Bluefield evening leader. [volume] (Bluefield, W. Va.) 1906-1911, 1909-04-03
a gun and two dog.
had afarfad q coon

a gun and two dog. ley
had started q coon.
Suddenly the barking Of one Of their
hounds seemed high above them. 1t
rang out full and musical When the
dog ceased the echoes went calling l.,
and fro among the lodges and family
falling away till silence again ruled
the night. The three coon hunters
stopped running and began to talk.
"Fellers." said Hiram, wiping the
perspiration from his brow with the
back Of his hand, "we've lost him"
"What makes you think soY' painted
Uncle Hosea.
think SO? Why, I'm tellin' on ye
know 1t. The ragin' beast O. prey has
took sanctuary In the bars den. Ye
might Jest as well try to ketch q pond
sinner in steel trap as expect to find
q coon that gifts into the bars den"
81 told We, didn't l." snarled Uncle
Hosea, "'twa'n't no use In comm of
here arter coons? They alters manage
to gift into that pesky hole. Let's go
hum"
"Waal. I amt goin' back now" said
Chute resolutely. 81 got my mout'
mad up for dat coon, n tell my wo-
man fetch one coon home to him.
Ny woman-she's de bes' cookr'
"She won't cook no coon that amt
ketched, guess" said Acton.
II tole you" exclaimed Chute, "up
In Canaday I smoke out coons In place
lax dat. Take some dead leaf n
strike match, n dat coon she come
out pooty mighty quick. ya-asp'
Chute, ye might Jest as well try to
drive coon out O. Hoosac tunnel by
lightin' a match at one end ont" said
Acton.
But Uncle Hosea Swale seemed to
think the plan worth trying, and pres
emily Chute was sent to light fire at
the upper opening, while the others
stayed at the nearer entrance with the
dogs. Chute was instructed to smoth-
er the fire with leaves and brush, so
that its draft would be downward and
through the cave and out Of the lower
entrance.
| His companions heard the cracking
Of the brush as Chute went through
1t. Then all was silent save the moan
L u,
The solemnity Of the night became al.
most oppressive.
It's kinder fun'rai-like here. amt
1t, Actonf" said Uncle Hosea In q low
tone.
kinder. 1 wisht that Frenchman d
hurry up"
Il don't s'pose," Uncle Hosea went
on, that anybody ever explored this
here caveT
"What'd anybody want to explore it
forY
WAL, curiosity, maybe. Ye remem-
Der ole Sam Mash, don't yer"
Him that bruk his leg loggin' for
Henry Brassetf He said he heerd IL
crack In three places. He was SO
scared that he insisted on bein' brung
home on an OK sled. When they got
him halfway home he Jumped off'n
the sled an went back after his dinner
pail. Yes, remember ole Sam
Mash"
| wal, he was a curtis sort Of a,
critter. He'd tell the most singular
stories. He ulster tell sometimes bout
explorin' this here bars den. He
skart hissef so tellin Il one night
over to Benefits huskin' that he
didn't darse to go hum alone"
What did he see in theref asked
Acton, lighting his pipe and leaning
back against a bowlder
At this point Chute came back to re-
port that the smudge was burning
finely. He sat down, and Uncle Hosea
went on with his story:
WAL, highs kin rec'lect It, ole
Mash said he got here n crawled I'm
with, knife In his teeth, leayin' his
gun outside. He follered kinder cir
cooitus crack for nigh forty feet n
then come to place so small Z he
couldn't git through t. So no held his
lantern front Of him N looked In.
ON, b. goIly, he see a big chamber
IKE hollered out'n the stun, m IN the
middle ont, on the floor, sot q human
skull GRIMM at him with O shin bone
between the teeth.
cole Mash said tho skull kinder
lated and most scared the life out of
him, and he didn't know how quick he
come away"
Hiram laughed nervously. Chute
turned mp the wick Of the lantern
without laughing at all. The three
huddled together before the great
black hole and talked fearfuliy of
spools and apparitlons.
Their "reminiscences were of old
tales handed down In New England
households from ancestors who lived
In wilderness peopled with a thou
sand terrors. No one but Chute owned
to belief in evil spirits, but the Cana
dams superstition was contagious.
Half an hour after Uncle Hosea,e
story OF Sam Mash" the three men
were In such a quivering condition
that a weird sound would have been
tnn49Oh 20 oopA tbo,,o a-s..