The Starkville news. (Starkville, Miss.) 1902-1960, 1904-04-08


after he fetched in the wildcat and the
fox. one day.
"'He wasn't out after wildcat nor
fox, neither. He was jest trampin' the
woods with his eye peeled fer bear, but
bear didn't seem to care to have him
git his eye on to 'em, and they laid low.
So he sot down on to a log and lit his
pipe, and was smokin' away, GRIMM
to think how skeert all the bears was of
him, and yit mad to know that they
was, when big red fox come trottin'
out o the bushes and went skitin' past
Uncle Splitter like streak o. grease.
"'Thinkin' that he mowt as we'll take
fox skin home IL he couldn't do no
better, Uncle Splitter hauled up to put
bullet into that one, when the fox got
behind big chestnut tree and didn't
come out into sight ag'in. Uncle Splitter
stepped round the tree to git bead on
the fox and seen It's brush disappearin'
round t'other side o. the tree. He fol-
Tered it on his tiptoes, and it KEEP goin'
on. and so save his pesky gizzard, as
Uncle Spitzer used to say, he couldn't
git higher to that fox than to jest git
glimpse o. that tail o. his'n whiskin'
round the circle.
"'Unc1e Splitter broke into a stiff
run. but that didn't make a bit O.
difference. The fox's tail KEEP jest
ahead O. him. all the same. Then he
slowed down to a snairs pace. think
in that the fox would come on and
overtake him, sure. not KNOWN that
he had slowed down: but the sly old
chap was so cute that he sized his
gait right down to Uncle SpitZer's,
and KEEP that consarned tail O. his'n
jest ahead O. his nose. with not an.
other speck O. fox carcass to be seen.
'Findin' that he couldn't git sight
at nothin' but the fox's tail by fol-
lerin' of it that way, Uncle Splitter
all Of suddent stopped square in his
tracks. turned round and started back
in t'other direction, thinkin', O. course,
that he'd take the willy chicken-stealer
off his guard and come face to face
with him. But he didn't. When Uncle
Splitter turned and took the back
track. all he could see when he swung
round the circle was that same old
bushy tail trailin' along, and jest
roundin' the corner ahead OF him. az
usual.
"'Now, Uncle Splitter had been cir
cleatin' the grit o that tree fer goin'
on to 20 minutes, and, havin' tramped
somethin' like 20 mile over the hills
besides, he begun to feel his wind git
tin leetle skeerce. Consistently, he
wasn't as gentle in his mind as lamb
On the hillside, and he said that II he
could only a got his hands on to that
fox jest at that minute he'd a. treated
him worse than Samson did that little
flock O. foxes he ketched wunst on a
time, as you mowt a. heerd about,
DanI. and tied blazin' pine knots to
their tails. While Uncle Splitter stood
there a-cussin' like sojers will, he see
fer the first time big holler place In
the tree nigh the ground. He got an
idee in second.
"'Chasin' the fox round the tree two
or three times as fast as he could Jump,
Uncle Spitzer Topped down and crep'
into that holler place. The fox came
on, and as he was passin' the holler,
Uncle Spitzer showed his gun barl out
like a fash, ketched the fox under the
belly. and give it a sweep up that sent
1t flyin' clean amongst the branches
o. the tree. Uncle Splitter was out on
his feet in a second, and had dead
aim on to the fox before he had time
to turn and drop back lords the
ground.
"'As he drawed bead on the fox In
the air, he sees a tremendous big
wildcat scroochin' on the limb of
tree, right in range of his gun, and
not 20 foot away. The varmint was
all ready to spring on Uncle Splitter.
Uncle Splitter had an idee that his bull
let would slosh clean through the fox
and pink into the wildcat, too, and
he'd git 'em both without putin his
self out any, and he whanged away.
"Down come the fox. deader than
a gate post, but the bullet missed the
wildcat Before Uncle Splitter could
take his gun down to get another load
into it, the wildcat sprung for him. 1t
struck the end o. his gun barl with It's
Jaws wide open. and it was goin' so
fast that the bar'l slid clean through
It. like stringin' a bead on thread.
and Uncle Splitter fetched 1t in strung
that way, draggin' the fox along by
.ts big brush. SO If anyone ever had
any idee O. sayin' anythin' agin Un.
Gle Soitzer wearin' that Britisher sojer
coat o. his'n they never said 1t after ne
fetched in that wildcat and that fox.
""Then by and by Uncle Splitter took
to sayin' that there wasn't nothin' in
our woods no more that was worth any
body's while to tackle. and he sWore
reg'lar every fall that he'd never be