ever,
but he had coo'ed down.
"1Ie looked up at me, winked one
eye, made a spring out o. the box and
landed plumb in a pail o. water | was
| carrying out TO water the COW with. !
says TO myself that here was a catfish
with snap, and I'd jest give him q
chance to work himself up. So
turned him into a tub full o. water, and
ii wasn't long afore | found that |
hadn't made no mistake about him.
"'That catfish would grab and eat
anything you chucl<cd in the tub to
| him, but one day when ! thought I'd
| Farm Jest how a catfish took the
hook when they was fished for hid
hook in a nice piece o pork and
| handed il down TO him at the end
| Of a line. DO YOU know, Cap'u, that
| amazjn' catfish Jest cooked his eye
up at me and winIed, and turned his
| tail ag'in that nice bit O. pork with
| a hook i'm it and swoShcd it, hook
and all, clean out o the tub!
"'Mc and him got so close and nm.
dcrstandin' with one another that
! arorc he'd been in the tub week
| want afcarcd to bet anybody two
dollars that they couldn't fish that
catfish out on n fiShhool, or two dol,
lars that they could, either which
way they wanted to take the bet,
"1f anybody bet me that he could
fish the stupid-lookin' old Teller out
on hook the catfsh'd give me q
scowl at the nice fat bait with the
hook in il that was stuck under his
nose, and never fetch it. But il
anybody took the bet that he
couldn't fish the catfish out why
Solomon called him Solomon
mon'd go for that bait like hawk
| for chicken, grab IT at the hinc
side o. the hook and would be flop
pin on the ground outside the tut
afore the chap that had made tn,
bet got over his scare and l<noweC
what had happened.
Then Solomon would spit out the
hook and I'd dump him back in tn,
tub, and the way he'd grin up at tn,
chap as he handed me over his tive
dollars was worth two dollars o
any mans money. Me and Solo
mon worked together so brothcrll
and entcrprisin' that we paid off tn,
mortgage on my clearin' and bough
a mule and the best coon dog on tn,
Passydanky spread in less'n TIVE
months.
lone day the hired man wa,
standin' at the tub lookin' al Solo
mon, and he took out his plug q
black navy terbacker-say Cap'n, /
YOU kin give me toler'ble good
sized chaw off o your plug o. iis
common, everyday yalier tobacco, it.,
be sort o. balm in Gilyad TO Solomon