The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1912-09-09
THE MAN WHO
WAS PEART
By M. QUAD
Copyright. 1912, by Associated Lit
erary Press.

The old possum hunter Of the Ten
nessee mountains was sixty years old.
but was so strong and hale and hearty
that | 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 outjump, outholler
and Outright anything | cum across on
these we're 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 1t kinder
makes me lonesome to think back to
them days"
ITO the times when you was maxim
fule of yo'selfp' said Mrs White
without raising her eyes from her knit
ting.
"Arter / had got married" continued
Zeb, with wink at me, II thought to
steady down. but folks wouldn't let me.
about so often they talked that / was
losin' my sand Mind yo', / didn't go
howln' around like ragin' lion lookin'
fur trubbIe, but the critters who were
achin' fur llckin'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 man cum along and sed
he was most dead for want of a
whoopin' took 1t 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 mile away 1t was a
noise betwixt the roarin' of lion and /
the growlin' 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
"Tt's 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 dayr
I'VE was both mistaken. however.
The noise came higher and higher. and
bimeby we made out that 1t was
man. He had come to lick me. He
had come fifty miles. Ii 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
barn. He was as big as giant In
sideshow. When he sa~ my head at
the winder he gives roar that goes
echoin' over the mounting and says:
"'Come down. Zeb Whter
~ hain't got no furse with you,'
says l.
"'But come down and obleege me
and make me feel that life is worth
livin'r
I'm come down. says /. and not
the old woman hung on
to me with tears and said I'd be kill
ed went down.
"'Ar' this Zeb White? he asks In
purrin' voice.
att arr
"'Then am the thankfulest man In
all Tennessee! Zeb. I'm goin' to
squash yo' all TO squashr
II made up my mind that was q
iead COON" continued Zeb. but would
do the best could. We squared off
and went at 1t, and In about two min
utes I was surprised man. !
so was the stranger. He was nuth. !.
In but windbag. He was as fiabby
as goose and as soft as wax. and /.
believe / could have licked him with
one hand tied behind me. 1t was over :
IN five minutes, and he was hollerin' for :
mercy. When let him up he said: :
"'Zeb, 1t was squar' and fair, and
hain't no complaint to make Did you
ever see ,circusT
~ never did