The Washington herald., 1914-07-12
O l. D L E B w HIT E
When He Was in the Moonshine Business

had an idea that the Old Postum
Hunter was making Illicit whisky, and
that he could lead me to his still II he
would. and one day I said to him:
You aren't afraid that 1 am q
revenue spy. are your
'Lawd. no." he laughed.
Why don't you take me over to the
still. Them
still? StIn?"
I've an idea that there is one around
here"
Then git it outer your head. Thar
amt one within fifty miles Of US"
Have you mountain men given UP
moon shining?'
''Thar's a powerful few left It got
so that no one around yere wanted TO
take the risks"
Perhaps you once had a still Of your
own / coaxed
He smiled and turned his face away.
and it was several minutes before he
said:
Il got three or four bad scares, but
none Of 'em was ekal to the one I'm now
going 10 tell you about My still was
a small one, and TO make any profit /
had to carry my own kegs away. l had
three or four ten-gallOn kegs. and after
a run I'd shoulder one and carry IL six
miles over the mountain to a sartin place
and sell the stun. One day l brung a
keg up to the house. SOS to git an airly
start. an l find the ole woman lookin
mighty upsot.
what's happenedr sez I. arter
hidin' the keg in the bresh. a few rods
away. What's got the matter with
yo'?'"
It's fidgits.' sez she.
But what about?
sE{dRiNg kasa I'ya n
around. Zeb White yo' ar gwine to git
cotched tonight. as sure's yer born"
Shoe! Shoo.'
I'm a-feelin It in my bones. Zeb, and
yo' know / don't git skeered over nuthin'.
Better wait two or three days
But l can't / promised that whisky
fur tonight. and it's got TO go. Reckon
yO' ar gwine 10 hev chill and feel up
set
It's no chill. Zeb. II 20 pay tenshun
TO my words. Don't own up to the still
"'of co'se not
Jest don't say nuthin' except that
sulphur water is good fur my rheuma-
ticks. Now. go on. and may the Lawd
be with yo' and keep sum sense IN yo'r
head
That was queer talk" said. as the
ole man looked away into the valley with
smile on his face.
Powerful Quare. sab. but II turned out
all right I'd got about half way over
the ridge, and was feelin' that I'd SIT
through all right. when a man suddenly
steps out on the path in front OF me and
cries out fur me to stand. Other men
cum up outer the airth, as II was. and
knowed I'd been took But fur the ole
woman's words I should have made a
dash fur II and taken the chances, but
as Il was l stood still and sez:
Wall. who is it and what's wanted"
" DO yo' surrender, Zeb White
In ose. but what dye WANT
We want yo'. sab. and we've got
you at last. Bin layin' fur yo' fur
three months past. Yo' won't make no
mo moonshine whisky this var. Zeb
this var! Cum along now.
and II yo' try any OF yo'r tricks yo'u
git a bullet"
so they captured you with the keg
on your shoulder" I queried.
With the keg on my shoulder. sab,
and as I walked along with 'em I
knowed they had a dead case on me-
They had a camp not fur away, and
when we reached II I made out that
there was five men in the crowd. They
was Jest tickled TO death. too. over my
captur'. They took the keg OF my
shoulder and put handouts on me and
I heard one OF EN- say / would git at
least two vars in prison. They soon
began bluifin' me to know whar the
still was and whar I was goin' to sell
the whisky. but rememberin' the old
words, acted drefful inner
cent Bimeby the boss o the gang
lifts up the keg and smells Of II. and
Sez: