Okolona messenger. (Okolona, Miss.) 1900-current, 1902-10-22


tannery or the sawmill OF the oil well
Cousin Dusenberry don't know les.
which. But he was indigenous 10 Ia,
Eile O. the U. n. and W and Q. n. eoun
try.
I've was bowlin' along says thl
fireman 10 Cousin Dusenberry, 'uI
t'Other side o ~Slashbang Bend. wher
I see a red flag at one side o. the track
We didn't have much time to gel
stopped in says he, but we 60.
stopped. Some o the crew stepped of
20 see what was the matter, but no
body turned up to explain the haggin
except four slammin' bears says he
and they come out o. the woods, two
O. them nigh the middle o. the train
and two O. them nigh the hind end.
"'Before we could holler the two
bears at the middle o. the train saws
he, had each clumb on TO the train
and sot the brakes tighter than jack,
screws, so as we couldn't start an
inch. We had a carload O. supplies for
the tannery store and while them two
bears says he, was settin' the brakes
on the train t'other two broke into
the a and rolled out two bar'ls O.
pork and juggled 'em off into the
woods. That red fagwas Jack Bunn's
bandanner Handkerchief that he had
lost the day afore. and them bears had
jest held us up with it and highway
robbed us says he. But this bear
o your'n,' says he to Cousin Dusen.
berry, averaged fair to middlin'.
AZ vas tore a little with doubt al
to that fireman o. mine, Aunt Sally
says Cousin Dusenberry only yester.
day, in spite O. what 1 had e O. U.
H. and w. and Q. n. bears, but a few
days later 1 knowed that 1 had
wronged him. says he.
"They was goin' down the Sap
bucket grade that day, which drops
somethin' like a hundred feet TO the
mile, and they was goin' fast. Halt
way down a big bear come prancin'
out O. the woods, right in plain sight
of Cousin Dusenberry. The bear
jumped onto the track and waited for
'em, GRIMM, Aunt Sally says Cousin
Dusenberry, enough TO aggravate a
hog butcher says he. Cousin Dusen-
berry turned to his fireman and he
says:
"'Hold your breath, Bill says he,
I'm goin' to Intricate these rails with
bears grease, at a hundred miles an
hour says he.
Then he pulled his milne wide
open, and give her all the head there
was. When they reached that bear
Cousin Dusenberry couldn't see the
trees, they yer goin' so fast. Then
he hollered for brakes, but before she
had slowed any what should loom up
before Cousin Dusenberry but the
bear, climbin' up from the cowketch-
er and comm straight for the cab
window along the runnin' board.
"Cousin Dusenberry didn't wait for
the bear. He made a scramble for
the roof o. the ear behind the engine,
and the fireman followed him. The
bear come on, took possession o. the
cab, shut off steam and brought the
train to a stop half a mile further on
Then he picked up Cousin Dusenber
RVS dinner bucket and the freman's
both loaded to the lid with v~ictuals
and, with a bucket in each paw
stepped off o. the mime and marched
into the woods with 'em.
THAT un,' says the fireman Il
Cousin D%usenberry, I think is {
leetle more than the average O. fail
to middlin',' says he, and they
climbed back into the cab and pulled
ahead.
"But whether it was or not, Cousir
Dusenberry Cronk's mind was mad,
up. He see at once that r~ailroadin
on the U. H. and W. and Q. N. wal
way behind the times, and he put
the matter right TO headquarters.
"'Herel' says he TO 'em. This ROAD
amt bein' run rightl' says he.
"They wanted 70 know why 4
wasn't.
why says Cousin Dusenberry
'runnin' your mines with cow ketch
ers on to 'em,' says he, when Their,
amt s COW from one end o. the roat
to the otherl Bears i~nterferin' will
traffic at every turn and twist in tn
road, and not an mime on the lin,
with a bearketcher on to it, says he
sand what did they dor The
didn't do nothin' BY catsl They jes'
kept right on guardin' theirseltel
ag'in COWS, when there want a Gov
within 20 mile Of 'em, while bears ruH
the road jest as they dOd-blam,
pleased So Cousin Dusenberry qui'
'em, and If that road out yonder is ~
to the times and amt pig-headed ant
bound to keep in 9 rut, IL can hirl
Cousin DusenberFy Cronk, but II !
is pig-headed IL can't get hint"
Badly, the landlord, wanted :,
know of Farmer Leonard whether h
could remember another such q cold
wet summer as we had had this year
and Farmer Leonard said no, b.
couldn't. The man from Pochucl
cracked every finger he had.
sand If the railroad out there 4
pigheadeder than anything that wal
ever heerd on" said he, rising, Il
won't be half as p~ig-headed, by cats.
as some folks that is settin' RICH.
hawalH