Ashland tidings. [volume] (Ashland, Or.) 1876-1919, 1912-09-19
THE MAN WHO.
WAS PEART
By NJ QUAD
Copyright. 1912. by Associated Lit
erary Press.
By M. QUAD

The old possum hunter of the Ten
nessee mountains was sixty years old.
but was so strong and hale and hearty
that 1 knew he must have been won
derfully tough man in his younger
days. / tried several times to draw
him out, and. one evening as we sat |
smoking, with his good wife on the
other side of the fireplace. he began:
when got married thought was
jest the peartest thing on the face of
the airth. | could ouUump. outholler
and Outright anything cum across on
these yere mountains. had never !
been licked by bar or man, and If any
critter was shoutin. when hove in
sight he shet up mighty sudden. Yes,
was the hull thing, and it kinder
makes me lonesome to think back to
them days"
ITO the times when you was maxim
fule of yo'self" said Mrs. White
without raising her eyes from her knit
ting.
"Arter had got married." continued
Zeb. with wink at me, 81 thought to
steady down. but folks wouldn't let me-
If / didn't have a fuss with somebody
about so often they talked that was
losin' my sand. Mind yO'. didn't go
howlin' around like ragin' lion lookin'
fur trubble. but the critters who were
achin' fur lickin's cum to me. had to
tackle six different men right yere to
home In one week"
"And you was glad to do it!' said
Mrs. White
"Waal, | was no man to run for the
bresh when a man cum along and sed
he was most dead for want of
whoopin' | took it to be kinder way
to turn to and give him what he want
ed One night in the summer, as | had
| just got to sleep. yellin' starts up
about a half a mile away. 1t was a
noise betwixt the roarin' of lion and
the growIin' of bulldog. and as 1t
drawed higher the old woman sot up
and asks:
"'Zeb White. but what in the name
of all creashun is thatT
ats a bullgine got off the railroad
tracks and maxim its way across the
kentry,' says /.
"Its nuthin' of the kind says she.
It's Gabriel soundin' his trumpet for
the Judgment day.
1--WE was both mistaken. however.
The noise came higher and higher. and
bimeby we made out that it was a
man. He had come to lick me. He
had come fifty miles 1t was a moon
light night, and l got up and looked
out the winder at him. The sight
made my hair curl He was nigh
seven feet high and as broad as a
barn. He was as big as giant in a
sideshow. When he saw my head at
the winder he gives a roar that goes
echoin' over the mounting and says:
"'Come down. Zeb Whiter
"T hain't got no furse with you.
says l.
"'But come down and obleege me
and make me feel that life is worth
livin'!
"T'll come down says I. and not
withstanding the old woman hung or
to me with tears and said I'd be kill
ed went down.
"'Ar' this Zeb White? he asks in @
purrin' voice.
at arr
"'Then am the thankfulest man ir
all Tennessee! Zeb. I'm goin' tC
squash yo' all to SQUASH
II made up my mind that I was {
dead coon." continued Zeb. "but would
do the best could. We squared of
and went at it. and in about two min
utes was surprised man.
so was the stranger He was nuth
in but windbag. He was as flabby
as a goose and as soft as wax. and
believe l could have licked him will
one hand tied behind me- 1t was owe
in five minutes. and he was hollerin' fo
mercy. When let him up he said:
"'Zeb, it was sQuar' and fair and
hain't no complaint to make Did yot
ever see a circus?
"I never did
"'Then go down to Bristol on Wed
nesday and see one Thar's all sort
VI dHluldlS, anu Oue is Cdlteu an ele
plant. He kin lick you in two min
utes.'
Men the old woman had deal o.
curiosity about that elephant. as W,
had never seen one. and so we go
ready and went to town. The circus
and the elephant was thar along will
a heap of other things. We pays ou
money and goes in, and | says to tn,
feller inside:
What's that critter they calls th'
elephant. if you pleaseT
He p'ints the way, and we go owe
and look at him. He was the bigges
livin' thing ever saw, but after look
in him over says to the old woman:
az reckon he's achin' to be walloped
and l reckon I'm the critter to do it,
"She begs and pleads with me not t.
try 1t on. She p'ints out the fact tina
he's bigger'n our new shed and that
don't stand no show, but differed will
her. The stranger had put me on NJ.
mettle."
; "'And how did it end?" asked al
|; Zeb made long pause and Mrs. Whit,
|: giggled in her throat.