The Paducah evening sun. [volume] (Paducah, Ky.) 1906-1929, 1906-12-27


a = ket, minus the fees an CON.
missions Of them rascally agents who
come down here to swap trade with Us
an get the lions share, an the jack
ass, too-me an the rest OF the hunt
ers down here beln' mostly the jack
asses-but live animal Is an onsartaln
commodity that has what Captain Ken
nelly calls possibilities" I'm meanin'
by that that an old diamond back rat
tiers skin an teeth an rattles amt
wurth much morc'n So down here, but
O live RATHER shipped up north In a
cage may bring S25, an, ag'ln. II may
be knocked down for an even hundred.
So Captain Kennedy amt never been
In the KILN bisness. An l was brung
up by Captain Kennedy! Live an let
live" that's been our motto, an we've
waxed fat-the captain weighs 200, an
mIllionaires exactly but mlddlin' well
TO do.
We aln't never regretted beln' kind
an consid rate TO the animals an birds
never except onct, an then the cap
tain said twas my fault. Eain't dis
putin him in that. but there is room
for din ence OF opinion.
We'd been up the Caloosahatchle one
winter tryln' TO bag snakes, birds an
other creepln', crawlin' an fiyin' crit.
tiers when we got wind OF mighty big,
sassy mountain lion rendooyooin' up
near Wadln' Landin'. The captain de
clded at onct that we'd bag the critter
Mountain lions was bringing pretty
handsome prices then-the Floridy va
riety bein' little underpriced. for they
amt no bigger'n a good size dog.
The captain an sailed up the Ca
ioosahatchle an went campin' ON that
big fellows trail. an before fort
night we had him clip an clean aboard
the Marthy Ann. tied toe an nail an
a-roarin IN a box on deck as though
he'd like to eat us alive. We was
mighty ticklcd at our prize. an we fig
gered on a couple OF hundred apiece
when we landed him north.
The Marthy Ann warn't much OF a
sailboat. but she was u lubberln' old
craft that did dooty for us for well
nigh a dozen years. When we set sail
down the Caloosahatchie the captain
says:
''steye. can't you take the Marthy
Ann 10 Charlotte Iarbor alone? You
can hand the crltter over TO the rail
road people there an get a receipt for
him. want to get or at Fort Myers
an run up a spell 10 see Cousin
OBADIAH He's real sick. they say"
warn't goin' 10 stand In the way of
the captains seem his sick cousin, so
[ answered with affermashun an said
I'd run back 90 Fort Myers In a couple
Of days an pick him up. The captain
was mighty pleased. but when | landed
him at Fort Myers he sort OF suspish-
loned somethln' an said:
you think you can manage ii alone
all right. steveT'
"rll land this old patriarch In Char
lotte Harbor before night or I'll drown
him in the gulf tryln' H." answered
promptly.
didn't know that | was maxim a
pretty sure guess OF what Id be dom
before shutdown. jest hove of from
the dock an turned the Marthy AIMS
nose toward the gulf. amt much Of
a deep water sailor. but | knew the
coast up TO Charlotte Harbor tol'rably
well an | didn't have no misgivin's.
That lion was mighty quiet-llke at
hrst, but when we got away frcm the
land an he began TO sniff the salt air
OF the gulf he sort Of got Uneasy lie
was gettin' out Of his element. an he
felt sort OF homeslck. Mebbc II was
seasickness. | dunno which Anyhow,
be roared an whined an scratched TO
beat the band. He jest kept me COM
pany with his noise, an l didn't have
no time TO get lonesome. onct or twice
be got 20 scratchy that ! took look
at his cage to see IL twas all right.
Bartons reef is Jest ten miles SOU
west Of Charlotte Harbor--a nasty lit
lie, treachrous shoal that sticks out OF
water at low tide an keeps out OF
sight at flood. "raln't charted, an
sometimes a ship trips up on II an jest
nachurally rips herself to pieces tryin'
TO get of ag'in.
don't know what made me forget
Barton's reef, for I'd been round II a
dozen times. an, come TO think Of II
now, I'd been nigh wrecked on II onct
or twice amt got no excuse to make
except that lion must have made me
forgetful by his everlastin' roarln'.
First thing knowed pun of wind
keeled the Marthy Ann over, an before
/ could ketch her up ag'ln we struck
somethn'. II was only sand an mud.
but the keel stuck there. an the next
wind slambanged the old lubberin
craft clean over ON her side. l wasn't
lookin' for the shock an pitched head
foremost through the air an landed
bout twenty feet away.
" When / went down into the water
Expected 10 find bottom somewhere
less than n mile or two, but the sudden
way In which | stopped showed me
thai | was on Barton's reef. was
standin' on my head In bout foot Of
water There was some mud, an that
made sticky standin'. but when final
ly got my head out OF II an the water
cleaned out Of nose an mouth the
Mhrthy Ann had drlfted away in deep
water.
ran oftar hor hut sha was holdin'