Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1905-06-19

skins, but with fox skin or two, or
wolf skin, he could shop around and
cut quite figure. A chap with a bear
skin, or buffalo hide, or "a noun tain
lion pelt-oh, well Nobody ever ask
ed any questions about a chap that
had such collateral as that.
"a fellow citizen named Snarley Pip
err, played it little low on me one
time, up there. 1t was a jack, ana it
had gone round two or three times,
when I opened it for coon, az. !
wanted everybody in.
1--WE generally played a wolf limit.
but somehow we hadn't drawn any linn
it that day. All of 'em dropped out af-
ter Bit except Snarly Piper, and he
kept coming back at me with a raise
every time. knew had the winner
and whooped him up until had come
nearly to the bottom of my pelts, and
made up to call Snarly's next bet
and rake in the pot.
But instead of raising me a couple
of wolves, as he had been doing right
along, dog goned if he didn't see my
wolves and raise me buffalo. And
all / had left was two wolves!
RAISED me plumb out, Snarly did,
and laid for his chance to do it, zoo!
1 opened it on jacks and didn't better,
but it was low down play Of Snallys
just the same, for them two jacks was
the winner and know it. But bluff
/ was bluff in the Texas Panhandle.
cocoon skins for money, did you
say? Well, well!'' esf
beard in the middle again, and the fire
| 4 ,fv1sv, rS1n
! ed in the nice clean old mans eye UNI
til he had to turn his, head clean a
way. Then Col. Jim shut it behind
! the whiskers again, where it's ef:ul-
gence oozed from it to the edges of
the beard and trimmed them with a IA
10.
.Up in Arkansas, whar hail from,
said the stranger, ignoring all refer.
ence to Col Jim's allegations as to
pelt currency in the Panhandle, which
ignoring Col. Jim seemed inclined to
regard as personal reflection: up in
Arkansas, whar I hail from, and dur
in the time we had to use coon skins
and setch as the circulatin' mejum be-
taween man and man, to pay for The
luxuries and necessities, from bread to
corn juice, coon skins, recknin' of en-
in bits, was with six bits, and musk
rats was with two.
.'Beins as had to go on ja'nt one
time to the Sunk Lands, / laid il,
new pair O. boots, which Simon Le.gg
wanted three 'coons and muskrat Tor,
but ] wouldn't pay it and he knocked
'em down to me for an even thee
'coons. They warn't no bargain at
that kaze heard afterwards I could
got the same boots at Joe Shiller's for
two 'coons and a muskrat.
But, anyhow, the layin' in o. them
boots run me mighty shy O. circulat-
in mejuln, SO I went round to Bill
Slocum's.
"FBill.' says 1 lend me couple of
'coons till see you ag'in.'
"'Dog on it, JIM says Bill, 4 cain't
do it, nowhow! bet nine 'coons and
ev'ry tarnation muskrat had last night
on that ornary yaller pup O. mine licl,in
Bingly's ornary Bill. and Bingly's or
nary yaller pup chawed that dog o.
mine to shoestrings! CANT do it,
Jim!' says Bill. I swar CANT"
But l hung on, and by and by Fill
sort o. loosened up and lent me enc
coon as | figgered out that could
squeeze through on one, and / started
on my j'ant. The place was jantin
to was mile yit back from the river,
on the fur side, and when l came to
the ferry where I had to cross asked
the ferryman how much it was to git
over.
'Muskrat,' says he.
4 periuced my coon but the Teller
shook his head.
"I CANT change It, says he. The
rivers ben so sort o uppish for a week
back says he, that thar hain't ben no
travel, and / hain't took in muskrat
fer ! dunno when. / CANT change yer
COON says he.
"'All right says j. TIL be amin
back ag'in in a day or two I says.
and then I'll hev change and I'll set
| tie
! "But the Teller shuck his head ag'in
and he says:
"No,' he says. "A muskrat in the
! hand he says, is with hull passed. %
coons In the holler tree, says ne.
well says, but It's only musk
rat to git over in yer ornery old.