The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1902-04-06
DRY. By Alfred Henry Levi


Then lie rigs a layout made up Of guy
ropes an stay-laths. an L ras 10 wear it
an mebby in three or four weeks, he's so
me warped back into the per2eadic'ia-'
But how about this we're cat nUnt?
asks Dan Bosgs. Which I don't ain to b'
introosive none. but I'm camDed were
through the second drink waitin' for it. al
these Demonstrations is maxim me kind o
batty.'
That panther hunt is like this. says
the Colonel. tUrnin' to Dan. At the age OF
seventeen. ME an eight or nine of my in
innate brave comrades POUNDS what we-aIl
denom'nates as the Chevy Chase HuntiE'
Club Each OF Us maintains Il passed. Ct
odds an ends OF dogs. IN at stlted inter-
walls We convenes on bosses. an with these
yere four-score ours at our hooks, goes
yellin' an skally-hootin' up an DOWN the
countryside, aiIowin' we're shore a band OF
Nimrods that away.
1.-The Chevy Chasers amt been in bsin'
as a institootion over long when chance
opens a gate to serious worS. The deep
SHOWS over in the Eastern Mountains it
looks like has done drove a panther into
our neighborhood. You-aiI could hear Of
AHAA "a S1A -NCS. 1OAAo amps nam ~
an then. They allows he's about the size
OF a yearlin' calf; an the way he pulls
down sech feeble people as sheep. or lays
desoIate some helpless henroost, don't
bother him a bit. This yere panther spreads
a horror over the county. Dances, pra'er
meetin's, an even poker parties is broken
up, an the social life Of that region sort
o. begins 10 bog down. Even a weddin' suf-
fers; the bridesmaids stayin' plumb away
lest this we're ferocious monster should
show up in the road an chaw one OF EN-
while she's en- route for the scene OF
trouble. That's gospel troothi the pore de-
serted bride has too heel an handle her
self, an never a friend to yoonite her sobs
with hers doorin' that weddin' ordeal. The
old ladies present shakes their heads a heap
solemn.
"t'It's a worse augoOry," says one,
ethan the boots of Il score of squinch owls"
"'When this we're reign of terror is at
its heights the local eye is rolled towards
us Chevy Chasers. We rises to the oppor- |
tunity. Day after day, were ridin' them
hills an wales, readin' the milk-white snow
Tor tracks. An we has, success. One morn
in I comes up on two OF the Breckenridge
boys. an five more Of the Chevy Chasers.
settin' on their bosses at the Skinner cross
roads. Bob Crittenden's gone TO turn me
out, they says. Then they p'ints down to a
of close-wpve bresh an stunted
timber an allows that this yere maraudin' ]
is hidin' thar; they see him
skulkin' in.
Gents, 1 amt above admittin' that them
puts my heart to a canter. I'm brave;
but conflicts that away with wild an saw
age beasts is to me a novelty, an while
[ faces my fate without a hutter. I'm
'ere to say I'd sooner been in pursoot of
nlnks or raccoons. or some sech varmint
grievous cap bilities I can more
stack w, an in whose merry
ways, I'm better versed. However. the
blood of my g~randsire mounts in
check: an as If the shade of that old
is thar pers'nal to suggest 1t, 1
searches forth a flask an renoos my sperit;
IN THUS qualified for periis, come in what
orm they may. 1 resolootely stands nay s
" Thar's forty dogs II thars one In our
ompany as we pauses at the Skinner cross
Dads. An when the Crittenden yooth re-
irns, he brings with him the Rickett boys
n some forty added dogs. Which it's
'orth a ten-mile ride to get u glimpse of
nat outfit of CANNES. Thar's every sort ,
nder the canopy; thar's the stolid hound q.
ne alert flee. the sapient collie: that is. /
lar's indlvtdyooal ours wherein the hound s
: flee or collie seems to predominant as
strain. But the trooth is thar's not that i
g a-whinin' about our HOSES fetlock, '
no amt proudly descended from full ff- :
en- different tribes, an they shorely !,
axes a motley mass meetin'. Still, they're
'od, Jealous dogs: an as they're goin' to I
for'ard an take most of the resks OF Q
at panther. it seems indivdious to crit. c
Sc 'em. |
i One CT the Twitty boys rides down an :
ts the eighty or more dogs into the bresh. {"
lie rest of US lays back an strains our t
es. Thar he is! A shout goes up as we I
series the panther stealin' Off by a far Q
rner. He's headin' along a hollow, that's =.
Il of bresh an baby timber, an runs q
rallel with the pike. Big an yellow he Il
We can tell from the slight fash We II
is of him as he darts into a second clump p
bushe With a ~rry-what young Crit =
nden calls a view halloo"-we goes pi- n
otin' down the pike in pursoot. d
: our dogs is plumb sta'nch; they shore