Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1873-10-02
Graaama's Bear story An Actual DC.
BIZ ELINOR BROOKE

open the bright fire-ight glanced in
every corner OF the room, so that
grandma's fingers, 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 even
ing, when they had quoted down after
q very noisy romp, ."Grandma, tell
us about tho time when you were q
little girl and used to go after the COWS
through the woods, and chased the
bear"
"Oh," said grandma, twill you never
DO tired of hearing that old. story9
You must know it all 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 chill
dren, knowing from experience that
coaxing would bring grandma to terms.
And grandma commenced: "When
I was little girl it was all woods
around here, there were no houses
except the log house we lived in, and
there was not another one nearer than
the Cooper settlement, which was three
miles away. I remember the day we
came here. I was ten years old then.
about as old as some OF you are now
my brother Alex was two years Young
or than ]. Ny father had come on a
few weeks before the family, to build a
house for us to live in. He and Uncle
John had cut down trees and built q
house of the logs, and had made Chin
ney of wooden stats, The side next
the fire was plastered with clay. The
hearth, OF large, fiat stones, was not
laid yet, but father built roaring fire
on the ground at the bottom
OF the chimney, and soon there was
ready nice bed of Goals for mother to
put the supper over. Uncle John had
caught q nice spotted trout in the
creek to have ready for our suppers.
when, all tired and hungry. We reached
our new home. Mother put the flsh in
the trying.pan on the hottest Goals and
some potatoes to roast in the ashes,
and short-cake in the bake-kettle.
"Oh, nothing will ever taste SO good to
me again" said grandma, Gas the
supper did that night" We we've all
SO hungry, and so happy, and 40 clad
to be altogether again. can remem-
Der just how the fish smelled ash sat on
the board dobr, with my feet hanging
down to the bare ground where the
stone hearth was to be, Watching
mother as she moved the fryino.pan
Irom one place to another on the coals.
SO that it would get the best heat.
remember, too, looking mn
through the roof that still lacked sew.
eral boards at one end, and seeing the
great branches of the forest trees wav.
ing against the blue sky far above our
house. They seemed SO high, 10 far
away, that I thought Heaven would be
very near 1t one could but climb to
their tops"
Grandma here lapsed into a reverie
which lasted so long that the BOYS be-
came impatient, and were greatly re-.
heved when che reused herself with q
sigh, and continued: "There were
but few Indians here then thew had
mostly gone farther west those that
still fingered along our creek lived bv
hunting and fishing. They would not
WORK, and they aoould steal, SO we
were all glad when they wandered off
in search of their tribe. I think they
were Cayugas. The deer and bears
were mostly gone, too; they rctreated,
as did the Indians, before the white
man. Father and Uncle John shot
two deer and bear the first year we
lived here, but they never saw any
after that first year. I never saw q
bear in the woods but once. and I'm
tell you about that now.
My brother Alex and I had to %
for the COWS every night. They were
pastured in the woods, and sometimes
strayed mile or two from the house.
One of them had bell on her neck, go
that hearing it, we might know in what
direction to look for them, as they
always kept together-two COWS and q
little black heller.
One night Alex and I were 80 busv
at play 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 it was past shutdown, and pettipo
darker every moment. We begged Of
father to go with us; we were afraid.
But he said, mo, this will teach Won a
lesson you will not forget, YOU mnst ga
alone: There will nothing hurt you.
eve hurried off through the woods,
starting at every shadow we saw and
every sound we heard. By the time
we found the cows it was so dark Chat
we could not have told old I" white.
face from the other only she had tie
Tell: The black heifer was missing -:
we hunted awhile, and, not finding
her, concluded to go back without her
as 1t was getting so dark we were afraid
We could not find our way home. We
started the cows along, and had gone
but few rods when black Object
started out from clump Of under
brush and followed on behind the cows
Halloo," said Alex, "there's tho
nei1er after all; I'm glad she's come !;
!ather would nave scOlded us for leav.
ing her.. When the heifer heard his
voice she stopped, turned, and looked
at u.s. as II she was inclined to come
toward us instead of going home Int
we shouted at her with ali our mioht
for we didn't want to lose her AGAIN
and she turned and trotted after the
COWS. Several times she STONED in
the same way, and we had to shout and
drive her along. I remember that Ala~
said, Nan, what does all that heifer
seems to me she acts queer" When
we came to the cleared land, the heifer
stopped again, and when We tried tn
drive her farther, she growled at us.
and, turning suddenly, climbed rioht
over the top of high rail fence. and
we heard her run, growing, off into
the woodsl
cts bear!" exclaimed Alex: "let'a
run !" and run we did. We raced the
COWS home at such rate that the ling
ling bell brought mother ont of the
house to wonder what in the world
those children were racing the COWS
for; it would just ruin the but.
ter" But telling our adventure
soon cut short her reproofs: she
hurried us into the house and fastened
the door and windows, and as soon as
father and Uncle John had started off
with guns and lanter, to see if it really
had been bear. Sure enough, bv the
light of the lantern they found bear