The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-02-22

He stood There and Looked at Me-
ten rninits befo' walkin' off. He 'peared
to be mighty pleased. and men the old
woman decided that he was the sort OF
a critter TO do US a good turn if it came
his way. It didn't pan out that way,
though
How did it come out?"
Why, the blamed. ongrateful var
mint got all well Of his hurt by Octo-
Der, and he come back one night and
carried off the hawg from the pen ana
tipped over my two beeh1NeS- mat
was the way he repaid me, and have
never helped another bar out OF
scrape. The very next summer found
one caught in a boiler log and Starvin'
= to death and whinin' fur mercy, but 4
passed on and left him to die. I'm say
in that any man. who sots out to be
squar' with a bar will shortly GIT
left"
How is it with 'c0ons?' I asked.
wall q coon is better'na b ar, but
he's not exactly squar',' was the re
ply. "One sezun it was 50 hot and
dry that all the con around yere about
my field was burned up. I had three
acres under the hills where the ground
was moist and that con come along
nicely. Bout the time the kernels be-
gun 10 harden men the old woman was
Iookiu' over the field when we run agin
p 'coons in a heap. They was on their
way into the con, and they was pore
they had had anything to eat in a
week. I could hev killed EN- all with q
club, but the old woman stops me and
says
prime. and KILN would be all loss.
Let them 'coons feed up fur a month
and you'll make money out Of it
1T looked that way to me arter a
bit, and We stood aside and let them
'coons into the con Mo of EN- kept
ar ~
wasn't no trouble to count a hundred
of the varmints. They was too pore
and weak to git out O the way at
fust, but purity soon they began to fat
ten up. and Jest counted that I'd heV
coon skins 'nuf to buy me mewl
That con was with so cents a bushel
but 1 din't begrudge it to the coons
I was waitin' and hangin' on till the
fur got prime, and them 'cOons kuoweC
il and played me lOW-dOwn- I was
goin' to start out on a Monday and
begin KILN, but Sunday night the hui
drove made off, leavin' only two ole
lame 'coons behind, and all got fun
their pelts was 20 cents apiece. Artel
my con was gone not Il coon was Il
be found in the hull county"
But you discovered that 'possums
had gratitude2" I observed, as the ole
man maintained a sulky silence.
wall. was comm to that" he re
piled. 4 reckon it was the next sum
mer arter the 'coOns played me tina
trick that the woods all around yer'
took fire Thar was fire on every sid,
of us fur week, with the smoke 81
thick sometimes that you coulC
skaSsly draw breath. After a day o.
two the wild varmints began TO show
I'D in my clearin'. In one AFTERNOON
I saw two deer, three bars two wilt
cats and I dunno how many 'coons
yvOodchucks squirrels, 'possuns an,
rabbits Some Of them jest flew acros
the clearin into the woods beyand, an,
some hung around and didn't pear L
fear me as much as the fire. Bein
down on bars and 'coons, driv then
along as fast as they showed up, an,
likely 1 might hev done the same fu
the 'possums but fur the old woman
We was out west of the cabin, hghtir
fire in the bushes, when she suddenl
calls out to me:
- sBefo' the L.awd, Zeb White. but
never dun see SIGH sight as that owe
thar!
ION the trail leadin' down from tn
spring was a procession Of 'possums
all bound fur the clearin' around tn
cabin We stood thar until the las
one had passed, and then we wen
down to find EN- in the mewl shet
They was helf choked with the srnok,
and we could pick EN- up by the hand
I started in to count EN- but give
IN at $50. The number was f,fiIv r,
hundred, and most of EN- was full
grown. I was fur clubbin' EN- alont
but the old woman felt to pity the val
minis and CARR II EN- water BY til
pailful. The n tpOssUns was with L
till a heavy rain fell and drenche
out the fire. It was in the mawni1