The herald., 1915-09-16

II
| White, the possum hunter of TenneS
see, as he got his pipe alight one even
ing on the doorsteps. "Mebbe the wus
| critter of the lot was named Ton
Smith. He didn't hev no family, but
Jest sOrter hung around at the co'ners
lie was powerful on the brag, but he
could fight fur all that. and bimeby
everybody got skeered o him. He went
about with chip on his shoulder and
blood In his eye till sum men moved
away to git crar o him. Fur sum
reason he didn't bother me fur q long
time, but one day when | went down
to the cO'ners to sell sum possum pelts
Tom was outer sorts and opened on
me. He looks at me long time with
glare ia his eye. Then he throws
down his hat and jumps on it and
yells:
'WhOOpee! Zeb White, behold the
Jumper from JumperSville. I'll bet nv
rifle agin them pOSsum pelts | kin out
Jump 20 by six inches. If yo' ar
man with legs under yo' cum out and
try on me"
i seed he was tryin' to pick a quar-
rel" said Zeb. and SO | talked soft to
him and tried to git away.
i was In mighty pore health" ex-
| planned Zeb, land no match fur SIGH a
man, and so l had to crawfish. Ev-
erybOdy said orter shoot him down
but couldn't shed blood that way. 1t
hurts me TO this day to remember that
went home like whipped cur, leavin'
that crltter crow over me, but my mind
was made up TO tackle him as soon as
L felt like man ag'in. When | got
home was cryin', and the old woman
SEE to me, seq she:
ZeD, has the wah broke out ag'inT
mo
Then what's the matterY
I've bin bluffed.'
Dye mean that Tom Smith has
crowed over yo'T
That's jest what he has, and I'm so |
pesky weak in the knees that | had to !
git away from him
jest backed yO' down, did hep
lie did. It's the fust time in nv
life | ever crawfished fur any human
crittcr.'
Reckon it is. Zeb. knows how vo'
1eel. But yo' couldn't help it. If yo'
tackled him he'd hev broke yo' I'm two.
Ill go right at it and nurse yo' nm.
and In fo' weeks yo1l be fifteen to WHOM
Tom Smith till he can't boot. If vo'
hain't, I'll put on yo'r clothes and
whop him myself
i felt better arter that" said Zeb.
though | couldn't get over the hurt TO
my feelin's. One evenin', about two
weeks arter the fuss and when was
gainin' on 1t. but not feelin' much bet
ter, | was sittln' right we're when |
cotched sight of a bar across the road i
oy them rocks. Plenty Of bars around
yere them days. as nobody had been !
nome to kill 'em off. About the time :
cotched sight of the bar Tom Smith c
showed up. Tom saw me a-sittin' a
Vere' and he stopped right by that !
rec ana throwed down his hat and t
relied. Zeb White. ar that yo' a-sot- /.
in tharY i
at arr o
DO yo' call yo'self a manr o
Not a well man. If yo'll gin me fl
o weeks mo- I'll run yo' outer the ?
entry a
wal, sighed the old man, he
alked that way till l got mad and riz ri
Up to go, but jest as | did so that bar |,
'altzed across the road on his hind II
eet and fetched him a cuff which II
nocked him ten feet. Tom thought al
q got out thar without his seem me. ?
nd he was tickled to death as he riz Il
p and went fur the bier. We heard &C
i'm sayin': ii
Zeb White, l said yo' wasn't ii
ian, but | take it all back. / didn't tn
elieve yo'd stand up to me, and nv pu
cart was nigh breakin'.' he
Il reckon Tom must hey hin half ~
runk not to know a bar from a man, no
Ut he thought 1t was me fur shore pu
10 he soon had a surprise party on in
ma. The bar didn't seem hankerin' ca
Ter meat, but he did want sum fun te,
ne bar Knocked him down and rolled ow
m about a dozen times, and he got IN th'
any good lick In on the bar. but va
length the fout was over and Tom sh'
NTH was a whopped man. He hol- 81"
req out that he'd got plenty. and I
exon It was the same with the bar. s ,nT
ne suddenly made off into the tin
pods. When Tom got over bein' pre-
zed he got up and said to me: DOS
'Zeb White. I'm a-beggin' Of yo'r to
rdin. 1 thought yo was a coward are ore
q dasn't stand up to me. but yo've for
topped me in fair foutv" me-
Was he badly used up?' I asked as A
story seemed to be finished. tat
he hadn't skassly q bit o. clotb,n, eesi
t on him." replied Zeb. land he w.s thr,
lises and bites and claw marks from the
al to heel. l reckon he might bev ten
well from them, but his heart was stoC
IKE He knowed l was in door t tsr
attn, and when he realized that he'd sha
whopped by a sick man he tool, to aoit
bed and died in two weeks. He und
It rur me the day he died. and an prov
II befo' he breathed his last he re- per
ched fur my hand and whispered: amO
'Zeb White, l can't make ont how new
did 1t. but yo' dun made me boiler BON
the first time I'm nv life. and I'm sion