The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1909-04-22


Then smile Of satisfaction stole
over the freckled face of fAbijah VIII
liams. He had determined to appropri-
ate the nuts on account .of his lost
furs.
Next night he left the house as IL to
go coon hunting.
1t happened that Hiram Acton, Un-
Gle Hosea Swale and Joe Chute sal
lied out the same evening to hunt
coons on Slxpence hill. Chute was
French Canadian. They hid lantern.
a gun and two dogs. By ao'clock they
had started a coon.
Suddenly the barking of one Of their
hounds seemed high ADORE them. It
rang out full and musicas When the
dog ceased the echoes went calling to
and fro among the ledges and family
falling away till silence sagain ruled
the night. The three coon hunters
stopped running and begah to talk.
"Fellers," said Hiram. wiping the
perspiration from his brow with the
back of his hand, we've lost him."
"What makes you thinksso?" painted
Uncle Hosea. 8
think so? Why, I'm tellin' on ye I
know 1t. The ragin' beast O prey has
took sanctuary in the b'ar's den. Ye
might Jest us we'll try to ketch pond
sinner in steel trap as expect to find
a coon that gifts into the liars den"
II told We, didn't I, snarled Uncle
Hosea. "'twa'n't no use jp comm of
here arter coons? They oilers manage
to git into that pesky hole. Let's 60
hum"
"Waal, + amt goin' bae1 now," said
Chute resolutely. Il got my mout'
mad up for dat coon, n ,tell my wo-
man fetch one coon bs,me to him.
My woman-she's de hes cook"
"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 nlk1tx6 x6nick. Jerasr'
-Ghcte. " light Jest = wen try to
drive coon 41S q Hocar tunnel By
lightin' match at one e16 ont" said
| Acton.
But Uncle Hosea Swaie 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
It, Then oil was silent save the moan
ing of wind In the treetops overhead
The solemnity of the night became al
most oppressive.
Its kinder fun'ral-like here, amt
1t, Acton?' said Uncle Hosea In q low
tone.
"Kinder. wisht that Frenchman d
hurry up
Il don't s'pose." Uncle Hosea went
on, that anybody ever explored this
here cave?"
"What'd anybody want to explore II
for?'
"Waal, curiosity, maybe. Ye remem
ber ole Sam Ma 'sh, don't ye?"
"Him that bruk his leg loggin' fol
Henry Brasset? He said he heerd II
crack in three places. He was sc
scared that he insisted on bein' bruna
home on an OK sled When they got
him halfway home he jumped Off
the sled an went back after his dinner
pail. Yes, l remember ole San
Mash"
"Waal, he was a curtis sort Of 1
critter. He'd tell the most sing'la
stories. He ulster tell sometimes 'bou
explorin' this here bars den. III
skart hisself so tellin' it one nigh
over to Benefits huskin' that b.
didn't darse to so hum alone"
what did he see In thereT' asket
Acton, lighting his pipe and leaninl
back against a bowlder.
At this point Chute came back to re
port that the smudge was burnin,
finely. He sat down, and Uncle Hose,
went on With his story:
"Waal highs l kin rec'lect 1t, oil
Mash said he got here m crawled II
with knife in his teeth, leavin' hi
gun outside. He follered kinder cir
cooitus crack for nigh forty feet r
then come to place SO small t b
couldn't git through 1t. So be held hi
lantern front Of him n looked In.
"'N', b. gol1y. he see big chambe
like hollered out'n the stun, n In tn
middle ont, on the floor. sot human
skull GRIMM at him with shin bon
between the teeth.
"Ole Mash said the skull kinde
laffed and most scared the life out Q
him. and he didn't know how quick b
come away
Hiram laughed nervously. Chut
turned up the wick Of the lanter
without laughing at all. The thre
huddled together before the grea
black hole and talked fearfully (
spooks and apparitions.
Their "reminiscences were OF Ol
tales handed down In New Englan
households from ancestors who live
In wilderness peopled with tho'
sand terrors No one but Chute owne
to a belief in evil spirits, but the Can.
dams superstition was contagious.
Half an hour after Uncle Hosea
story Of "Sam Mash" the three me
were in such quivering conditio
that weird sound would have bee
) enough to send them flying throug