The Cooperstown courier. (Cooperstown, Griggs Co., N.D.) 1902-1913, 1903-08-27
Tales from the
Knob Country
= 1T HE Knob country lost Its leadin.'

=. n. aE lhMQO f00untly sfOSI .4lS ~
and. most valuable citizen when
Uncle Jasper died, remarked the man
from that stored part Of the Pike coun-
ty wilderness that lies back of Lacka-
wack:: ssWhy, Uncle Jasper could
. actu'lly smell bear, Uncle Jasper could!
And when itlcomeI 10 wild, cats. why,
gosh all .hemlock!s he was like 4 prophet
Of old! !,
"ons time hadn' t. seen a Wildcat III
two months, and wanted couple the
.;wust way Seemed Asif wild cats had
all leftthe county.so, one day was
!: passi1's along by Un1e Jasper's and l
asked hin where all tie wildcats was. -
''He Said he hadn't Thought nothin'
aboutswildcats for good while.
Why says he, do you want some?''
'Onlya COUPLE days.
Lemme see.' says he. This 70
along in November lie says 4.
"Then he looked around at; the wealth
er awhile; and seemed to be considerin'
the leaves, how they was fallin'. and
then he5says:
We'll, Dan'l,' he says, 4 see by the
way things looks that there's q couple
O. wildcats down back O. the swamp
yender,' he says, and I'm glad you come
along he says, cause wouldn't 81
thought nothin' about wildcats IL you
hadn't come along he says. land them
two would a been up here and played
hob with my chickens tonight, sure!'
he says. I wish you'd go down and git
''em,' he says, but you won't git 'em
both ifzyou don't act right, for they amt
together
Go down just beyond the big tama-
racks first he says. There, in one o.
them tanaaracks, or nigh it, you'll run
agfn one O. them wildcats, he says.
It'll be the littlest one o. the two.
Don't kill her dead, he says sJest wing
her SO she can't git away or jump on to
you. Then she'll yell. Great Jupiter!
how she'll yell! he says.
Then you want to keep your eye
peeled sharp. fer it won't be long before
t'othersHn'll come tearin' along that way,
from upyender in the laurels, where he's
'layin' about this time, watchin. fer :
pheasant. :.E; y
He'll hear them yells o. her'n, says
Uncle Jasper, and he'll tear down to see
what's goins on. Stand out good where
he'll see you about the time he gifts with
in couple O. rod O. where t'other un's
q yellin' and spittin' and squallin', says
Uncle Jasper. When he sees you he'll
sto? and squat. Then you let him have
1t.
And be sure you kill him. II you
don't mebbc you'll be sorry you went
down after 'em. So be sure you kill him.
Then says Uncle Jasper. you kin
settle t'other un.' he says. and you'll
have 'em both, and I am glad you come
along he'says. SOS to set me to thinkin'
about wildcats, and SOS could sort o.
locate these two fer. you.' he says.
Them two is all there ID in these parts
to-day. 'cordin' to the signs he says.
That's the way Uncle Jasper laid out
the programme fer me that day as to
wildcats, and ! .follered It out and got
'em both. A leadin' and valuable citi-
zen Uncle Jasper was, and 1t was big
swat to the Knob country when he
passed away. Ia /. a
ut was somethin' tough on him that
he had to go. too. partic'ly as he had to
leave setch woman to be widder as
Hammer was. Why, whenever Iremem-
Der Hammer and them three bears I al
most have to set down and shed tears for
Uncle Jasper to think he had to 70 and,
leave setch woman wilder.
Them three bears. the old she one
and thetwo spring cubs, they come down
into the corn patch at Jasper's iclearin',
jest about dusk one day, when the milk
Was In the corn, and laid out. to have a
high old feast on to 1t. They knowed.
them bears did, Jest az sure as you're
born, that Uncle Jasper was way back
@ the Knob. havin' the gun with him.
/ and wasn't comm home that night: but
they didn't know that Hammer had 10
many pints about her.
They had been rompin' around in the
eorn. tearin' OF roastins ears and hayin.
= good time gener,ly, before Hammer dis
covered a no FUN in
81. ~ -