THE "painter" in THE PIG PEN. 339 



jumpin' over the dend sow the painter had killed, prayin' 

 away and callin' to me by turns. " Oh, Potter ! quick — 

 he merciful to me — a — a — painter's comin' — as you 

 hope — to — he — saved — blasted sow — oh, ough — salva- 

 tion !'» 



" A stroke or two of the axe cut off the plug. ' Stand 

 aside Marthy,' sez I, as I pulled down the chain and 

 threw open the door. I had my rifle to my shoulder. 

 The first thing that cum out was the Doctor ; it nearly 

 cost him his life, for I was just a pullin' on hun when he 

 said somethin' and saved himself; then came the painter 

 quicker than greased lightning ; as he struck the ground 

 outside after his first jump, I puUed on him. The ball 

 struck him just in the shoulder, breaking one leg; he 

 fell, but was on his feet again quicker than thought, and 

 every one of the sixteen dogs, pups and all, on top of 

 him. 



"Phew! what a tussel! 'Go it pups!' sez Marthy, 

 holdm' up her light. * Go it yaller backs.' That old 

 woman was dare grit — well, she was. Gone now, poor 

 soul !" and the frontiersman wiped his eye with the sleeve 

 of his hunting-shirt — " killed herself learnin' to read. 



" The painter fetched himself up on his hind legs, like 

 a bar, hissin' all the while. One leg hung down — that 

 -was the broken one — the t'other one ho fetched around 

 among the dogs, and knocked 'em over like nine-pins. 

 Old Boz took some of it, and it keeled him up straight, 

 and then Tinker, and Sumter. I seen 'em getting cut 

 awful, and so I walked into the muss with the axe. One 



