River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1906-03-22

had doctored. When they got neal
us they broke up and went around
everywhere that pa and the giant and
the fat lady had walked, and fell over
each other, but finally one pack went
to the tall tree where the giant had
climbed to the first limb, and stood on
their hind legs and barked salute to
him. He trembled SO I was afraid
he would fall off, but he wound his
arms and legs around the tree, and
began to cry. The planter told him
whatever crime he had committed it
was all up with him.
The part of the pack that was on
pas trail began to close in on pa,
snd I said: 'Pa, if you don't want to
be dog meat, It is up to you 10 CLIMB.
and you better get move on, or l
shall be an orphan mighty quick.
cause the dogs are starving" Pa
made couple of quick jumps, and
grabbed limb of hickory tree, and
was pulling himself up and repeating
prayers, when the leading dog reached
up his nose and smelled pas shoes,
when the intelligent animal gave a
bark and a yell to the other dogs, as
much as to say: That's the identical
cuss. Eat him alive"
He grabbed about double hand
full of the cloth of pas clothes right
below where his suspenders button on
and held on, and shook pa real hard, but
the cloth was tough and didn't tear.
Pa suddenly seemed to be endowed
with superhuman strength, for he
oreW himself up on the limb and
raised the dog from the ground, and
all the pack came around the tree
and set up a howl that scared pa SO
the perspiration rolled off him, and he
lad a chill so he shook like the ague.
Pa yelled to the planter, who was
holding up the fat lady, and said:
Here, Mr.. Confederate, am not a
union prisoner, and l want you TO
unlock your dogs jaws, and free me-,
cause l can't hold up a 90-pound dog
by my suspenders much longer. If
this is southern hospitality, l don't
want to be entertained no more" The
I.lanter leaned the fat lady against a
tree, and went to pas tree, and took
the dog by the hind legs and pulled
him Off.
The planter yelled to the negroes TO
come down and help handle the dogs.
but just then the boy who started the
dogs on the trail, at my request, came
UP whistling, with dog whip in his
1ooud ond oil tho doOc curroundod hin,
and he made them lay down and roll
over. Allof the scared people come down
from their perches in the trees, and
surrounded the boy and the dogs, and
the dogs painted and lolled, as though
they had been having nice run for
their money. The old planter asked
his boy how the dogs had happened
to get loose, and that fool boy told the
whole thing, how I had asked him to
let the pack run, and how / had put
anise seed in the shoes of pa, the
giant and the fat lady. Then you
ought to have seen what they did
to me. The planter said they usually
lad lynching when the dogs made
a run, but that was impossible in this
case, so he suggested that they make
me run the gantlet. / didn't know
what running the gantlet was, but
after pa had told me he should disOWn
me from that moment, / said / was
willing to run any gantlet, so they all
cut switches, and formed in two lines,
and let me run down between them.
/ thought it would be fun, but when
started and every last man gave me a
cut across the end of my back with a
hickory switch, yelled murder, and
run between the giants legs and
tackled him like football. / toppled
him over against the next man, and
that man hit the giant in the stomach.
and everybody began to fight, and the
festivities broke up.
went to the house with the boy
and the dogs, and we set the dogs on
a mess of cats, and freed everything
alive on the plantation. Finally the
whole crowd came back to the house
and had another lunch, with mint
julep, and champagne, and then every
body was hugging some one, and cry
ing on each others neck, and swear
ing that the war was over, and that
the north and the south were one and
inseparable, and the two together could
whip the whole world.
Pa somehow saw double. I was
standing alone, smarting from the
switching I got, Then pa came up to
me and said: g" want you two boys
to understand THAI I don't want any
more experiments played on me. I
can take a joke as well as anybody.
but when you set hundred dogs on
my trail, l am no gentleman, see?
Now we will go back to the show"