New-York tribune., 1907-01-06
A RUDE SCATTERING OF FAITH
B y E D Nj O T T

season that was ever hung up in the Nebo SwarlD
deest-c':' the caller asked me
had 70 own up that this was still another item
that our correspondent had missed
And IS he the teller that don Z let YOU fergit that
Betty JaggerS called on Jimmy Pergenkamp Tuesday?
Nor that our pushin Young friend, Joe Slocum. has
accepted a luker tve position ~ the sawmIn, shov-
elm Sawdust: Nor that Squire Coons Speared a
sucker in the creek that weighed nigh onto pound?
asked the caller
| SAID he
Il want TO know" said my inquisitor Then If
he hadn sot it down in none O the Nubbins from
Nebo about Abner Groat harvestin' that ba' r an
that catamOunt an that big fat doe. o course It
amt no ways likely that he has il down that
Abner got that b ar an that catamOunt an that doe
all at one shot, Is it?
Not at all likely" replied beginning to wonder.
Must be, then, that he didn't do IT, said the IN
terviewer My eyesight amt as scoopn as il use
TO be, so thought mebbe | mowt be Inistook; but
pears ain l. an see that feer can't GIT his name
IN the paper from NebO Swamp till he's got a Ieakv
hen house roof a daughter that gads all over the
country visitIn unless he's a scrub candidate fer
sheriff or spends his time spearn suckers, or some
thin setCh as that But Abner done the best he
could. 1t wa n't nothin but getherin in a b'ar an
catamount an a lat doe, an all at shot but it
was the best he could do. Then the man gathered
up his feed bag and started 10 go.
l stopped him Here" | said, If our Nebo
reporter has missed anything that should have
had VIII find out about IT, Tell me what there is
about this Groat exploit"
Why, there amt nothin' about it said the man
turning back and placing his bag on the floor again
CtpI lNdI iDner went out one taV this season t.
TO gether IN ar an he dIdn't want but lest one
b ar he only took along one load IN his gun As he
sot on log nigh the edge O an openn in the woods
out bounced a tremenJuous big doe fat as butter
Abner could dropped the doe IN her tracks but he
wa n out after deer; besides, If he had done IL
he wouldn't a had the load in his gun 10 gether in
the ar he had gone out to git. Then ag in Abner
Groat knowed Natur, an seem that the doe was
1ollered by tre1nenjuous big catamount he knowed
that Natur was wOrkln, an so he let her work
Out o sight on one side o the openn went the
doe, the Catamount after her. They hadn't more
than got out o sight when Abner seen a fair to
mlddln sized bar come sneakng out O the woods
an hide himself IN bunch O laurels that stood in
the middle o the openin. Abner could a gethered
IN his ar then an gone home; but he knowed Natur'
an he sOt still an let Natur' work Then bv an by
the doe havln cirCled around, 'cordin' to Natur'
back she comes ag IN, the Catamount only lump or
two behind her The doe smelt the ar in the laures
There amt nothn that knows Natur' better
than deer, an when that doe Smelt the bar She
sWerVed out o her course an jumped clean over the
top o the laurelS where the b ar was hidin' The
catamount was follerin' her, when up rig the bar
betwiXt the doe an the catamount lest as Abner
knowed he d do, and Jest the doe knowed he d do
The catamount sprung into the bars clutch
an the doe went There was a sound like the
snappin off o limbs o trees one after another IL
was the bones o that catamount givin' wav under
the hug o that bar. At the same second though
the tangs o the catamOunt tapped the ars rug lar
an the blood spurted like pullin the spigot outen
barl full o cider Then the b ar an the catamount
tumbed TO the ground together There was one all
pervadln howl from the bar, an one hair raisin'
screech from the catamount, an then neither of EN-