The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1912-12-05
BY M. QUAD

occasion when I was Wilin' tu admit
that | was licked man. The o.e wo-
man was to blame for that SHE used
to be in the habit of sukin arOun
without any cause for it as fur aS |
could see, and it allus ended in row
of some kind.
zone afternoon cum home from town
to find my ole woman in the SulzS. 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 it was gwine to be dark and
rainy night. She sulked and sulked.
and when it 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 sittin' yere when midnight
cum. She was asleep and so was
when thar cum cry from outdouhs.
1t was just like the boot of woman
lost in the woods. and If was ringin'
in my ears when the ole woman sits
up in bed and calls out:
"Xeb White what on airth was that.
and what ar yo' doing sittin' up thar
like a knot on a log?
Il didn't hear nuthiu' mOre'n an
owl hootin',' says |.
"Then why don't yo' go out and
keep him company|
81 didn't say nuthin' to that. and pur-
| ty soon size fell back and went to sleep
| again. Mebbe fifteen minits had pass
| ed when the cry come agin and sent a
shiver over me and brought the ole
woman out of bed.
"'Befo' the Lawd, but what kin it
| be-? she gasped.
ga woman hootin' for help sez I.
1T cant be. No woman would be
hootin around yere this time o. night
"Then it may be an OWL
"'Then you may be a fule!'
"Her calm me fule riled me up.
and. though | was purity sartin that it
was the scream of wildcat, | deter
mined not to Civ in.
s'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 hoot of woman?'
"Jest exactly. I'll bet my ole gun
agin cOonskin that it's q woman. I'll
open the doah so she kin see the light
and then clll TO her
"'Zeb White, I'm tellin' yo' it's a
wildcat and not woman. If yo
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 to
do?'
"'Open the doah, of co'se.'
"'Waal, if yo' open that doah sum
bodys 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. riz VI
and was listenin, when she sez:
"'This yere cat is arter meat fur
shorer
THAT we're woman is lookin' FIN
our cabin, yO' mean, and we're goes tC
let her in
with that l crossed over and open
ed the back doah. and as | did so the
ole woman made a dive fur the bed
and kivered up her head. had just
swung the doah back and opened my
mouth to hoot when sumthin' knocked
me clean across the cabin and uttered
an awful scream. 1t was SURE
enough wildcat and Il mighty big ont
ut that. He fust jumped on the bee
/ ID scratched at the clothes. but as
4 r. u turned and tackled me.
,rok so sudden that the crittel
AZ Ill the advantage at fust, bu
.meby | got hold of a stool and sortel
he'd my own. He kept me mighty
1cSy. b} saw the ole woman sittin
y in he'd arter bit and heard hel
'Zeb White, if that's one o. then
Davis gals. then she's powerful.
changed about since last Sunday. VIII.
l don't yo' ask her to take her bOnni
off and stay all nightT
1 but | hain't akin no help from
YOU says |. though | figured that
couldn't last ten minits mo-.
Never knowed the Davis girl wa
so smart befo.'
i "'You haiu't got all the peartnes
: around yere
l Just how long that fout lasted
can't say, but | finally driv the critic
: outdoahs and got the doah shet, ant
then | fell down and tainted ava,
and didn't know nuthin', mo- fur al
: hour. l don't rightly remember hov
: many bites and scratches l got, but
: was laid up for six weeks and had
. tuff time of it,"
"Mrs. White didn't have anything
more to say, did she-anything NOR
about your taking the wildcats scream
for the hoot of woman?" was asked
"Sartinly she did, he replied. "'Bou
: the fust words heard arter / cum t
was:
"'Say, Zeb White, yo'd better loo
! | ont fllr that Davis CaI arter thiSl She