The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1879-10-31
ccllaurnus.
The HOstler's Story.
by j. 7. TROWBRIDGE.

What amused us most ut the Lake House
last summer was the performance of a bear in
the back yard.
He was fastened to pole by chain, which
gave him a range of dozen or fifteen feet
1t was not very safe for visitors to come with
in that circle, unless they were prepared for
rough handling.
He had way of suddenly catching you to
him bosom and picking your pockets of pea
nuts and candy-ifyou carried any about you
in Il manner which took your breath away
He stood up to his work on his hind legs in a
quite human fashion, and used to paw and
tongue with amazing skill and vivacity. He
was friendly and didn't mean any harm, but
he was rude playtellow.
The One-eyed hostler, who was the bears
especial guardian leaned against the post
stroked Pomp's fur atfcctionately, and contin-
ued somewhat in this style
Bears are particularly fond of fat, juicy
pigs, and once give EN- a taste of human flesh
why, | shouldn't want my children to be
playin' in the woods within good many miles
of their den
(Which reminds me of old Two Claws as
they used to call him, a bear that plagued the
folks over in Ridgctown, where was brought
up-wcll, as much as 40 years ago
ale got his name from the peculiar shape
of his foot, and he got that from trfling with
gun trap. You know what that is-a load
ed gun set in such way that u bear or any
game that's curious about it must come up to
it in the way it points n bait is hung before
the muzzle and string runs from that to the
| trigger.
"Hc was q cunning fellow, and he put out
an investigator paw at the piece of pork be-
| fore trying his jaws on it, so instead of get
| tin bullet in the head he merely had bit
| ofhis paw shot Off There were but two claws
| left on that foot as his bloody track show
| cd
"Hc got off; but this experience seemed to
have sourcd his disposition. He owed a spite
| to the settlement.
zone night great row was heard in my
unce's pig pen. He and the boys rushed out
with pitckforks, a gun and a lantern. They
knew what the trouble was, or soon found
out.
"a huge black bear had broken down the
side of the pen he had seized fat porkcr,
and was actually Juggling him off in his arms
The pig was kicking and squealing, but the
| bear had him fast. He did not seem at all
inclined to give up his prey, even when at
| tackled. He looked sullen and ugly but n
few iabs from pitchfork and shot in the
shoulder convinced him that he was making
q mistake.
ale dropped the pig and ran away before
my uncle could load up for another shot The
next morning they examined his tracks. 1t
was old Two Claws.
"But what split him for being quiet
ncighbor was something that happened about
year after that
"There was rowing family of Indians en-
camped near the settlement hunting, fishing
and making moccasins and baskets, which
they traded with the whites.
"One afternoon the Red-Sky-of-the- Morn
| ing, wife of the Water-Snake-w ith-the-Long-
| Tail, came over to the settlement with some
| of their truck for sale. She had papoose on
her back strapped on board another squaw
Travelled with her. carrying an empty jug
almost within sight of Germans grocery
Red-Sky took off her papoose and hung it on
tree. The fellows around the store had made
fun of it when she was there once before, so
she preferred to leave it in the woods rather
than expose it to the coarse jokes ofthe boys.
| The little thing was used to such treatment.
| Whether carried or hung up, papoosy never
cried.
1.-THE squaws traded off this truck, and
bought, with other luXuries of civilization a
gallon of whisky. They drank out of the Jug
and looked at more goods. Then they drank
again, and from being shy and silent, as at
first, they giggled and chatted like couple OF
silly white girls. They spent a good deal
more time and money at Germans than they
would fit hadn't been for the whisky, but
finally they started to go back through the
woods.
"They went chatting and giggling to the
tree where the papoose had been left. There
was no papoose there
"This discovery sobered them. They
thought at first that the fellows around the
store had played them trick by taking il
away but by-and-by the Red-Sky-oEthe
Morning set up shrek.
"She had found the board not far off, but
no papoose strapped to it, only something
told the story of what had happened
There were bear tracks around the spot
One of the prints showed only two claws.
"The Red-Sky -of-theMorning went bach
, to the camp with the news; the other follow
ed with the Jug
"When the Water-Snake-with-the Long
. Tail heard that the papoose had been eaten b,
bear, he felt, suppose, very much as an,
white father would have felt under the cir
cumstances. He vowed vengeance against Oh
Two Claws. but consoed himself with
drink of fire-water before starting on tn
Ihunt