The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1915-08-19
By M. QUAD

III copyright, Iy1o, py the Mcclure III
Newspaper Syndicate.
'Thar was sum purity bad men around
we're jest arter the wah,'' said Zeb
White, the possum hunter of Tennes-
see, as he got his pipe alight one even
ing on the doorsteps. sMebbe the wust
cr1tter 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 cl'ar O. him. Fur sum
reason he didn't bother me fur a long
time, but one day when went down
Ito the co'ners to sell sum possum pelts
Tom was outer sorts and opened on
me. He looks at me long time with
a glare in his eye. Then he throws
down his hat and jumps on it and
yells:
80 Whoopee! Zeb White, behold the
Jumper from Jumpersvillel I'll bet my
rifle agin them possum pelts kin out
jump yo' by six inches. If yo' ar a
man with legs under yo' cum out and
try on mev
Il seed he was tryin' to pick d quar-
REL said Zeb, land SO talked Soft to
him and tried to git away.
II was in mighty pore health" ex-
Iplained Zeb, "and no match fur SIGH a
man, and SO | 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 critter crow over me, but nay mind
was made UP to tackle him as soon as
i felt like man ag'in When got
home I was crytn', and the old woman
SEE to me, SEE she:
'Zeb, has the wah broke out ag'in? p
"No.
Then what's the matterY
"'Pve bin bluffed'
"'D'ye mean that Tom Smith has
lcrowed over yo'?
" That's jest what he has, and I'm so
pesky weak in the knees that had to
sit away from him.
Jest backed ye' down, did hep
He did. It's the fust time in nv
life ever crawfished fur any human
Icritter'
" Reckon 1t is, Zeb. knows how yo'
feel But yo' couldn't help it. If yo'
tackled him he'd hey broke yo' in two
Tll go right at it and nurse yo' up.
and in fO weeks yo'H be fifteen to whop
Tom Smith till he can't boot If yo'
hain't, I'll put on yo'r clothes and
whop him myself
Il felt better arter that said Zeb,
though | couldn't get ever the hurt to
my feelin's. One eyenin', about two
weeks arter the fuss and when was
gainin' on it, but not feelin' much bet
ter, was sittin' right we're when I
cotched sight of bar across the road
by them rocks. Plenty of bars around
we're them days, as nobody had been
home to kill 'em Off About the time
4 cotched sight of the bar Tom Smith
Showed up. Tom saw me a-sittin'
we're, ard he stopped right by that
tree and throwed down his hat and
yelled, 'zeb White, ar that yo' a-sot-
tim thar?'
eft arr
- Do yo' cab yo'self man?
Not a well man. If yell gin me
TO weeks mo- I'll run yo' outer the
kentry.'
WAL" sighed the old man, che
talked that way till / got mad and riz
up to go, but jest as I did so that bar
waltzed across the road on his hind
feet and fetched him 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 Der We heard
him sayin':
'Zeb White, / said yo' wasn't a
man, but | take 1t all back. | didn't
believe yo'd stand up to me, and my
heart was nigh breaknl''
II reckon Tom must hev bin half
drunk not to know bar from man,
but he thought it was me fur shore,
and he soon had 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 a dozen times, and he got
many a good lick in on the bar, but
at length the fout was ever and Tom
Smith was whopped man. He hol-
lered out that he'd got plenty. and /
reckon it was the same with the bar.
as he suddenly made off into the
woods. When Tom got over bein'
dazed he got up and said to me:
"'Zeb White, I'm a-beggin' Of yo'r
pardin. I thought yo' was coward
and dasn't stand up to me, but we've
whopped me In fair foutr
WAS he badly used up?'' asked, as