Williston graphic. (Williston, Williams County, N.D.) 1895-1919, 1902-12-04
after awhile, "and that fight was
10 ~ 70 I,

j
Hill that snappin' torkle had pitched
Uncle David Beckendarter, mot till !
found him in my orchard the next
fall, shakin' down ,barl 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 hand
/ in that fight and licked Snedeker's
bull, on purpose to save my bull from
a lickin' jest to git on the right side
o. me, SOS 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 liar
it'll be toler'ble safe for him to do
it now, for Uncle David's comm 81,
and is all. bowed down over the pass
in away O. that amazin' Drownded
Lands snapipn' torkle.'
II hain'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 ketched winters and give to
Uncle David more than riz the mort
gage IN the farm, and Aunt Sally
jest sets down and weeps bitter tears
when she thiaks 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 Of
July he fetched Uncle David and Auns
Sally q three-pound trout for their.
dinner. Every single Fourth. l
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 torkie give
him that the torkle 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 torlSle lets,go first
'Unclc David looked at the torkle
and the torkle looked at Uncle David.
"I'll double the bet!' says Uncle
David, and they doubled the bet.
"The dog and the torl>le hung on
to one another and didn't say word.
"Then the tor]1le 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 torkle
clumb into the river. Murphy's deg
give SILVER, but he held his grip.
1.-THE torl1le stayed on top spell.
but the dog didn't let 60. Then the
torkle went under and took the dog
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 torlle didn't come back, and by
and by Murphy wanted to draw the
bet, but Uncle David said no unless
that torkle didn't show up this fall
at 'tater-diggin' or turnip-pullin' tire
he wouldn't draw the bet; no, sir!
Sand it begun to look as if the
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 hs
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 be!' says he to MUIR
ply. The torkle has got the bone
O. your bulldogs taA in his mouth,
and there's the jawbones o your bull
dog clutchin' on to the torkle's tail!'
eyes, sir. Neither one O. them crit
tiers had let 60, and the bulldog hal
been eat up by the fishes, all but his
iawbones that kept their clutch, and
the torkle had held onto the bone o
the dogs tail rather than let 60 and
get somethin' to eat.
"Uncle David took hold O. the bons
to pull it out O. the torkle's moutr
SO he could get some victuals into
him, but the torl<le wouldn't let 60.
He tottered ahead a couple O. steps.
''Then somethin' clicked. The jaw
bones q the dog had cracked, and It
let 20 the torlle's tail and fell of.
Then the torkle give Uncle David q
look ard spit out the dogs tail bone!
He had won the bet for Uncle David,
but" r--.-E
Don't dwell on the rest" said
Badly, the landlord, holding up both
hands. $50 right in and get ten fin