Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1916-01-06

THAR was sum purity bad men around
yere Jest arter the wah,'' said Zeb
White, the possum hunter Of Tennes-
see. as no got his pipe alight one even
ing on the doorsteps. "Mebbe the wust
critter of the lot was named Tom
Smith. He didn't heR 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 cit clar o him. Fur sum
reason he didn't bother me fur a 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 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 20 by six inches. II 20 ar a
man with legs under yo' cum out and
try on me!'
II seed he was tryln' to pick quar-
REL" said Zeb. land so l talked soft to
him and tried to git away.
II was In mighty pore health" ex-
planned Zeb. land no match fur SIGH a
man, and SO l had to crawfish. Ev-
erybody said l 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, leavln'
that critter crow over me, but my mind
was made up to tackle him as soon as
l felt like a man ag'in. When / got
home was cryin', and the old woman
SEE to me, SEE she:
"'Zeb, has the wah broke out aginY
"'No
"'Then what's the matterY
"'Tve bin bluffed.'
"'D'ye 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 her
"'He did. It's the fust time In my
life 1 ever crawfshed fur any human
critteR'
Reckon it is, Zeb. knows how yo'
feel. But yo' couldn't help it. If yo'
tackled him he'd hev broke yo' in two.
I'll go right at 1t and nurse yo up,
and in TO- weeks You be fitten to whop
Tom Smith till he can't boot. If yo'
hain't, III put on yo'r clothes and
whop him myself
II fGAt 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
gaintn' on 1t, but not feelin' much bet
ter, was sfttin right we're when
cotched sight Of bar across the road
by them rocks. Plenty Of bars around
yere them days, as nobody had been
home to kill 'em off. 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 thfowed down his hat and
yelled, 'Zeb White, ar that 20 a-sot.
tin tharT
sit arr
DO yo' call yo'self manr
mot a well man. If yo'll gin me
TO weeks mo- I'll run 20 outer the
kentry.'
WAL" sighed the old man, ''he
talked that way till got mad and riz
up to go, but Jest as did SO 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 bier. We heard
him sayfn':
"Zeb White, said yo' wasn't
man, but take It all back. l didn't
believe yo'd stand up to me, and my
heart was nigh breakin'.'
81 reckon Tom must hev bin half
drunk not to know bar from a man,
but he thought 1t was me fur shore,
and 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 a dozen times, and he got
many a good lick In on the bar, but
at length the fout was over. and Tom
Smith was whopped man. He hol-
Tered out that he'd got plenty, and I
reckon 1t 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. | thought 20 was a coward
and dasn't stand up to me. but yO've
Nhopped me in a fair foutr"
WAS he badly used up7' I asked, as
the. Starr nnnrnn1 70 hc Arlallnd