The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-08-02

youll inJy the stealin' of her." says
she, an slingin' the two dead cubs over
her shoulder she went sweepn' away,
with her head in the air. so Uncle
Salem remembered It. an he gazed arter
her TIL she was out o. sight. an then
he got his breath an says to hisself:
mo life savers is needed round
where that astoundin gay is says he.
But unless ] git that gal, there amt
nothin' thatll save my life!' says he.
Then he kicked the dead panther a few
times an went home.
My Uncle Salem met that gal the
mex week at an applecut an that APP
plecut was at my gran'pap's an that
amaZin' gal was my gran'pap's darter
an she was my Aunt Hammer, though
| didn't know it at the time, not havin'
come a-wailin' into this vale o. tears fer
quite a considerable number o. years
arterw'ds. But she stuck up her nose
at him an says she didn't keer to know
folks that d sneak round with guns to
git other folks's panthers an she
wouldn't 'cept his 'pology. so he went
/ home a sick an sufferin chap IL there
ever was one, SO he always declared up
an down.
"But not long arter that he struck a
swamp Run Joes sheepdog to help
gather up some sheep o hls'n that had
broke pastur'. a dog that Swamp Run
Joe thought more of than he did OF any
thing else there was, he was on his way
Ia his clearin' with IL when a big bear
jumped up out the brush an went
tearin' away towards the seamy rocks
that lay little ways ahead Of 'em.
1.-THE sheepdog was down on bears
the wust way an spite OF all my Uncle
Salem could do, llcky-te-split after that
bear he went, an follered right in the
hole in the rocks where the bear had
gone. My Uncle Salem run right up an
he heerd the bear an the dog at il tooth
an nail down in that bear den. Now II
that dog was TO git killed my Uncle
Salem knOwed he never could look
| swamp Run Joe in the face ag'in. so
slam bang into that dark hole In the
/ rocks he tumbled, with nothin' but his
iackknfc, bound to resky that dog or
know the reason fer why.
"He never knowed ezac'ly all the
p'ints o that tussle down In that den.
! but when he come to he was layin' on
I the bears carcase an the dog was layin'
I 'longsIde q him. llckln' his hands an
! face an chist, the dog bein' poorly toll
| er'ble well tore up hisself. My Uncle
| Salem was laid up fer more n three
weeks from the consekences o. that
resky o Swamp Run Joe's sheepdog, an
q course the happenln' of It got spread
all round the Knob country an one day
my Uncle Salem was knocked out pooty
nigh as complete as he was by the bear
in the rocks by gittn' an invite from
that ama2in' gal to some doins at her
house.
He went, an didn't she come right
MP to him an shuck hands with him.
AN her eyes want glarin', but they
was bright my Uncle Salem usety say.
AN her checks was rosy but not het
up an she says To him:
"'Guess I'll 'cept that 'pology O.
your'n about gittin' that panther away
from me- says She
AN in less n a month my Aunt
Hammer was managin' that clearn' O
his'n, fer she had made him my Uncle
Salem, but he never would "a been my
Uncle Salem If he hadn't been bound to
rrsky that she,pdog that want his'n,
cause my Aunt Hammer never would
cepted his 'pology setch was the .sot IN
her wayness of her natur', even ~heh
she was only comm a ~, So my 'hcIe
Salem usety declare up an down"