Project Gutenberg's 'Hell fer Sartain' and Other Stories, by John Fox, Jr.

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Title: 'Hell fer Sartain' and Other Stories

Author: John Fox, Jr.

Posting Date: July 20, 2008 [EBook #410]
Release Date: January, 1996

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 'HELL FER SARTAIN' ***

Produced by Charles Keller. HTML version by Al Haines.

'Hell fer Sartain'

and

Other Stories

by

JOHN FOX, JR.

TO
MY BROTHER
JAMES

AUTHOR'S NOTE

CONTENTS

ON HELL-FER-SARTAIN CREEK
THROUGH THE GAP
A TRICK O' TRADE
GRAYSON'S BABY
COURTIN' ON CUTSHIN
THE MESSAGE IN THE SAND
THE SENATOR'S LAST TRADE
PREACHIN' ON KINGDOM-COME
THE PASSING OF ABRAHAM SHIVERS
A PURPLE RHODODENDRON

ON HELL-FER-SARTAIN CREEK

Thar was a dancin'-party Christmas night on "Hell fer Sartain." Jes
tu'n up the fust crick beyond the bend thar, an' climb onto a stump,
an' holler about ONCE, an' you'll see how the name come. Stranger,
hit's HELL fer sartain! Well, Rich Harp was thar from the head-waters,
an' Harve Hall toted Nance Osborn clean across the Cumberlan'. Fust
one ud swing Nance, an' then t'other. Then they'd take a pull out'n
the same bottle o' moonshine, an'--fust one an' then t'other--they'd
swing her agin. An' Abe Shivers a-settin' thar by the fire a-bitin'
his thumbs!

Well, things was sorter whoopin', when somebody ups an' tells Harve
that Rich had said somep'n' agin Nance an' him, an' somebody ups an'
tells Rich that Harve had said somep'n' agin Nance an' HIM. In a
minute, stranger, hit was like two wild-cats in thar. Folks got 'em
parted, though, but thar was no more a-swingin' of Nance that night.
Harve toted her back over the Cumberlan', an' Rich's kinsfolks tuk him
up "Hell fer Sartain"; but Rich got loose, an' lit out lickety-split
fer Nance Osborn's. He knowed Harve lived too fer over Black Mountain
to go home that night, an' he rid right across the river an' up to
Nance's house, an' hollered fer Harve. Harve poked his head out'n the
loft--he knowed whut was wanted--an' Harve says, "Uh, come in hyeh an'
go to bed. Hit's too late!" An'