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This is a true story told by the late Elbert (Eb) Rosson many years ago. Eb was a master storyteller who had mastered the art of pausing to roll a cigarette at just the right time. Of course, his accent and cadence were practiced from years of telling stories of his life and the world around him.
Skeered To Death
We lived in the house at the bridge. ‘Course we never
had a car. If we went anywhere, we walked.
One Sunday, Mom and Pap said they was going across the
creek to the Bates’ house. I knowed they had some girls
about my age and I was sorta sweet on one, so I went along. I
musta been about 16. We waded the creek down below the little
field that we called the “Back Band.” This was
named the “Bates Ford.”
We stayed ‘till about sundown, then Pap said,
“We best go home.” I was having a good time, and
I thought it would sound big to say, “You all go on. I
ain’t skeered, and I will come when I get ready.”
Pap grinned and said, “All right, we are going
now.”
This musta been about November ‘cause we had been
gathering corn, I remember. Any how the first thing I knowed,
it was gittin’ dark. I decided to wait ‘till the
moon came up. I was gittin’ sorta uneasy by now, but
finally Mr. Bates said, “Boy, you better go
home.” So I lit out.
I made it fine ‘till I got to the creek. We had a
foot-log across the creek, and it had already come a big
frost, so I decided not to wade the creek, but to walk the
log. I was bare-footed, and when I started out the log my
feet slipped. So, I sat down astraddle of the log, and, as
the old saying, I “cooned” my way across. I was
already gettin’ purty nervous.
When I got off the log and started up the path, a big
ol’ swamp rabbit jumped up right under my feet. I
jumped to run, and by now I was in the corn field. I saw
something keeping up with me.
I went across the corn field knocking stalks as I went.
They was a rail fence at the edge of the field, and I made
for a low place so I could jump it. When I come down I landed
in the middle of a bunch of hogs that was bedded down. I
guess it skeered them ‘cause they went “Woof
Woof” and run everwhar.
I wasn’t sure it was a bear or a hog, and I
wasn’t taking no chance. So, I lit out in a beeline for
the house, and after falling down in a gully and running
through a fence, I just made it to the porch where I just
fell down ‘till Pap came & got me.
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