The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1905-06-07

- DAsAH >>,> AN ~
PED HIM ON HIS BACK"
Ave vars ago. In II way I'm sorry
and In another way glad. 1t made me
kinder lonely to hev him so. but l
could tigger up that it was fur the best.
He was CROWN up to be ca%ntankerous
and ornery. l don't know whar he
took it from. but he was that way, and
a calamity was bound to happen sOon
err u later"
"How was he cantankerOusT"
"Waal. that boy had a powerful good
heart in him as Il gineral thing, but
thar was days when the devil seemed
to hev possession of him. 1t wasn't no
good to switch him, and when he was
outer sorts it wasn't no good to argy
with him. He was fifteen vars old
when l cum home from the wah, and
his head was swelled up big nun fur a
man of fo'ty. He finally got 90 that he
felt like rubin up agin me. l was at
work In the garden n day when he
Gums home from the Co'ners a-spittin'
right and left, and bimeby he Gums out
to me and sez:
"'Pop, mebbe yo' calls yo'self the
best man on this yere mounting!
"'Mebbe I do seq l, as I looks at
him outer my left eye.
But yO' amt, though, and l kin
prove It,
""Then who isT
"'lIe stands right here befo' yo'.
and his cognomen ar Sam White. Dad,
I'm g0in' to whop yo'!
Better get into the house, boy, and
hev yo'r mother gin yO' some bread and
butter and 'lasses on It,
but that boy had the wust kind Of
swell head" said the old man, land he
was airnest In thinkin' lie could whop
his pop. He gifts higher and higher,
and bimeby he sails fur me. l knowed
what was comm, and befo' he could
wink twice l Topped him OH his back
and then whopped him till he hollered
fur mercy. He lived fur two Vars
arter that, but he didn't try that game
Oh me no mo.
"One day he was dow. to Bristol,
and tina was a circus in town. We
went in, and as we was loOkln' ut the
animals one OF the lions lies down, with
his tail stickin' through the bars Of the
cage. seer Sam a-grinnin', and l sez
Young man. don't yo' go and make
no fool of yO'self with that lion
"'I'm gwine to pinch that TAIL seq
he.
"'What's the user
"'I've heard as how they were made
Of leather and had no feelin' in 'em
and I'm goin' to see about it,
II didn't say nothin' mo- kasc
knowcd Sam was bound to have his
way if it busted him. He gets clus
to the cage and grabs that tail anG
gives 1t Il pinch and Il twist and thei
hangs on to it with all his might. The
lion jumps up with Il roar tit to shake
the hills, and in about a mint that hui
mcnagcric was upset and the circus
folks a-pilin' on to Sam. One Of tn,
across the hand, a deg bit him in tn
leg and then the circus folk whoppet
him till he didn't get outer bed fu,
six weeks. lie was into all jest sicl
scrapes rs that, and the wonder wa,
that lie lived as long as he did. Thu
older he growed the mo- cantankerou,
he got, and M day the ole woman
III to me with tears in her eyes ant
sez:
"'Zeb White. Sans a-gittin' wusse
and wusscr all the time, and I'm al
most hopin' the Lawd will take hin
away
""Tle I.awd couldn't manage him il
he did git him. seq 1.
"'Mebbe he could. Mebbe he's got q
pen up thar in heaven to put Sam into
and keep him till he's bin made over
I'm goin' to dye my shawl black and
fix up a mournin' bonnet, fur that DO!
Of our will he brung home dead befo
he's a month older
"Waal, SO he was-so he was" saiG