AN ALL-DAY FIGHT.

Lake Wakatip Mail, Issue 2278, 15 September 1899, Page 5

AN ALL-DAY FIGHT.

One afternoon, said my fri< nd from the West, when I was out on the mouutain side with Zt b White, the possum hunter of Tennessee, of whom I hare ofttn talked to you, he told me this story Alter the closs of the wah things was purty bad around yere for awhile. Soaie was Coiiledi and some was Yaekp, and both was ready fur a row at any time. A feller named Peters moved in above the cross-roads and a feller named Hopkins moved in below. Both war strangers to each other and to Ihe rest of us. Peters gin out that Le was l?nion and fit with Grant, ami Hopkins gin out that he wis Coufed aud tit with Lee, and both was powerful on the brag. One day they come together at tie crossroads, stopped end walked around, and looked at each other for a spell, jixt as yo' h«v seen two atrange dawgi do. Then Peters, tie sr z

" 1 That ar' Gineral Grant ar' a ku»s to fight, and 1 don't keer who knows it.' " ' Mebbe he »r', says Hopkits, 'but 1 kaows of a better man and a better tighter, and hi:} iihme ar' Gineial Lee.' " ' Gim ral Lee ? Gineral I.ee ? Seems like I'v heurd the name befu'. Did he fout in this wall which bas jist en Jed up Y'

" ' He did. He ar' the man who licked every'bin' on legs till he got tired out and loit his eyeglasses and couldn't see to fit uo mo'. Any rrittur as tez theie w*» a better fighter than Gineral Lee has got to take it biek or lick nie !" " ' Smoo 1 Better go home befo' I chaw yo' up !' " ' Shoo ! I'm right lere to be chawed !' "That was the beginnin','' explnintd Zeb " Ttur was a do2en of us thar', and we kept 'em apart, but they agreed to cum back next day aud hev it out. The news spread around and went fo'th, and next arternoon I reckon thar' was two hundred men at the crossroads. Eviryboriy said it would be an awful fout—the awfullest fout ever seen between two men in this yere State of Tennessee. Both men were thar' on time. They had rifles and revolvers and knives, and nobody was to step m to pervent a fout. When they cum together Peters he stepped up aad >ez : " ' Mi bbe ihe presence of death has sorter changed yo'r mind and yo' want to apologize fur them 'ere words about Gineral Grant ?' " ' Never,' yells Hopkins, as he flings down his bat with a whoop. ' Gineral Leo was the bestman,and I've got blood to shed in tbeprovin of it ! How will yo' fout ?' " ' If it's jest the same to yo' I'll take knives kase then I can slice yo' up a slice at a time !' " 'l'm yere to be sliced, and knives it is. I'll cut yo' to shoestrings iu about five minits !' "Them men looked so fierce and detarmined," said Zeb, " that 1 felt my hair curl up and was a good mind to go hone. They put aside thtir rifles aud pistols peeled off most of their clothes, and the way they chunked tbeir teeth was awful to see. Bimeby all was ready, and then Peters hoots a terrible hoot and stz : " ' F« lier critter, I've got a heart in me and kin feel ftr the widder and the fatheiless, but yo' must take back them insults lo Giseral Grant or die ! ;

" ' Gineral Lee is my man for ev«r ! ' shouts Hopkins. 'He could outfit, out-jump and tutholler auythin' on feet ' I'm sorry fur yo'r' pore wife. 1 can't mind her tears.' " Tbey talked that way fur a long time," said Zeb, " but bimeby we got 'tm into the ring and facin'each olher with knives. We reckoued to see blood flow right away, but it didn't. They just walked round each other, pale as death aud their kates givin'oui, ana not a blow was struck. When they was tired of walkin' Peters be squared »ut and sez : " ' Did j» say it was this y»re last wait which that ji re critter of yo'is lit iDto ? ' "' I did,' stz Hopkias. ' Mebbe yo'remembers second Bull Hun, Antietaui, Fredricksburg, Gettysburg, the Wilderness, and so oa ? I was right tbar", md so was Gineral Lee. aud wt killed so many of yo' critters that we never bad lime to bury 'em or brag over it.' " ' Whoop ! Whoop-tse ! Yo' hev only five rninits to live. 1 was iu them fouts myself, and 1 didn't see a dead man on our side. I was standiu' right by the side of Gineral Graut when yo'r critter of a Gineral Lee began to iun.' •' ' Shoo—whoop ! ' " ' Whoop—tkoo ! : | " Thert was a good deal of blowing around belore they got to business,' I said. " They never got to business," he answered. •• We gin 'em an hour to get to work, but they it in blow aud brag and walkin' around. We see they was afraid, and hooted 'em, but they wouldn't close in. Some of thi crowd went away, aud others hung on, aud tbem two awful fighters sot down and glared at each other fur a hul hour without sayin' a word. Then Peters begins to git red iu tbe face and to sharpen his kniteon his boot leg.aad biraeby he he yells out: " 'I know that the widder will mourn aud the fatherless will weep, but shuck my hide if 1 kin stand this yere any longer 1 I've got to hev the blood of the critter what sez that Gineral Grant wasn't boss of the roost!' " 'Gineral Graut ? Gineral Grant?' sez Hopkins, as he icratthes bis head, aud looks far away. ' Would yo mind spelliu' tbe critter's name fur me, so that I won't mix him up with Corporal Smith and Sergeant Jones ?' " ' It's been spelled with cannon balls and grape shot !' " ' Shoo ! Don't yo' sass me!' " ' Shoo ! 1 was goin' to let up on yo' but

uowyo must die !' '•And that's the way they blowed and bluffed and bragged all that long arternoon," said Ztb, " and when night cum they was still at it. All the crowd but three or fo' went awaymad and disgusted, but we hung ou to see ttie eaud. It cam about uine o'clock. Each man had biu shaipeuin' his knife and feelin' of the »ige and chankin' his teeth, when Hopkins suddi nly jumps up with a whoop ai.d yells " ' I'll gin yo' jest one mo' chance, Jim I'uteis ! Do yo' deny that yo' ever beard •;

iiueral Lee r"' " ' Why, oa. Since this yere awful I'oul be;uu I're remembered that Ibar was sich :t ritter Vi-s, I'm suak (bar .vas. Reckon yo mist hcv I eard of Clineral (Jrant Y '■ ' Fur shore. He was i lighter.' " 4 So was yo'r Giueral Lee. " ' They was both awful tighleis. They fout md tit 'till they could lout uo uio'. fcsay, Jim Y " ' Yes, Tom/ " ' \Vc'»e fout and fit aud cut each otnei all o pieces, but I ain't iaad '

" • Neither an) I.' Then, let's take a drink and go home. Uineral Grant was au awful critter to lout. (Jiueral Lee was jist as good.' " ' lest so.' " " And that was the end of it ?" I asked, as Zeb paused with a look ol disgust 011 his face. " That was the eiud," he replied, •' 'ceptin' they took a drink together aud never asked any of the rest of us to mix in !''