River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1902-11-06


chuck paused, and seemed disappoint-
ed not to hear any remarks.
"The fall O. '33. was the year that
amazin' snappin' torkle licked Sne-
deker's shorthorn BULL" he continued
after awhile, "and that fight was
quite irterestin', accordin' to the way
Uncle David remembers it.
81 couldn't fgger out why in Sam
Hill that snappin' torkle had pitched
in and licked Snedeker's BULL says
Uncle David Beckendarter, not till
found him in my orchard the next
fall, shakin' down a bar'l or more o
my ch'cest fall pippins; then ] got the
idee, an I've had it ever sence, says
Uncle David, that he had them pip
pins on his mind when he took a hand
in that fight and licked Snedeker's
bull, on purpose to save my bull from
lickin' jest to git on the right side
o. me, SOS 1 wouldn't say nothin'
when he snivvled on them apples that
he'd sot his mind on says Uncle
David; and if there's anybody here
that wants to call Uncle David a Liar
it'll be toler'ble safe for him to do
it now, for Uncle David's comm 80,
and is all bowed down over the pass
in away o that amazin' Drownded
Lands snapipn' torkle.''
81 nain't got time to tell you how
cheerin' that amazin' snappin' torkle
has been to Uncle David and Aunt
Sally ever sence the fall he licked
Snedeker's shorthorn BULL" he said.
''The pelts o. the mushrats that he
has tetched winters and give 30
Uncle David more than riz the mort
gage n the farm, and Aunt Sally
lest SETS down and Weeps bitter tears
when She thinks o the time the churn
dog took sick and died, and Aunt Sal
ly didn't know what in all creation
she was gOin' to do. She couldn't
a'done nothin' if that snappin' torkle
hadn't took pity on her and come up
and run that churnin' machine for
her every churnin' day for month.
'And he's been comm up every fall
and pullin' turnips and diggin' taters
and shakin' down apples on Uncle
David's place, enough so last him
through winter, and every Fourth CT
July he fetched Uncle David and Aunt
Sally three-pound trout for their
dinner. Every single Fourth.
"He was on his way back from
takin' 'em their trout last Fourth
when Murphy's bulldog pitched in
and tackled him. Murphy was there,
and so was Uncle David, and Uncle
David see by the look the torkle give
him that the torlkle was willin' to
give Murphy time enough to call his
dog off, and Uncle David told Murphy
so.
"But Murphy said no. The torklc
had the dog gripped by the tail, and
the dog had the same hold on the
torkle.
"'And, David says Murphy, I'll bet
you fifty that the torllle let's go first
"Unclc David looked at the torklc
and the torkle looked at Uncle David.
"I'n double the bet!' says Uncle
David, and they doubled the bet.
'The dog and the torkle hung on
to one another and didn't say word.
T'rds night the torkle give Uncle
David another look and Uncle David
wanted to raise the bet fifty, but
Murphy said no.
"Then the torl1le riz up and walked
for the river, holdin' his grip onto the
dogs tail, and the dog holdin' his
grip onto the torkle's tail The torllle
clumb into the river. Murphy's dog
give a shiver, but he held his grip.
'"The torkle stayed on top a spell.
but the dog didn't let go. Then the
| l.
with MIN, and everybody but Uncle
David said that Murphy ought to
called his dog off. but Uncle David
said no; the dog'd let go O the torkle
now, and come back, he said, and he'd
win the bet.
But the dog didn't come back, nor
the torkle didn't come back, and by
and by Murphy wanted to draw the
bet. but Uncle David said no unless
that torlxle didn't show up this fall
at 'tater-diggin' or turnip=pullin' time
he wouldn't draw the bet; no, sir:
"And it begun to look as If TIE
torkle wasn't goin' to show up, when
t'other day Uncle David seen him tot
term along to'rd the 'tater field, but
he was so thin and wobbly that Uncle
David hardly reco'nized him. And he
was carryin' a white bone in his
mouth and draggin' another one
along that was fast to his tail.
''Uncle David most busted into
tears and sent for Murphy.
"'There you bel says he to Muir
ply. The torEle has got the bone
O. your bulldogs tail in his mouth
and there's the iawbones o your bull
dog clutchin' on to the tOrkle's tail!
eyes, sir. Neither one O them crit
ters had let go, and the bulldog had
been eat up by the fishes, all but his
| iawbones that kept their clutch, ana
the torkle had held onto the bone o
the dogs tail rather than let go and
get somethin' to eat.
"Uncle David took hold O the bone
to pull it out O the torkle's mouth
so he could get some victuals into
him, but the torllle wouldn't let go.
He tottered ahead couple o steps. !
Then somethin' clicked. The jaw
bones q the dog had cracked, and It
let go the torllle's tail and fell off.
| Then the torkle give Uncle David a
look ard spit out the dogs tail bone!
He had won the bet for Uncle David,
but"