Lexington gazette. [volume] (Lexington, Va.) 1871-1962, 1912-12-18
Mountaineer Tales
By M. QUAD
Copyright. 1912. by Associated Lit
erary Press
By M. QUAD

began old Zeb White. the pos<s,m hunt /
err. but thar has never been but Onr
occasion when was willin' to admit /
that I was licked man. The ole wo i
man was to blame for that. She used
to be In the habit Ut sulkln around
without any cause for II as fur as |
could See and II alus ended In a row |
of some kind.
Zone afternoon cum home from town |
TO find my ole woman In the suiks. She
used to get that way now and then |
and I kuowed what to expect. When \
Abe began to jaw legan to whistle. |
but arter half an hour | got mad. Ia |
n gone out and slept In the woods |
only II was gwine TO be dark and !
rainy night She sulked and sulked |
aud when 1t cum time to go to bed
sot right we're and never minded the
tine She didn't offer to make up. aud
so | was siitin' we're when mislnieh,
cum. She was asleep and 81 was
when thar cum cry from ouid"sii-
II was Just like the boot Of n wcsnan
lost I'm the woods. and 1t was rinrn
IN my ears when the ole woman sits
up In bed and calls out:
'''Zeb White. what on nirth was thai
and what ar yo' doing siitiu' up thai
like Il knot uu II lug:'
- didn't hear nuthin more'n an
owl hootin'.' says l.
Then why don't 20 go out and
keep him connpanyT
II didn't say nuthin' TO that. and pur
ty soon she fell back and went to sleep
again. Mebbe fifteen ininits had pass
ed when the cry come ag'in and sent "A
shiver over me and brought the ole
woman out OF bed.
"'Befo' the I.awd. but what kin IL
be-: she gasped.
"A woman hootin' for help sez l.
lit CANE be. No woman would be
hootin' around we're this time o. night
Then II may be an OWL
"'Then you may be fuller
Her calm me a fule riled me up.
and. though was purity sartin that II
was the scream OF wildcat. deter
mined not 10 Civ In.
'-'Shoo. Its one o. them Davis gals
lost in the woodsv
"-rhen you don't know sugar from
sand. Listen TO that. Does that sound
like the boot of n woman
lest exactly. IN bet my ole gun
agin coonskin that IT'S a woman. I'll
open the doah 50 she kin see the light
and then cali TO her.
"'Zeb White. I'm tellin' yo' it's a
wildcat and not woman. lf 20
hadn't almost got TO be a fule yo'd
know by the sound No woman ever
yeowled that way. no matter how
skeert she was. What yo' gwine Il
dog
open the doah. OF co'se'
"'Waal. IL yo' open that dnah sum
body's gwine to git clawed and Dit
and yo' take my word fur it
THAT riled me sum mo. and I wa
bound to open that doah or bust.
could even h'ar the critter prowlin
around. but | want gwine to let til
ole woman bluff me down. riz u
and was listenin'. when she SEE:
This yere cat Is after meat fu
shore"
THAT yere woman Is lookin' fu
cur cabin, yo' mean. and we're goes I
let her in
with that crossed over and opeI
ed the back doah. and as ! did so tn
. ole woman made a dive fur the be
and kivered up her head had Jus
E swung the doah back and opened m
8 mouth to boot when sumthin knocke
: me clean across the cabin and uttere
an awful scream. 1t was a SUI
enough wildcat. and d mighty big ut
al that. He f,ist jumped on the bt
= and scratched at the clothes. but as
!. got up he turned aud tackled me.
I" was took so sudden that the critt
q had all the advantage at f,ist. u
Is bimeby | got hold of "A stool and SORT
u held my own. He kept me nigh
y busy. but I saw the ole woman sitti
"a I'D in he'd arter a bit and heard
: say:
".Zeb White. II that's one o the
Davis gals. then shes powerful
changed about since last Sunday. W
Il. don't yo' ask her TO take her bUn'
of and stay all night?
But I haint akin no help fro
you, says /. though l figured that
- couldn't last ten minits mo.
Never knowed the Davis girl "
so smart befo'.
lyon haint got all the peartn'
on around we're
~ Just how long that font lasted
vi can't say. but finally driv the crit
outdoahs and got the doah shet. q
then | fell down and tainted NV
sad didn't know nuthin' mo- fur
at hour l don't rightly remember b
In many bites and scratches ! got. bu
was laid up for six weeks and hat
tuff time of It,"
| miro u>bita didn't have unvth