The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1873-10-04
Grandma'sBear Story.

and lhiogs, and never would consent to
have a '"gassy coal-stove" in her room
but insisted on keeping her old Frank
lin" there, with it's big folding doors
ready Tor fire inside of them, summer
az well as winter, for, as she said
There "a often q cool evening 10 sum-
mer when little fire is pleasant" She
always had plenty OF company such
evenings, for when twilight came the
little ones Aocked in there rom their
outdoor play, delighted to hrddle down
before the pleasant open fire and listen
to gr9ndma's stories Of old times
When the "Frankhn" doors were wide
open the freight glanced in every cor
ner OF the room, so that grandma's fin
gers aided by the practice of many years,
could easily guide her knitting needles
around the little stocking that was
always her evening work.
: "Grandma," said'Jason, one evening,
when they quoted down after a very
noisy romp. Grandma, tell us about
the time when you were little girl
and used to go after the COWS through
the woods, and chased the bear"
'Oh," said grandma, will you never
be tired OF hearing that old story You
must know it al by heart By this time !;
you had better tell it to me"
"Oh, no, no, grandma, please do tell
us that one" cried the other children,
Hnuwing Nat coaxing would bring her
10 terms.
And grandma commenced: When
| was a iitle girl it was all woods around
= ere, there were no houses except the
TO-: house we lived in, and there was
not another one nearer than the Cooper
settlement, which was three miles
away. | remember the day we came
here. was ten years old then, about
a. old as some OF you are now; my
brother Alex was two years younger
than |. Nv father had come on q few
weeks before the family, to build a
house tor us TO live in. lie and Uncle
John had cut down trees aud bailt a
hCuse O. the loEs, and had made q
chimney of wooden slate. Tie side
mex: to the fire was plastered with clay.
The hearth, o. large, flat stones, was
no. laid yet, but father built roaring
FIRE on the ground at the bottom Of the
chimney, and soon there was ready q
bed o. coa!s for mother to put the sup
pcrCver. Uncle John had caught q
nice spotted trout in the creek to have
rre3y icr our suppers. when all tired
and nuUgry, we reschrd our new home
Mother put the FISH ia the irying-pan
on the hottest Goals and some potatoes
to roast in the ashes, and a short cake
IN the bake Kettle. Oh, nothing will
ever taste so good to me again as the
supper d!d that night. We were all go
hungry, and go happy, and so glad to
be ali together again | can remember
just how the fish smelled as sat on
the board floor, with my feet baugirg
down to the bare ground where the
stone hearth WIS 10 be, watching moth.
er as she moved the lrying-psn from
one place 10 another, on the Goals, so
lhat il W ND get the best heat.
Il remember, too, looking up through
the rOol that still lacked several boards
at one end, AID seeing the great branch
e. o. the forest trees waving against the
blue sky far above our house. They
seemed SO high, so far away, that !
thought Heaven would be very near if
on c I'D hut clint TO their tops"
Grandma here lapscd into o reverie
which lasted so long that the boys be-
came impatient, aud were greatly reliev-
Ell when she reused herself with a sigh,
and continued:
There we're bat few Indians here
then; they had mostly gone farther
west; those that still fingered along our
creek lived by Lunting and fishing.
They would not work, aud they p0utd
steal, - we were all glad when they
wandered of in search Of their tribe
! ;hjnk ihsy were Cavugas. The deer
ali uefs were mostly gone, too they
r-rl1,ed as did the Indian, before the
White man. Father aud Uncle John
snol TWO deer and @ bear the first year
SO lived here, but they never cav any
after that first year. | never saw
bear la the woods but once, and I'll tell
y.u atoUt that now.
My brother Alex and | had to 20
for he cows every night. They we're
p.stured in the woods, and sometimes
-uaycd mite or two from the house.
one Of them had bell on her neck, SO
iaa', hearing ii, we might know in
what direction to look for them, as they
always kept tcEether-two COWS and
Little black heller.
"One night Alex and | were so busy
1T pay that We forgot all about the
COWS until we were startled by fathers
voice asking us where they were. Great
was our CONSERVATION to find that il
WAS past shutdown. and getting darker
every moment. We begged OF father to
ID with us; we were AFRAID But he
sad, No; this will teach you q lesson
YIN will not forget; you must 20 alone
There will nothing hurt you.
I'VE hurried otftnrough the woods,
starting at every shadow we saw and
every sound we heard. By the time
we found the cows 1t was 80 dark that
we could not have told old white face
rom the other, only that she had the
bell. The black heller was missing /;
we hunted awhile, and, not finding her,
concluded to 60 back without her, as it
was getting so dark we were afraid we
could not find our way home. We
started the cows along, and had gone
but lew rode when black object
started out from a clump Of underbrush
and followed on behind the cows.
Halloo,' said Alex, there's the
heller after sll I'm glad she's come
father would have scolded us for leaving
her. When the heller heard bis voice
she stnnped Turned and looked at ia