Rogue River courier. (Grants Pass, Or.) 1886-1927, 1905-09-29
TWO COON STORIES.

0lQu < Ten lllt y NAtAF ~ NN0 "ttN'N
driving along, and be came to man work |
ing away in a field like all possessed with
a pick and shovel jim Bennett says he
stopped and hollered to the man.
Hello, neighborl Short a meat, en-
The man quit digging and leaned on his
pick. 60
"No,' said he, hollering back at jim.
dunno as I'm any way short o meat
Then Jim says he hollered back at the
man:
Why, you're digging to get ground
hog out, amt you?
"The man hollered back at Jim:
"'No, | amt diggin to git grounding
out. I'm diggin to get coon in.
Digging to get coon in' he says be
hollered. Why, that's kind o queer,
amt ity
Maybe it u and maybe y hain't,' thu
man hollered back at Jim. That's accord
in to how folks lookout it.
But where's the coonH
"'Come over here and r.! tell you, the
man hollered back at jim.
80 Jim says he tied hi, horse TO the
fence and went over into the field where the
man was. The man leaned on his pick
and looked at Jim awhile and then said:
THE coon is dead!
Jim Bennett says this gave him real
start, because ne thought he was face to
face with crazy man. but he stood his
ground and the man said:
"I'm digging his gravel
"Then the man proceeded with his talk.
and Jim says it wasn't long before he found
that the man wasn't crazy not by Jug
full, but was simply a kind and observant
citizen, relating strange facts.
"'Yes, sir, the man said to Jim Bennett,
according to what Jim tells me, he was
coon among 'coons, and I'm going 70
plant him here because he was 80 all per
yadin' smart that ne deserves to have a
ravestone. He made one sad mistake
to be sure. didn't want hm to go out
after the chestnuts The boys was to blame
for his g1in And III lick od Jim Carter
till he can't see first time run ag lin him.
my boys is full OF c ion and vim, and
they move around this district consider BILE
getherin' apples and chestnuts and sech,
like boys with vim generly does. Jim
Carter has got a chestnut tree on his place,
j'iuin mine, tnat beats all the trees | know
Of, and my boys always gifts hankerin'
after that tfee long about this time o
year but jim Carter keeps his eys onto it
outrageous close, and my boys have got TO
put up with a good deal of botherln' by
him II they let their hankerin' for that tree
git the best of EN-.
"'Ive got a spy glass at home, a slammin'
good one. Jin Carter he lives mile from
that chestnut tree o. his'n, but he keeps
.- ! 10 d. L.. 60 -,
see # it's bein' tampered with; so what
does my boys do but take to luggin that
spy glass with en- and sw5epin the coun-
try with it, so if Jim is comm from any
direction ey kin see him long before he
gits within any sort o. sight o them, and
kin keep on gel. erin chestnuts till he
gifts too close Tor it to be safe for 'em.
This morun' that coon o. mine, after
he had rocked tie baby to sleep and fed
the chickens and the pig, so Jim Bennett
tells me the man taid, took down that
spy glass aud started out Now, | didn't
know this then, or ia a found out more
about it., and either stopped the coon or
give aim some pints But know it now.
lie took that spy glass cause he had
been with tie boys durin' one or two Of
their huuke-In trips, and went over to Jim
Carriers ti,c cHcstnuttin'. He chestnutted
and clestuuted sweepin' the country
every now and then with the spy glass to
keep track o. Jim.
He seen Jim by and by comm toward
tie tree. But that coon kept on chest.
nutuu lie kept on cnestnuttin' SO un-
fortunate long that Jim Garter got there
and loaded him with a half a dozen buck