Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1913-02-06
THE MAN WHO
WAS PEART
By M. QUAD
Copyright, 1912, by Associated Lit
erary Press.


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The old possum hunter Of the Ten
nessee mountains was sixty years old,
but was 50 strong and hale and hearty
that | knew he must have been a 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 l thought was
fest the peartest thing on the face Of
the airth. | could outjump, outholler
ana Outright anything l cum across on
these yere mountains | had never
been licked by bar or man, and If any
eritter was shoutin when I hove in
sight he shet up mighty sudden. Yes,
l 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'selfr' said Mrs White
without raising Der eyes from her knit
ing
"Arter | had got married" continued
Leb. with a wink at me, 81 thought 10
steady down. but folks wouldn't let me
II / didn't have fuss with somebody
about so often they talked that was
losin' my sand Mind yo | didn't 90
howlln' around like a ragin lion looliin'
Eur trubbe, but the critters who were
schin' fur lickin's cum to me. had 20
tackle six different men right we're to
home in one week"
"And you was glad to do I'll" said
Mrs White
"Waal. / was no man 10 run for the
bresh when a man cum along and sed
he was most dead for want of
whoopln' I took 1t TO be a 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 n mile away 1t was q
noise betwixt the roarin' Of lion and
the growlin Of n bulldog, and as It
drawed higher the old woman sot up
and asks
"'Zeb White, but what in the name
of all creashun is that
"Tt's a bullglne got off the railroad
tracks and maxim its way across the
kentry says I.
Its nuthln' Of the kind, says she.
It's Gabriel soundn' his trumpet for
the Judgment day.
I'VE was both mistaken, however.
The noise came higher and higher, and
blmeby we made out that it was a
man He had come to lick me. He
had come fifty miles It was a moon.
light night, and ! 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 Il
barn He was MS big rs a giant In a
sldeshow When he saw my head at
the wnder he gives a roar that goes
echoin' over the mounting and says:
"'Come down, Zeb Whter
81 hain't got no furse with you,'
says
"But come down and obleege me
and make me feel that life is worth
llvin'r
I'm come down says |, and not
withstandng the old woman hung on
to me with tears and said I'd be kill
ed I went down
"'Ar this Zeh WhlteT he asks In
purrln voice.
cit ar
"'Then ! am the thankfulest man IN
all Tennessee! Zeh I'm goin' to
squash yo' all to SQUASH
II made up my mind that ! was
dead coon" continued Zeb. but would
do the best | could We squared or
and went ut t. and In about two min
utes | was a surprised man
$50 was the stranger. He was nuth-
In but windbag. He was as habby
as a goose and as soft as wax, and |
believe could have licked him with
one hand tied behind me. It was over
I'm FIVE minutes, and he was hollerin for
mercy When | let him up he said
Heb. il was sQuar' and tair aud
hain't no complaint to make Did you
ever see n circusT
"I never did
"'Then so down TO Bristol on Wed,
nesday and see one Thars all sorts
OF animals. and one IS called an ele-
plant He kin lick you in two min
utes
Men the old woman had deal Of
curiosity about that elephant. as we
had never seen one. and so we got
ready and went TO town The circus
and the elephant was thar, along with
heap Of other things. We pays our
money and goes in, and says to the
Teller inside
What's that critter they calls the
elephant, II you pleaseT
He p'ints the way. and we go over
and look at him He was the biggest
Twin thing / ever saw. but after look
I'm him over | says TO the old womR
4 reckon he's achin' to be walloped.
and reckon I'm the critter to do it,
"She begs and pleads with me not 20
try Il on She pints out the fact that
he's hIgger'n our new shed and that ]
don't stand no show, 5ut differed with
her The stranger had put me on my
mettlc
"'And how did 1t end?" | asked NJ
V,h r,s3n Is lruo. t4g, a,,l ~. xNrF,4t..