The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1872-02-22

Hard set lived there in those days,
Dan," said Mr.. Churchill.
oval, yes" said Dan, with good-na-
tured impudenco; "that was material
enough, seein' as how your father-in-law
made the very first settlement at Jeri-
cho, Mr.. Churchill. But that's neither
here nor there. I lived in that holler.
Ben Samson and me was at outs. So,
one night, l saw bar a-climbing the
fence with his arms full of roas'in yeers.
They warn't mono of mine, and L Just let
the old chap go. EFF my gun hadn't a
been out of keller, I'd shot the thief
and treated myself to some bar-grease
for my hair.
"Well, the mex day I got the gun
fixed. An the mex night 1 watched
for Mr.. Bar. Long he come; but std
Ben Samson's cider mill. There was
some cider lef' in the bottom of the mill,
you know"
"Cider an roasting ears at the same
time, Dam inquired Mr. Churchill,
gravely, while there was general litter.
"Yos" !" said Dan, utterly unabashed !;
land that there is the curiousest thing
Of all. l was jist goin' to cali your ten
ton to that, Mr.. Churchill, 'kase 1 know
you kin explain it, bein colloge-cdi-
Gated man. The cider he'd stood in the
box OF the mill nine months er so, and
Std of changin' to vinegar it had took
t'other road and gone to applo-brandy.
L don't know much about science. boys,
but Mr.. Churchill can explain it. Twas
n curious scientific fact, though"
Dudley remarked that it was very Gu
rious
"Well. they was old tin pan left
in the mill, and that thar bar he must
been sort thirsty-like. He up with
the pan, and took r long, comfortable
swig at that apple-brandy. 1 think he
must q put down quart. And in five
minutes or so he was as drunk bar as
you ever sot eyes on. He danced, and
staggered and laughed-he did, 'pon my
honor-and then sot down and cried.
Then he went off singin' and hol-
lerin'."
why didn't You shoot him." asked
Henry Turner.
"Shoot him. That's what you'd q
done. That's all the sense you've got.
Do you think hadn't no enthusiasm fer
science? I'd ruthcr shost you than to
shot that bar. | wanted to see the effec'
Of apple-brqndy on n varmint of that
sort.
"Well, sir, ef you'll believe it, fer ten
nights watched that bar. Every night
he come along mopin'. And every nig ght
he went home boastly drunk. Well, the
leyenth night come. Twas Sunday
night. That bar didn't no more regard
the Sabbath day than nothin'. He como
| ofri, tQ,,+ h. 81
There was Mrs. Bar and the cubs They
seemed to be demonstrating with him.
She pulled at his shoulder. One of the
little fellers got hold Of his tail and
pulled"
Bears ha'n't got no TAIL" said old
Weed, the red-Eosed pilot.
"Well, may be they han't," said Dan,
angrily; "but when a teAer sticks to
the solemn truth i'll the main, you don't
want to quarrel with him about SO leetle
q thing as bars tail. As was sayin',
the rest stood and boo-hooed. 1t was
the most techip' sight ever beheld. But
that beast never stopped drinking till he
was 50 beastly intoxicated that his wife
had to help him home
"Then come the twelf night. Ishan't
never ferget that. Fer you see the bar
didn't come at the usual time, and
found there was only one bottle Of that
brandy left, so I couldn't resist the temp
tation to draw that off in a bottle that
| carried in my pocket | used the bot
tie generally for milk" Here Dan
looked apologetically at Mr.. Churchill.
Il thought it might be good in case of
sickness or mince pies, you know, and |
knowed Ben Samson wouldn't never
miss it, for he didn't know that twas
there. But I was awful sorry that l
tuck that brandy afore morning. Fer
bruin came along more down-hearted
looAin' than ever see. Smelt the tank
all over. Didn't find nothin Then he
looked the very pictor of despair. He
a leanin,, his elbows on the rider of the
fence, and his head on his paws. de-
clare l shed tears. I would willingly
hev give him that bottle ef I'd a thought
he'd knowed the use of bottle. But
you see a bar amt so civilized as that.
Well, he sot there an hour. Then, L
'spose he began to see snakes. He fit
this away, and he fit that away. He
snapped, and bit, and growled. Twas
awful to see his agerny. And he hadn't
NO doctor by to call it apperplexy. 1t
was delirum trimblims, and nothin' else.
l got SO all-fred interested that | come
a leetle to closte. l spose he thought L
was the ole boy, fer he chased me. l
run fer the woods, and he follered closte.
| clim tree-a ash with the lowest
limb hundred feet from the ground.
And that bar elm arter me. Iclum and
he clum. L clum and he clum. About
thirty feet up he cotch my boot. used
him fer a boot-jack and wrenched my
foot out of the boot. Down went the
bar and the boot. Then he come arter
me agin. Jist as l got up to the lowest
limb, which was hundred and fifty feet
up, he cotch up to me. They warn't no
chance fer feller. l tell you I did feel
as of the day of Judgment had come, and
did wish hadn't stold that bottle Of
brandy from-tIom the bar. For settin
up thar waitin' fer bar with the trim
blins to swaller you, and remembering
that the solid terry tirmy is hundred
and seventy-fve feet down, makes a
man think of his sins agin' his fellow
man, and specially gin the bar that's
about to arrest him."
Here Henry Turner laughed, and Dan
relapsed into an obstinate silence, de-
claring that he'd be blamed eff he'd fin
isA that story. 1t was the solemn truth,