Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1902-05-22
TWO COON STORIES,

But this time the season must nave been
pretty well along, for Jim said folks were
gathering their chestnuts where ne was.
'He was driving along, thinking how
lovely nature was and yet how queer. He
didn't tell me where it was where he was
driving along, and he came to man work
ing away in field like all possessed, with
pick and shovel. Jim Bennett says he
stopped and hollered to the man.
Hello, neighbor Short a meat, eh?
|The man quit digging and leaned on his
pick.
"'No, said he, hollering back at Jim. 4
dunno as I'm any way short o, meat.
''Then Jim says he hollered back at the
man:
"'Why, you're digging to get ground
hog out, amt you!
''The man hollered back at Jim:
emo, amt diggin' to git grounding
out. I'm diggin' to get coon in.
Digging to get coon in! he says he
hollered why, that's kind O queer,
amt it?'
MAYBE it is and maybe it hain't,' the
man hollered back at Jim. That's accord
in to how folks looks at it,
"'But where's the 'coon%
Come over here and LII tell you, the
man hollered back at Jim.
$50 jim says he tied his horse to the
fence and went over into the field where the
man was The man leaned on his pick
and looked at Jim awhile and then said:
"'The coon is deadv
eJim Bennett says this gave him a real
start, because he thought he was face to
face with a crazy man; but he stood his
ground, and the man said:
L;
"THen the man proceeded with his talk,
and Jim says it wasn't long before he found
that the man wasn't crazy, not by jug
full but was simply kind and observant
citizen, relating strange facts
"'Yes, sir, the man said to Jim Bennett,
according to what Jim tells me, he was a
coon among 'coons, and I'm going to
plant him here because he was SO all-per
vadin' smart that he deserves to have a
gravestone. He made one sad mistake
to be sure. I didn't want him to go out
after the chestnuts. The boys was to blame
for his goin. And I'll lick old Jim Carter
till he can't see first time | run ag'in him.
"My boys is full of action and vim, and
they move around this district consider BILE
getherin' apples and chestnuts anc sech,
like boys with vim gener'ly does. Jim
Carter has got chestnut tree on his place,
i'inin' mine, that beats all the trees | know
of, and my boys always gifts hankerin'
after that tree long about this time O.
year; but Jim Carter keeps his eye onto it
outrageous close, and my boys have got to
put up with a good deal of botherin' by
him If they let their hankerin' for that tree
git the best of 'em.
GIVE got a spy glass at home, a slammin'
good one Jim Carter he lives a mile from
that chestnut tree o his'n, but he keeps
comm toward it every chance he gets to
see if it's bein' tempered with; SO what
does my boys do but take to luggin' that
spy glass with 'em and sweepin' the coun-
try with, it, so if Jim is comm from any
direction they kin see him long before he
gifts within any sort O. sight O. them, and
kin keep on getherin' chestnuts till he
gifts too close for it to be safe for 'em.
"'This mornin' that coon O mine, after
he had rocked the baby to sleep and fed
the chickens and the pigs, so Jim Bennett
tells me the man said, took down that
spy glass and started out. Now, | didn't
know this then, or I'd "a found out more
about it, and either stopped the coon or
give him some p'ints. But know it now.
"'He took that spy glass cause he had
been with the boys durin' one or two of
their hankerin' trips, and went over to Jim
Carriers tree chestnuttin' He chestnutted
and chestnutted, sweepln' the country
every now and then with the spy glass to
keep track o Jim.
He seen Jim by and by comm toward
the tree. But that coon kept on chest
muffin. He kept on chestnuttn' so I'M
fortunate long that Jim Carter got there
and loaded him with half dozen buck
shot. and the coon came out of the tree
dead.
"'He has made a sad mistake, smart as
he was He had been sweepin' the country
through the big end O the spy glass. Of
course, that made Jim Carter look more
than mile away when he wasn't so yards
from the tree, and-well, this is that 'coon's
grave, and Pm goin' to plant him in it,
.'Jim Bennett says that was more than
he ever learned about 'coons before, and
he was glad he had stopped and talked to
the man. Jim drove along and by and by,
he says, he came to a nice, smart little
village, where everything looked prosper
Gus and pleasing, except one tall, stoop-
shouldered, neglected-looking man who
was going down the street with yaller
dog at his heels. Jim gazed after the man
kind O. plying, he says, and another citizen,
a spruce, jolly-appearing individual said to
him:
"'That's Sam Fleming And real de-
cent, good-actn' citizen he would be, too,
if it wasn't for that one bad failin' O. his n.
He huns coons.
"Jim Bennett says he couldn't say a
word.
Every night Sam and that yaller dog o
his'n is out rhuntin' 'coons, Jim says this
citizen said sorrowful as could be. And
he skins 'em, and nails them skins to his
barn door till you'd think he was runnin' a
LANYARD. And he eats them 'coons!
"Jest think of it! Now, we all like Sam,
and we've been doin' all sorts O. things
to try and shame him out O that failin' o
his'n, but we can't seem to do it. Now,
if he'd only lift somebody's chickens or
steal sheep, we mowt do somethin' for
him. Then we could take him up and
send him some'rs where they'd keep him
out O. harms way.
"EThere's one more thing we're goin' to
try. If that don't shame him into reform
in, then he'll have to move some'rs else.