The herald., 1913-05-29
A CASE OF
GRATITUDE
BY NJ. QUAD
Copyright. 1918. by Associated Lit
erary Press.

the mewl has no gratitude in his soul,
said the old possum hunter as he walk
ed through the chestnut forest on the
side of the Cumberland mountains.
but them thar folks is wrong"
He halted to rub his itching back
against n tree and then continued:
Every critter is agin the mewl and
ready to waIlop him. and why should
he be grateful? Why shouldn't he be
onery and cantankerOus? I'd be mean
ern pizen if | was mewl. Howsum-
ever, I'm goin' to tell you about graft
tude.
soon after the wah some fellerS
come along we're with Il drove of nevis
and one of the critters fell sick, and
they gin him TO me. He was about
the meanest lookin' mewl | ever did
see, but | kinder hoped he'd make up
fur it in bein' good. He didn't, how
ever. doggone his hide, but when he
got well he was meaner'n skunks.
He'd bite and kick at anybody who
come within ten feet Of him. and If
pull a pound. was keepin' him
around in the hopes to trade him off
when along comes a stranger one day
from ArkanSaw. The old woman was
gone to nayburs. and | was sittin'
on the doorstep when this stranger
halted and said:
kin | everlastin'ly and eternally
fatter myself that am addressin' the
celebrated and notorious Zeb White?'
That's me- said |.
The critter who has killed 5000 pos
sums. 5000 wOodchucks. 400 coons
and fifty bars?
"'Them's about the figgers, stran-
ger
The man who crowded a circus
elephant into the ditch. flung bull
over the fence and licked three wild
cats barehandedT
That's mostly me-
The man who has outrun. out
jumped. outwrassled and outfit every
critter in Tennessee who would tackle
him?'
Kinder that
"'Waal, now,' goes on the man as we
shakes hands. 'yo' seems to be some
pumpkins. and | hope yo' ar, fur |
walked over from Arkansaw to gin yo'
a trial I'm gwine to do my best, Zeb
White. TO lick yo' outen yo'r butes!
what fur? said I.
"'Jest to take yo' d, wn a peg and let
yo' know that thar ar two or three
other folks on airth. Yes, I'm either
gwine to make yo' holler or else live
on roots all the rest Of my days"
"T don't want no quarrel with any
body said /. but l soon diskivered
| that the critter from Arkansaw was
bound to hev fuss. He Dragged and
crowed and had so much to say that
had no other way but to tackle him.
We peeled of coats and vests out
! thar on the level spot. and l noticed
the old mule standin' with his hind
quarters out of the woodshed doah.
"T tell yo' what I'm gwine to do
said the stranger as he made ready.
I'm gwine to bite off yo'r right ear
and carry it back to Arkansaw with
me as a sort of a certificate. and
hope you'll write the date on 1t with
pen and ink before leave
I'VE finally got to work, and I soon
found that critter all ! could manage.
He was peart in his feelin's and a
hard hitter. and as he danced around
he said:
"'Yo' might as well begin to boiler
right now. Zeb White. fur I've got yo'
licked
Jest about that time fetched him
q swat that keeled him head over heels
and broke my thumb. He got up as
peart as yo' please, and, seem my
thumb was broke and ny right hand
useless. he put on mo- steam. 1t did
seem to me that fur the fust time In
my life l was gwine to be licked, and
had feelin' of goneness clear down
to my butes. Broken bones don't
count in a fout down in this kentry,
yo know. The man who comes out
on top gifts the credit, and the other
fellow hasn't a word to say. Yes, sab
l jest dun reckon l was hevin' a pow
erful clus shave Of 1t when Providence
, interfered / was bein' banged al
. around when / happened to see my
!, old mewl backin' up on us from the
shed. He'd heard that row and want
ed a hand in. T'other feller's back
, was to'ard the mewl. and l played Il
,, keep it thar. He never had no warn
in of what was comm. Then fust
thing he knew the mewl backed VI
to within kickin' distance and let g
both feet. and old Arkansaw wen
, rollin' most down to the bresh fence
His breath was gone when he stopped
and l was also sittin' on his stomach
In three or four minits he opened hi!
eyes and looked around and said
: "'Ar' / back in Arkansaw ag'in?
"'Not skassly' said l.
"'Zeb. acknowledge to bein' lick
ed man, but I'd like the consolashuI
Of KNOWN how twas done
at war a far fout.'
"I reckon 1t was. but l was gittin
the best of it when yo' fastened &
couple of horseshoes to yo'r hands ant
reached over my shoulders and hit m,
in the back and sent me tumblin'
Was that what licked me?
Reckon 1t was
: "'Shaks hands. Zeb White. and biz