The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1912-02-11

Hank rugged up some flags with
hooks to EN- baited with salt pork down
into the holes, and it want long before
one of the flags wiggled up to the
| further end of the line of holes, where
as Abe and Hank was both down at
tother end, but Abe he seen the flag
wiggle before Hank did. Abe didn't
| say nothin but he started to run for the
| flag as hard as he could run, hoping to
git start on Hank and git there first
and thus have the homer of hauling out
the first pickerel of the day. Abe is q
good cal older than Hank and not so
spry, but Hank when he saw where
Abe was headin for started in to beat
him to the hole, Hank thort he ort to
! have the privilege of pullin out the
first pickere1 being as he had went and
cut all the holes and becuz also all the
fishin lines was his own personal prop
erty.
Well, Hank gained on Abe like every
thing and when they got within about
i SO it. of the hole where the flag was
wigglin Hank had almost ketched up to
Abe. Jest then Abe looked behind hisself
to see how clost Hank was to ketchin
4 ~
or somethink and Abe lost his balance
and fell sprawlin on the Use and you can
/! believe it or not, but Abe slid head fust
lords the hole and by mighty, when he
come to it he went INTO THE HOLE
HEAD FUST & DISAPPEARED
FROM SIGHTi
Hank was awful consternated and
hollered for help, but what good did
that do? No good Hank could look
down through the ice and see Abe Jest
as plain as day strugglin for dear life
and clawin and PAWN away like "a II
| he had lost his senses, which he prob
ably had. Hank hollered to Abe to for
goodness sakes try to claw and paw
back to the hole where he went in or he
would be goner shure, but of course
Abe didn't hear a word through ise
nearly #. thick.
Instid of worl1in back to the hole he
went into Abe worked tother way and
Hank had almost give him up for lost
when as good luck would have it Abe,
who seemed to be direckted by an all
wise Providence, kind of kicked and
swinmed right under another hole when
| Hank, quick as scat, throwd a moose
made of rope which he happened to
have in his hand, around Abe's neck
and pulled and hauled until he dragged
him outen the hole and thus saved his
worthless life for him.
Abe was choked by this rope until be
was speechIess and so cold and numb
that he was almost unconschious, but
soon as he got on his feet and got his
breth he coffed about a gal of worter
outen his lungs. While he was doin this
Hank told him what a narrer excape he
had had and told him he ort to git
down on his knees and return thanks.
Return thanks be hanged" yells Abe,
when he got his breth; IF / wasseut
so old and INDECENT I'd lick you within
inch of your life, Hank Dewberryl
You ort to be ashamed of yourself,
you good for nothin loaferl Fust you
go and coax me to come hshin with you
on a bitin cold day life this, when even
fool ort to have sents enuf to stay
home by the FIRE. Then you go and push
me into the hole on purpose to drownd
me- You amt no better than a MUIR
dererl Then when you see that I'm
goin to git out you thro a rope GROUND
my neck and try to choke me to deth.
I'll git even with you yet, Hank Dew
berry, il it takes hunderd years to
do it Soon IS git back to Bingville
I'm going to bring suit aginst you before
Anne Hillyer for pushin me in the pond
with intent to kill, you see If don't"
This threat on Abe's part scairt Hank
good cal, so he tried 70 kind Of
smoothe Abe down, as you might say
Hank happened to have win him pin:
bottle OF whiskey which he had intended
to drink durin the day on the sly, all
by hisself, but jest to make up with
Ab> he sskd him if he wouldn't like to