The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1905-10-26

slammed the door jcs' AZ the derusd
critter lit rite ON the foot log.
when I slammed the door ] saw that
II had n strong wooden latch. an q
place fixed fer a bar. an' We kin bet i
got that bart was stan'in' rite along
side-across tibet door mighty sudden.
The painter he'd been full o. fun an
mischief up to now. but as soon ms he
saw I was out a. eac he began TO
screetch and tear the bark on h logs
like n mar with q Ratchet. fer he was
mad In earnest now. AZ his yallcr eyes
flashed an his teeth g~iistened In his
rage.
when he failed tn get In at the
door he began To smell at the cracks
between the logs and try to get at me
with his claws. One look roun' showed
me that the logs were strong and that
there wasn't any winder. tine cracks
letting in the light.
two or three heavy pieces poles.
which had been left over from h nre.
an I picked out h soundest an best o
them-a club about three feet 'ong and
two inches through. Thar was four or
Ave places between the logs almost
wide enough fer 4 painter To pull him
self through. and II wasn't iong TIL he
begun to try one o. them places.
when he showed hts foreleg In an
tried To folis~ ~ with his head ] struck
his foreleg close up tn his Elbow. a.
hard 40 I could drive. an I'm . strong
man. That painter fell back with Q
scre~ch that'd made yer blood run col.
an almost before I could draw back fer
another blow the darned varmint vas
back. right at that hole tearin' an bit
In TO cit AZ me. !.
He dug an tore an scratched an
srowied ,iii ne managed To Git both
claws an the pint a his nose hrough
the crack. Then I smashed him across
the nose. an I felt the n give an
crack. an before he got out broke n
OF his legs AZ 10 laid acrost a knot. For
the next few minutes ! was Kept
mighty busy nghtin' the mad varmlnt
tiii I got In q aide blow that broke his
Jaw and knocked out n eye
He couldn't get at me. l could now
see that. I'm his crippled condition. but
that ne intended tn stay right there Z
could see. expectin'. I s'pose. that he'd
ut ms when I cum out. OF course. I
knew'd I'd stand n mighty poor show.
too. as I had hurt the burned c%rittsr. 81
I went out: but all At onc't ] thot OF a
plan.
Thar was -four old hunks In the
cabin flied with spruce limbs. all as
dry ms finder. got together a armful
Of the pruce q set IL afre an showed
u through the crack.
luut tbp b<NNa
IRE WAS afore. I s'posc. but he found
out when his blame claws felt or II.
Sech a screechin' an yeiiin' never
heerd afore. an I've hecrd many a
painter yeiiln' In my time: an then
the leaves an dried sticks about the
cabin caught IRE. An In less than nve
minutes there was a stretch Of blaze q
hundred yards wide. with a big painter
piungin' and yellin' to keep out o. It's
each.
II didn't wait any longer. fer ! could
MT ef I'D wanted to. as the ole cabin
itself had caught IRE. I nnlly got
away from there with only . few burns
an n nightly bad scare.
Il didn't see or hear anything more
| Of the painter: I s'pose he was burned
| up. for that flre never stopped I'll IL
| got TO Laurel Fork. but IL didn't cross
| the trail. an ] got away. as ] said. safe.
This place we are goin' To fish In is
I'm the same mountains. an thars
more'n one dadburned painter ROT
here. an now o know the a /!
| always carry my rife with me when
come up I'm these mountains"