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"Yer under arrest, Jeff Corbley!" he said, making a motion to one of the others to bind the fellow. "Me? What fur, sheriff? I declar I jest clim' thet tree 'cause I was skeered. I hed a squint o' yer crowd acomin' over the rise, an' I spected 'twar them coons hustling out fur grub. They got it in fur me, an' I jest het up ther tree quicker nor lightnin'."
When we first shoved our cattle up there the whole country was a virgin one, no settlements or houses, no roads of any kind, except one or two Indian hunting trails, no cattle, sheep or horses. There were, as already stated, elk, mountain sheep, antelope, deer, bears, panthers, porcupines, coons, any amount of wild turkey, spruce grouse, green pigeons, quail, etc., etc.
Faith, he's changed his chune, an' 'tis 'Sthrangers wanst, but brothers now, with him, an' 'Hands acrost th' sea an' into some wan's pocket, an' 'Take up th' white man's burden an' hand it to th' coons, an' 'An open back dure an' a closed fr-ront dure. 'Tis th' same with all iv thim. They'se me frind Joe Choate. Where 'd Joe spind th' night?
I jedge he's got them coons separated from ther hook in the swamp, an' if that's so they ain't agoin' to 'scape him this time," remarked George, as they stopped to listen. The sounds grew fainter, however, showing that the chase must be leading away from the road they followed.
"Set down set down, boys," he said, seeing them standing ready for an immediate start. "There's no hurry. Coons won't be running for three or four hours after sundown."
The few persimmon-trees that grew upon it furnished an ample lunch, for the frosts had mellowed the plum-like fruit, making it sweet and edible. Coons and other animals feast upon its fruit. The deepening gloom warned me to seek comfortable quarters for the night.
The Musical Coons dissolved after one performance, during which the Captain's brow grew black and the Chaplain turned faint, and an ecstatic ship's company shouted itself hoarse with delirious enjoyment. Thereafter, for a period, the breath of rebuke and disrepute clung to the songsters; but a ship without a sing-song party is like a dog without a tail.
Alfred Henley, an' this is his hoss. Orders is out from headquarters to give both of 'em every needed attention. It ain't any o' my business, Cipo. I'd give all o' you coons a rest if I had my way. Life is too short to bother about puttin' on style an' tyin' a bow of ribbon to every act."
These unsophisticated, honest "coons," thinking it meant that they would have to pay only two cents per week, accepted the offer, affixed their X marks to his unknown papers, and not even Solomon in all his glory was arrayed like this simple couple.
First the new overseer, knocking at her door, would call through the crack that a cow had calved, or that one of the sheep was too ill to go to pasture. Then Rindy, entering with her pails, would shake a pessimistic head. "Lawd, Miss Chris, one er dem ole coons done eat up er hull pa'cel er yo' chickens."
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