The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1907-09-10
TWO COON STORIES.

I laQ Dee0 on one OF MS lillS. olAl Aocsh
ften go on trips. except in warm weather
when snakes are out and are ready to le
{, lin discover something new about EN-
] But this time the season must have beer
: Pretty well along, for Jim said folks were
gathering their chestnuts where he was.
"He was driving along, thinking how
ovely nature was and yet how queer He
lidn't tell me where it was where he was
Irving along, and he came to a man work
ng away in a field like all possessed, with
pick and shovel. Jim Bennett says he
topped and hollered to the man.
"'Hello, neighbor! Short a meat, Ell p
'"The man quit digging and leaned on his
pick.
mo said he, hollering back at jim. i
iunno as I'm any way short O meat
"Then Jim says he hollered back at the
man:
why, you're digging to get a ground
hog out, amt your
"The man holered back at Jim:
"'No, | amt diggin' to git grounding
| out. I'm diggin' to get coon in
! Digging to get coon I'M he says he
hollered. why, that's kind O queer,
amt it?
Maybe it is and maybe it hain't,' the
nan hollered back at Jim. That's accord
IN to how folks lookstat it,
"'But where's the coon?
"'Come over here and I'll tell you,' the
man holered back at Jim.
80 Jim says he tied his horse to the
fence and went over into the field where the
man was The man leaned on his pick
and looked at Jim awhile and then said:
" The coon is deadv
Jim Bennett says this gave him real
start, because he thought he was face to
lace with a crazy man; but he stood his
ground, and the man said:
I'm digging his gravel
Then the man proceeded with his talk
and Jim says it wasn't long before he found
that the man wasn't crazy, not by jug
full, but was simply kind and observant
citizen, relating strange facts.
J es, sir, the man said to Jim Bennett
according to what Jim tells me, he was
coon among 'coons, and I'm going to
plant him here because he was so all-per.
vadin' smart that he deserves to have q
gTavestone. He made one sad mistake
to be sure. . ] didn't want him to 20 out
after the chestnuts The boys was to blame
for his goin' And III lick old jim Carter
till he can't see first time run ag'in bin.
My boys is full of ion and vim. and
they move around this district considerable
getherin' apples and chestnuts and sech,
like boys with vim gencr'ly does. Jim
Carter has got chestnut tree on his place,
j'inin' mine, that beats all the trees know
Of, and my boys always gifts a hankerin'
after that tree long about this time O.
year; but Jim Carter keeps his eye onto il
outrageous close, and my boys have got tc
put up with a good deal of botAerin' by
him if they let their hankerin' for that tree
git the best of EN-.
I've got spy glass at home. slammin'
good one. jim Carter he lives mile from
that chestnut tree O. his'n, but he keeps
comm toward it every chance he gets to
see if it's hein' tempered VITA; so what
does my boys do but take to luggin' that
spy glass with 'em and sweepin' tie coun
try with it, so if Jim is comm from any
direction they kin see him lorg before he
gifts within any sort o. sight o them, and
kin keep on getherin' chestnuts till he
gifts too close tor it to be safe for EN-.
This mornin that coon O mine, after
he had rocked the baby to sleep and fed
the chickens and the pigs, so Jim Bennett
/ tells me the man taid took down that
\ spy glass and started out. Now, didn't
know this then, or I'd a found cut morc
about it, and either stopped the coon OF
| give him some p'ints, But know it now
lie took that spy glass cause be had
been with the boys durin ore or two q
their hankerin' trips, and went over to jim
Carriers tree chestnuttin' He chestnuttec
and chestnutted, sweepin' the country
every now and then with the spy glass Il
keep track o Jim.
He seen Jim by and by comm towar(
the tree. But that coon kept on chest
muffin. He kept on chestnuttin' so un
fortunate long that jim Carter got Their,
and loaded him with half dozen buck
shot, and the coon came out of the tree
\ dead
" He has made sad mistake, smart a,
he was. He had been sweepin' the country
through the big end o the spy glass. O
course, that made Jim Carter look NOR,
than mile away when he wasn't 30 yard.
from the tree, and-wel, this is that coon ,,
grave, and I'm goin' to plant him in it,
Jim Bennett says that was more thar
he ever learned about 'coons before, anc
he was glad he had stopped and talked tc
the man. Jim drove along and by and by
he says, he came to a nice, smart it'll,
village, where everything looked prosper
Gus and pleasing, except one tail, stoop
suoulucleU, neBiecleu-iOOklng man who
was going down the street with waller
dog at his heels Jim gazed after the mar
kind o plying, he says and another citizen
a spruce, ollyappearing individual said tc
him;
That's Sam Fleming And real de
cent, good -actin' citizen he would be. too
ii it wasn't for that one bad failin' O. his'n
He hunts coons
Jim Bennett says he couldn't say a
word
Every night Sam and that WALLER dog O.
his'n is out huntin' 'coons, Jim saws this
citizen said sorrowfu as could be. And
he skins EN-, and nails them skins to his
barn door till you'd think he was runnin' a
lanyard. And he eats them coensl
Jest think of it, Now. we all like Sam.
and we've been dom all sorts O. things
to try and shame him out O. that failin' a.
his'n, but we can't seem to do it. Now
II he'd only lift somebody's chickens or
steal sheep, we mowt do sonethin' for
him. Then we could take him up and
send him some'rs where they'd keep him
out o harms way.
There's one more thing we're goin' TO
try. II that don't shame him into reform.
IN, then he'll have to move some'rs else
He'll have TO novel
jim Bennett says he asked the man
what they intended 70 do % c.. IN