The Butler weekly times. (Butler, Mo.) 1881-1918, 1913-09-11

| OVu8AS Va ~o~S"S u PoAss0 AIoLi
and l had a time from then on. Every
body down there wanted their pic
lures taken with the fish and l form.
ed trust of which l was the chief
executive and hired out my two fish.
Tom Akrigg and son at Rich Hill Just
fell in love with one of the fish and |
just had to let Mr.. Fish 90 with them.
Mr.. L. C. jackson and wife Of Kan
sas City were there in camp, and Mr..
Jackson being some fish skinner, we
decided to tackle the other one. We
took it to the river and rolled bar
rel down to put it in.
After we had dressed it, or rather
undressed it, and put ropes around
its feet, we dragged it on rock and
drilled into it. Mr.. Jackson got a
hole cut in its side big enough to
crawl through, and putting on slick
er, went in. told him if he saw
anything of a brown horse with one
white foot and star on its forehead
running around inside to hollow and
l would come in and help him catch
him. He said he saw no horse but
did see pair of leather boots hang
ing on the side of an old fisherman's
cabin, and he would put them on and
wade across a branch and see if he
could find a good cool place to camp.
He said he found two good fishing
poles and wheelbarrow full of au-
tomobile tires, and Martha Wash
ington Cook Book telling how to cook
Goldfish. jackson was some fellow,
and very stout. When he came out
of that fish's side he had enough
canned tomatoes and strawberries to
last all of us the rest of the week,
and a ten-gallon key full of ripe
cranberries, and sugar enough to
sweeten all the sour people in the
United States or Arkansas. We had
enough fish to last us. | carried fish
up the bank until l got so tired l
ion't believe could have eaten any
bacon, eggs, bread and coffee. But
IS carried the last of that fish up
he bank ! stumped my toe on rock
ny pipe went out and woke up.
After had gotten entirely awake
went to the spring and on the way
net the man that lariated my fish. l
sked him what his name was and he
aid "Finis Christmas. l thought
first he was talking about the
weather., and that he was hard of
earring or out of his head or both. l
old him yes, it was fine as Christ
mas, but he was too cold blooded to
uit me and would leave before he
ave me the chills.
"No," he said, that's my name,
'inis Christmas.
l became interested. l asked him
here Mary lived and Icy. He said
ley lived in Carroll county, but Jack
hristmas was down the river fish
g. l suppose his middle name was
rost. That was one reason we
roke camp so early. Christmas
as too close to US. Finis said Jack
rost Christmas would be there that
ght.
We saw Jack the next day and
'ked him how crops were and he
i'd they had "done gone burnt up"
e said he went home last night and
und that some popcorn he had
anted out by the cow lot had got so
1t it began to pop and piled up so
UGH against the fence that an old
COW thought it was a
lowdrift and lay down and froze to
.ath.
Well, l tell you that was enough
r me as l pretend to tell the truth
ice in while, although I've never
ct any whites in my life, and I've
red longer than anyone younger
an am. Now, it's this way with
e, III tell anything a dozen differ
t ways rather than tell a lie about
So I'll leave you awhile and 90
ok to camp.
On the way I met a peculiar kind
an old fellow and looked that
~ to him l suppose, but we didn't
eak. asked Akrigg what his
me was and he said, That's old
ID Burnette. thought and said
Well, III be Dad Burned, if ever
" such weather in my life and,
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