The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1916-10-30
THE TALE OF
A BOBCAT
By M. QUAD
Copyright. 1916, by the Mcclure
Newspaper Syndicate.

/ lived over In Joe Davis county. I
had a squat over thar by the big Blue
Gum swamp. Thar was forty acres OF
land In the squat, and 1t was mighty
pore land. 1t was all could do to raise
huff con and taters fur me and the
| ole woman. If 1t hadn't been that the
Blue Gum was full of varmints that
could trap in the winter and sell their
furs reckon we should have starved
out.
zone winter, for some reason or
other, most Of the varmints left the
swamp. and it was mighty poor trap
pin. / got just enough fur to keep US
goin', and as consequence when
spring and summer cum along we was
powerful hard up and like to go hun
cry In another month.
Zone night arter the ole woman mad
given me three or four hints about
laziness we went to bed feelin' that
Providence was to blame for 1t all.
Along about midnight she nodged mo
awake and said:
fur you to 90 in the swamp tomorrer
and set dcadfall to catch Il bobcat.
If you kin ketch a big bobcat mebbe
you kin sell him at Mud Flats or the
Bend to some one fur pet. He orter
bring at least So
1T was worth thirkin' about" said
Joe, "and next day | reckoned it might
pay to try Il. | went out and set a
deadfall, and while | was dom it a
bouncin' big bobcat ran up a tree clus
beside me and gin a screech that riz
my ha'r up.
THAT night about IL O'Clock we was
awoke by the durndest screamin' and
screechin' that man ever heard of.
1t come from bobcat who had med
died with that deadfall. I
1--WE got her Gagged. and next mawn-
In l set out for the town of Mud
Flats. ! went thar kase thar was two
or three rich men in the place who
might buy the cat and kase thar was
to be lecshun thar that day
Eight miles below Mud Flats was
Walnut Bend, a town of about 1900
people, without any mud in front OF it.
The Benders wanted the county seat
moved over thar, and after lot of
hard feelin's about it it was agreed to
hold a lecshun. 1t was to be held
in Mud Flats. and that is what brung
about $50 Benders over thar the day
drove In with the cat. hadn't driv
inter the town yit when l met old Jim
Darby in the road AFTER he had nod
led to me and took look at the cage
be says:
What We got thar. JoeT
A big bobcat,' ! says.
"'What We goin' to do with himr
Sell him if kin
cole Jim steps aroun' to the back Of
he wagon and peeks in and the cat
gives scream and splits in his face.
With that, old Jim backs up and walks
he road a few feet When he Gums
Jack to me he says:
Joe, these Mud Flatters are a tricky
OF. They have formed in line in
ront of the polls and are goin' to
ote so slow that us Blenders won't
tand no show to git the county seat.
wonders
What We wonderin' about. Jimg
avs /.
!" Il think we might make use o. that
att think so. IL he was turned
bose down by the votin' place what
,ould he do?
Why. he would bite and claw ur-
i you could smell sulphur
Il reckon he would, Joe. What I
ant of him is to drive these Flatters
way from the poles and gin my men
chance to hold the land If you
link he kin do this there is $40 in it
If you.
~ want jest four times that. Jim.'
lys |. seem my advantage.
Jim sticks fur awhile. strokin' his
d chin whiskers, and he finally Gums
my terms He tells me what to do
he passes up the money and starts
lex TO the town and gives his men
e wink. and they all draws off to an
d barn farther down the street. Then
drives in and stand up in my wagon
Id shouts out that | have big bob
t for sale. The street was full of
en-, but no one minds me- shouts
t that | will take 50 fur the var
int. Then | lowers the iF'cp to So
d S3-and 81, and artCI lbout ten
nutes of this hollerin' ;it~ the sig
l from Jim, and protocols TO git
ghty mad, and yells "a
II NOBODY will buy thi aub of me
en- am goin' 70 turn him Dose and
him find his way back to his loyin'
me in Blue Gum
What | did took the crowd by sur
se. | turned TO the cage and tore
a couple of stats. and the cat cum
like bullet. He clawed my cap
as be cum and then bit the ole mule
his way to the ground. and n fiend
S let loose in Mud Flats
He broke up that vriu' line in
rty seconds. and he drove men
er stores and shops and houses
wd. hut he was fury, He was as
d as six bars rolled inter one.
1t was when the cat started fur
ne that Old Jim appeared with his
n and formed solid line befo' the
Is. They kept that line all day in
te of many fouts. and when the
sin hour came they had the county
1 by $50 majority. And when l got
ne and showed the ole woman the