The herald and mail. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1873-188?, 1874-07-17
MR.. RoWzEY AND THE BEARS.

The following sketch is from an illus
trated article by "Porte Crayon," in
Harper's for July. The writer, in COM
pany with party of friends, is on an
expedition through the mountains of
West Virginia, and stop for day at the
Winston Tavern:
During the afternoon our company
was swelled by the addition of sundry
transfers and drovers, habitues of the
road, and several mountaineers who
struggled in to pick up items of infor
nation from the great world outside, TO
chatter about cattle, and incidentally to
mix little narcotic stimulant with their
news as a digester. Among these We
remarked tall, athletic, black bearded
fellow, whose eyes twinkled with GER
tain savage facetiousness, and whose
staggering sociability shamed all cere-
mony. Approaching our party, he sa-
luted with a grace of man who has had
a bear for his dancing master, and
opened conversation in the lingo of the
mixed, jumbled, and infia-
ted with words and phrases which indi-
Gated some remote acquaintance with
books or educated society. Seeing that
we were disposed to be amused at his
eccentric guest, the landlord Joined us,
and suggested that Mr.. Rowzey should
entertain us with his great bear story.
"Well, now, Best, you know I've fit
and killed so many bar in my time that
your request appears ondefnite."
Mr.. Best particularize "Of that
bout you had with the bears who stole
your honey"
"Now, Best, quoth Rowzey, in de-
precating tone, 81 wouldn't mind a-tel-
lin of that story to you or any of these
mountain men about here, because you
konw hits every word the truth; but
these gentlemen are entire strangers to
me, as most likely they are to bar hun
tin, and they mought think some pints
of that story rather strong for their civ
ilized stomachs, and / bein' a person
notorious for my character and judicious
of my integrity, and respectfully con-
nected down in the old state, shouldn't
risk to have my word misdoubted, 'spe--
cially among gentlemen SIGH as these
appears to be"
The major here assured the speaker
that we were really to pledge ourselves
in advance to believe every word he
said, and as the weather was sultry, he
requested Mr.. Best to serve a large
pitcher of mint julep.
"Them remarks" said Rowzey,
" shows that you understand business,
and are jist the gentleman I took you
for"
After preliminary drink and some
wordy compliments to the liquor, the
historian seated himself and began his
story:
GA bar is looked on by the onexpe-
rienced as a mighty turrible beast and
SO he is, specially if he happens to be
an old she. The bar is also a main
cute cretur, and can tell by a mans
countenance whether he's good to eat or
not. Now as for you, sir, touching
his hat to the major-"a sensible bar
would most likely walk around and trot
off but this here Teller laying his
hand on Cockney's shoulder-"h he'd
make a comfortable meal of at first
sight"
The audience laughed, and Rowzey
took another drink.
ga bar" he continued, sis an ami
NAL to be respected and initiated. He
seldom goes out of his way to injure
but he don't stand much
foolin' if anybody undertakes to med
die with him. He remembers a good
turn longer than most men do, and if he
has weakness for honey, I've never
knowed him, of his own accord, to
mix it with any thing deleterious. So
much for the principal character in my
story, and 1 must follow with a short
sketch OF myself before 1 come to the
main point. Not far from where I was
horned there lived an old woman that
was believed to be a witch. Now when
ever baby was horned she could tell
at first sight what he or she was likely
to be good for in the world. When she
see my Oldest brother lOokin' so cute
out of his eyes, and holdin' his little
fists so tight, she condemned him to be
a lawyer. And so it was. He turned
out to be one OF the biggest rascals in
Southwestern Virginia. The second
boy my mother fetched was prophesied
for famous politician, and he growed
up still worse than the lawyer, If so be
SIGH thing is possible. Now when the
old woman was called on to look at me,
she sot for long time in a kind of a
brown study. At last she spoke up.
This boy, says she, has got the gifts
that might set him ahead of either of
his brothers, but it would be shame to
bring up SIGH stout and open-handed
baby to any of them weakly, sneakin'
businesses.
Daddy took the thing to heart. and
bein' flattered with her representations
of me, concluded to do full
Justice to my faculties and bring me up
as a bar-hunter /; and so he christened
me- Rowzey, after old Leather Bill At
kins' big bar dog. This dog aforesaid
was so turribIe on wild varmints that
brother Ballard, the lawyer (who was
high larnt), told Leather Bill if he
wasn't stopped there would be no game
left in the mountains-no more than
than there was in the island of Chios
after Orion's raid. Not bein' much ad-
1icted to Scripture, don't know what
hat meant. No more did old Leather
put the expression skeered him, and he
sent his dog away.
"Well, no sooner was fairly weaned
han daddy begins my eddication by
yittin' me a six-months-old bar cub for
| playmate. That cub was named
Rough, accordin' to his mater, and he
vas a very comfortable friend as long
IS we were roomin' or sleepin' together;
put when our bowl of mush-and-milk
vas sot down there was suspension of
until one of us got sound
vallopin', and the winner finished the |
nush- and-milk.
Trough and me generally fit fair,
lut he would sometimes take a mean |
advantage when he found / had the up
Ger hand in fight; he upset the pan,
veil aware that when it came to lap |
ping milk off the floor he was boss and !
nowhere. In spite of these little I'M
we both managed to |
Keep fat and hearty, and no outside |
beast or human ever undertook to poke |
MS snout3 between us without feelin' |
he strength of our friendship. When
We had growed to be three or four years |
I'D, Rough, accOrdin' to bar mater. had |
got so far ahead of me, and so careless
about my clothes, that nanny begin to
eed us IN separate pans. This new
plan was so mighty quiet that, nanny,
caring we might pine for our usual ex-
.rcisa and aYcitamant wnnld snmatimas