Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1912-12-05
Mountaineer ales
BY M. QUAD
Copyright, 1912, by Associated Lit
erary Press.
BY M. QUAD


man was to blame for that. She used
to be in the habit OF sulkin' around
without any cause for 1t as fur az |
could see, and 1t aIlus ended in row
of some kind.
zone afternoon ! cum home from town
10 find my ole woman in the sulks. She
used to get that way now and then,
and ] knowed what to expect. When
she began to jaw | began to whistle,
but arter half an hour ! got mad. I'd
"a gone out and slept In the woods,
only II was gwine to be dark and
rainy night She sulked and sulked.
and when II cum time to go to bed |
sot right we're and never minded the
time. She didn't offer to make up, and
so | was Sittin' yere when midnight
cum. She was asleep and 40 was |
when thar cum cry from outdOhhs
1T was Just like the boot OF n woman
lost In the woods, and 1t was ringin'
IN my ears when the ole woman sits
up in bed and calls out:
"Zeb White, what on aIrth was that
and what ar yo' doing sIttin' up thar
like u KNOT on u log
"T didn't hear nuthin' more'n an
owl hootln',' says I.
"'Then why don't yo' go out and
keep him company
81 didn't say nutbin' TO that. and pur-
~ soon she fell back and went to sleep
ed when the cry come ag'in and sent
shiver over me and brought the ole
woman out OF bed.
"'Bcfo' the Lawd, but what kin II
beT she gnsped
"'A woman hootin' for help SEE ].
"'It can't be- No woman would be
hootln' around yere this time o. night
""Then II may be nm OWL
"'Then you may be fuller
"IIer callln' me fule riled me up,
and, though was purity sartIn that 1t
was the scream OF wildcat. deter
mined not to Civ In.
"'Shoo! It's one o. them Davis gals
lost In the woods!
"Then you don't know sugar from
sand! Listen to that! Does that sound
like the boot Of II woman
"'Jest exactly. I'll bet my ole gun
agin n coonskIn that It's woman. I'll
open the doah 40 she kin see the light
and then call to her
"'Zeb White, I'm tellin' yo' it's
wildcat and not woman. II yo'
hadn't almost got to be fule yO'd
know by the sound No woman ever
yeowled that way. no matter how
skeert she was. What yo' gwine to
dor
"'Open the doah, OF co'se.'
"'Waal, II yo' open that doah sum
body's gwine to git clawed and bit.
and yo' take my word fur it
''That riled me sum mo-, and was
bound to open that doah or bust.
could even h'ar the critter prowlin'
around. but want gwine to let the
ole woman bluff me down. l riz up
and was listenin', when she seq:
"'This yere cat Is arter meat fur
shorev
"'That yere woman Is lookin' fur
our cabin, yo' mean, and yere goes to
let her in
"With that I crossed over and open
ed the back doah, and as ! did so the
ole woman made dive fur the bed
and klvered up her head | had just
|ewung the doah back and opened my
mouth to boot when sumthin' knocked
lme clean across the cabin and uttered
an awful scream. 1t was II sure
lenough wildcat, and n mighty big one
at that. He fust jumped on the bed
Al. AL, II, I
got up he turned and tackled me. |
was took so sudden that the critter
had all the advantage Mt fust, but
bimeby got hold OF stool and sorter
held my own. He kept me mighty
busy, but saw the ole woman sittin
up In bed arter bit and heard her
6ay:
Davis gals, then she's powerfully
changed about since last Sunday! Why
don't yo' ask her to take her bonnit
pff ana stay all nlghtT
"'But hain't akin no help from
you says |, though | figured that /
couldn't last ten minits mo-
"'Never knowed the Davis girl was
30 smart befo','
"'You hain't got all the peartness
around yere'
"Just how long that fout lasted |
cant say, but ! finally driv the critter
Dutdoahs and got the doah shet. and
then fell down and tainted away
and didn't know nuthln' mo- fur nm
hour. l don't rightly remember how
many bites aud scratches l got. but |
was laid UP for six weeks ana had II
kuff time OF It,"
Mrs. White didn't have anything
more to say, did she-anything more
about your taking the wildcats scream
for the boot OF II woman?" was asked
"Sartinly she did, he replied. Bout
the fust words heard arter cum tc
WAS:
"'Say. Xeb White. yo'd better look
out fur that Davis gal arter this. She's
bit and clawed YOU tn I've got tC
make poultice MS big rs Il barrel tC