Sequachee Valley news. (Sequachee [Sequatchie], Tenn.) 1896-1952, 1907-09-19
''Uncle Cid Comes With a Yarn.

Well. folks thoughtI would write
and let You know was still in the land
of the living. While | am stopping
with you, I'll pass the time by telling
you a yarn concerning joke we boys
played on one Sam Bowers i'll the hills
of Cannon county one cold, snowy X
mas eve night. 1t those days people
were more jovisl and less inclined to
get mad at pranks played on them than
now. Sam liked his liquor and all
you had to do to get him TO follow YOU
without lead string was to let him
smell the mouth of jug with the stop
per out. The boys were rather mp
against it for something to have lit
tie Christmas eve fun out of. They
had tried toteing off gates, hiding
wagon wheels and fencing folks up in
their houses, and other things until
such tricks had become old and stale.
They wanted something fresh and live
ly. Sam was one of these blowing
characters and paraded his heroism be-
fore the boys until they itched to test
his bravery, so they concocted plan
they thought would work to perfection
and it did. They went to the still
house, got jug of Jameson's best and
put it away until Christmas Eve. It
so happened heavy snow was on the
ground which suited them to "T. "
On Christmas Eve they divided the
gang, a part going to Sans home to
let him smell of the jug few times,
which worked Sam up to any feat the
boys wished to accomplish. Sam was
ripe fQy raid and so announced. He
had great big black dog that follow
ed him everywhere he went. The boys
persuaded him to tie the dog and leave
him at home, which he did 1t had
been rumored for week or more that
big bear was in the hills and had a
chain on, and had run some of the
boys. Sam had heard the story ,and
swOre he could whip any bear alive,
but the boys said nothing about the
bear that evening, so away goes Sam
and the boys ready to have their fun.
In about two hours the other boys
went to Sans home and told Mrs.
Bowen they had tracked up some coons
and wanted the dog to catch them. OF
course Mrs. Bowen let them have the
dog, 80 they loosened the chain from
its fastenings and led the dog off, GO
ing about mile and a half to the
head of long, deep hollow and as
lonesome place as one could wish for
what was to happen. Concealing them
selves they waited till the other boys
and Sam came to the agreeable point
when some Of the boys said they were
tired and were going home. Pretty
soon all agreed to break up. They
passed the jug around for the last
time. Sam said he would go down
the hollow home Some of the boys
followed after him and told him to
watch out for the bear. Sam replied
that he could whip it. After he had
, gone the boys that had been hid, came
out of their concealment and turned
the dog loose ON Sam S track and threw
a stick at him, and away went the
dog, with the chain rattling at every
bound. Sam heard him coming and
stopped and sorter turned sideways,
and the first jump he made it looked
like he cleared twenty feet. Sam an6
> the dog had it for one mile and a hall
down that hollow. When he came tC
! the yard fence he cleared it at bound
ran against the door, fell in the middle
of the floor and the dog on top of him
His wife jumped out of bed and want
ed to know what was the matter.
IA bear, Nancy"
1.-THE devil It's Major, your dog. )"
Sam got up and his wife said h,
!, looked more like fool than any per
son she ever saw.
!, The boys tracked him next morning
to see how far Sam did jump and the,
say he cleared fifty feet several times
UNCLE GID.