Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1915-07-22
Old Zeb White
He Tells How His Career Was Cut Short
By M. QUAD
Copyright, 1915. by the Mcclure
Newspaper Syndicate.

Thar was a time in my life when l
thought | owned this hull staff of Ten
nessee and was the biggest man in it."
said old Zeb White as he was in a
story telling mood one evening. That
was a good many yrs ago and jest
befo' l got married. and perhaps it
was a powerful good thing that sun
thin happened to me when it did"
| asked the old man a question in
tended to draw him out. and after a
bit he continued:
"Waal, when l was a young man
hadn't no n in my head. jest
reckoned that the critter who could
wrestle and jump and fight and yell
was a smarter man than the governor.
When 1 was twenty-three years old
thar wasn't nuthin' human in this
yere Cumberland mount'in which could
stand up to me. One day 1 fell in
love. but that didn't settle me down
any. Mebbe I was even wuss arter
that. I wanted to show off to the gal,
yO' know, and so l c%ontinered my mad
career"
1.-THE girl is the present Mrs. White,
I take it," 1 said as he waited to fill
his pipe
Jest so, sah," he answered, land she
had mo- boss sense in her leetle finger
than 1 had in my hull body. She
knowed I vas making a fule O. my
self, and she knowed it would take
strong medicine to cure me. She
didn't say much one way or t'other,
but jest waited till the sign cum right,
One day she went down to S%pottsyille,
and when she cum home she seq to me
sez she:
"'Zeb, thar's gwine to be a circus
down at Sp~ottsville tomorrer, and !
reckon I'd like to go. Will 70 promise
to behave yo'rself? ....
LAS to how? l asks.
Gas to raisin' a fuss
eff nobody steps on my heels thar
won't be any fuss
"We made all our plans for an early
start the next day.
"She didn't say no mo- till we wus
on the road next forenoon, and then
she suddenly turns on me with:
"'Hev yo' ever been licked since 20
BEGUN a fighter?'
"'Never, and thar amt q thing as
stands on legs as kin do it.
81 want to ask a great favor Of 70,
| Zeb.' she sez as we walks along;
"Thar's gwine to be an elephant at that
circus.'
"'And what of it?'
"'Nothin', I hope, but bein' he's big.
germ yo' are I didn't know but yo'd git
mad and tackle him. Don't do it, Zeb
Don't do it, fur my sake
eff she hadn't spoken as she did I'd
never thought of tacklin' the critter,'
"but them words sorter stirred me up,
and 1 begun to git mad. We didn't say
nuthin' mo- till we got to town, though
I was dom a heap O thinkin'. We
seen the elephant a-walkin' along the
street with the purceshun, and my wife
seq to me, sez she:
"'Zeb, he don't look to be very betty
on the jump, and he can't wrassle, but
he pears to be an awful fighter
"'Shoo,' seq I, but I don't reckon he
kin fight fur shucks.'
"Bimeby the parade was over and we
went into the circus. I'd kept gittin'
madden and madden all the time. and
nov was ready to bust. The elephant
was chained up in the middle of the
tent, and l walked around him and
felt dangerous. The missus vas watch
in me and purity soon she seq:
"'Zeb, he's as big as a hill, amt he?
"'Mebbe he are,' sez I, but that's got
nuthin' to do with ii. The bigness OF
a man don't count fur much in a fout.
lest consider to reckon I kin make