The Washburn leader., 1915-09-10

I'll By M. QUAD
Copyright, 1915. by the Mcclure
Newspaper Syndicate. III
'.rhar was sum purity bad men around
Yere jest arter the wah." said Zeb
White, the possum hunter of Tennes-
gee. as he got his pipe alight one even
ing on the doprsteps. "Mebbe the wust
critter of the lot was named Tom
Smith. He didn't hev no family, but
Jest sorter hung around at the co'ners.
He 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 long
time, but one day when l 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 In 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 my
rife agin them possum pelts kin out
Jump yo' by six inches. II yo' ar a
man with legs under yo' cum out and
try on me!
II seed he was tryin' to pick quar-
rel" said Zeb. land so l talked soft to
him and tried to sit away.
Il was in mighty pore health" ex-
planned Zeb. ''and no match fur sich
man, and 80 had to crawflsh. Ev-
eryb0dy said l orter shoot him down,
but couldn't shed blood that way. 1t
hurts me to this day to remember that
l went home like whipped cur. leavin'
that critter crow over me. but my mind
was made up to tackle him as soon as
l felt like man ag'in. When ! got
home I was cryin'. and the old woman
sez to me. sez she:
":Zeb, has the wah broke out ag'in7
".No.'
Then what's the matter?'
"'I've bin bluffed.'
"'D'ye mean that Tom Smith has
crowed over yo'r
That's jest what he has, and I'm 50
pesky weak in the knees that l had to
sit away from him.
"'Jest backed 20 down. did her
"'He did. It's the fust time in my
life l ever crawfished fur any human
critter.'
Reckon 1t is. Zeb. I knows how 20
feel. But yo' couldn't help it. II yo'
tackled him he'd hev broke yo' In two.
I'll go right at 1t and nurse yo' up.
and in TO- weeks yo'll be fitten to whop
Tom Smith till he can't boot. II yo'
hain't, I'll put on yo'r clothes and
whop him myself
II 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 I was
gainfn' on 1t, but not feelin' much bet
ter, was sittin' right yere when
cotched sight Of bar across the road
by them rocks. Plenty Of bars around
we're them days. as nobody had been
home to kin 'em of. About the time
cotched sight Of the bar Tom Smith
showed up. Tom saw me a-sittin'
yere. and he stopped right by that
tree and throwed down his hat and
yelled. 'Zeb White. ar that yo' a-sot-
tin thar?
"'It arr
"'Do yo' call yo'self a manr
"'Not q well man. II yo'll gin me
TO- weeks mo- I'll run yo' outer the
kentry.'
WAL sighed the old man, ''he
talked that way till I got mad and riz
up to go. but jest as did 80 that bar
waltzed across the road ON his hind
feet and fetched him a cuff which |
knocked him ten feet. Tom thought
I'd got out thar without his SEEM me.
and he was tickled to death as he riz
up and went fur the b'er. We heard |
him sayin':
"'Zeb White. said yo' wasn't a
man, but take It all back. 1 didn't
believe yo'd stand up to me. and my
heart was nigh breakin,.'
Il reckon Tom must hev bin half |
drunk not to know bar from a man.
but he thought it was me fur shore.
md he soon had a surprise party on
hand. The bar didn't seem hankerin'
arter meat. but he did want sum fun.
The bar knocked him down and rolled |
him about dozen times. and he got |
many good lick in on the bar. but |
at length the fout was over. and Tom
Smith was whopped man. He hol-
lered out that he'd got plenty. and I
reckon 1t was the same with the bar.
as he suddenly made of into the
woods. When Tom got over bein'
lazed he got up and said to me:
"'Zeb White, I'm a-beggin' Of yo'r
pardin. thought yo' was coward
and dasn't stand up to me. but yo've
wh0pped me in q fair f0ut!"
WAS he badly used upT' I asked. as