The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1905-12-15

il takes the roof off the house. / COu't
reckon my old woman is II better "
any WuSS than any OF the rest OF EN-.
but she has kept Inc guessin most OF
the time since we was married. | was
Jest a-thinkin' of SumtLiE' that hap
pened a few years ago, an, bein' She
gone to bed an won't be listenin'. I'll
tell it to yo'.
In them days. continued the old
man as he gave the fire a last poke and
dropped the poker, IF she got cantan-
kerOus | got cantankerOus too. Then
we'd go as much as a week without
speakin' to each other. She was proud
an wouldn't give in. an so 'twOuld go.
One mawnin' in gettin' breakfast II
burned her hand, an l laughed at her.
an she got mad. Then l got mad, an
she turned on me with:
"'Zeb White. I'll never speak to 20
agin if I live to be a hundred years
Old!'
Nobody keers whether yo' do or
not says l. an with that we both shet
up. Not another word did we say fur
days an days, though we got over bein'
mad an wanted dreffully to make up.
reckon it had been about two weeks
an | was thinkin' l would give in an
speak to her when she put on her bun
net one AFTERNOON an picked up q bas-
kit. | knOwed she was gwine up the
mounting AFTER chestnuts, an I knowed
thar was a big bar lurkin' about up
thar. | wanted to tell her, but she
had her nose stuck up an wouldn't
look at me, an so | didn't say nuthln.
But you followed herr" l Queried.
Eyes. arter awhile | took down my
gun an followed her. l was gwine to
keep an eye on her without her know
in it. I'd seen that bal an knowed he
was a whopper an full Of fight.
trailed along fur Il mile or so, an then
seed the old woman pickin' chestnuts
lest ahead of me. | had jest noticed
that she was lookin' powerful mad an
had the end of her nose p'inted sky
ward when that b'ar showed up. She
heard him trampin' Over the leaves an
called out:
"'Mebbe yO' hev follered me. Zeb
to make up, but I'm mad from top tt
bottom an don't keer to ak to yo.
II was nigh choked with laughln'
when that bar suddenly slid in an
fetched her a cuff which sent her rollin
ten feet away. She thought it was me
though the Lord knows | wouldn't hey
put Il hand OH her in anger. an She
grabbed fur a club an yelled:
"'Zeb White, yo' emery, pesky var
mint. III whop yo' till yo' can't craw
home to pay fur that!
When she got up an whirled about
thar stood the bar, an a surprisede
woman never drawed the breath o
life. She thought she was Il mile r
help. with a fight on hand, an fur
miHit she looked as if she was gwin'
t. run. Then SIZE braced up. spit ol
ner hands. an | heard l:er sayin,:
1t amt Zeb. like | thought IT was
but III tight yo' just the same. bra
INV hide. | don't low nobody Eor nuth
in to cuff me round that way!
"Ilcu she pitciIes! right IN coutln
ued XeD, '"n. GU"r my Buttons. II
wasn't p:oud 81 her. II that bar La'
ever seen 4 WOia"!i befo' lie ha~n'
seer no SIGH voma rs her If he rech
oned he had iii easy joi' oh hand
wasn't long brf0' he Gi$6iyerel his his
take. The cluD WAS stout an iIeav!
IAN the ole T3n!an St:"Ick with Ill he
might. Brnooy the Lar got nl"t. III
rushed III on her an fetched her
swine which, rolled her over. E-t sh
was ND ag'in Ike Il cat. ] rec.oned
was about time to !E.e-ferH. fur "
can't expect a woman to kill II ba
With nuthin' but Il cl,:b. but as ] RI
I'D over the bushes she sees me al
said:
""rhat 20, Zeb White? Who ser
fur vn'"'
ing 70 see - sal,