The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1879-03-20
THE HOSTLER'S STORY.
BIZ J. t. TRowBRIDaB.


house last summer was the performance
OF bear in the back yard.
He was fastened to pole by a chain,
which gave him range of dozen or
fifteen feet. II was not very safe for
visitors to come within that circle, unless
they were prepared for rough handling.
He had a way of suddenly catching
you to his bosom. and picking your
pockets of peanuts and candy-if you
carried any about you--in q manner
which took your breath away. He stood
up to his work on his hind legs in a
quite human fashion, and used paw and
tongue with amazing skill and vivacity.
He was friendly, and didn't mean any
harm, but he was rude playfellow.
I shall never forget the ludicrous ad-
venture of dandified New Yorker who
came out into the yard to feed bruin on
seed. cakes, and did not feed him fast
enough.
He had approached a trife too near,
when all at once the bear whipped an
arm about him, took him to his embrace,
hurry. The terrified face of the strug-
CLING and screaming fop, and the good
natured. business-like expression of the
IuuUlluR duu muuCuluS Dcd5U, OuOISu
the funniest sort of contrast.
The one-eyed hostler, who was the
bears especial guardian, lounged leisure
ly to the spot.
"Keep still, and he won't hurt ye, :"
he said, turning his quid. That s
one of his tricks. Throw out what you've
got, and he'll leave ye."
The dandy made haste to help bruin
l. I.
capped without injury, but in ridicu-
lous plight-his hat smashed, his neck
tie and linen rumpled, and his watch
dangling but his fright was the most
laughabie part of all.
The one-eyed hostler made a motion
to the beast, who Immediately climbed
the pole, and looked at us from the
crosspiece at the top.
ga bear" said the one-eyed hostler,
turning his quid again, sis the best
hearted, KNOWN est critter that goes OIL
all-fours. I'm speakin' of our native
black bear, you understand. The brown
bear aint half so respectable, and the
grizzly is one of the ugliest brutes in
creation. Come down here, Pomp."
Pomp slipped down the pole and ad.
vanced toward the one-eytd hoetler,
walking on his hind legs and rattling
his chain.
Playful as kitten |" said the one
eyed hostler, fondly. "I'll show ye."
He took wooden bar from clothes.
horse near by. and made lunge with il
at Pomp's breast.
No pugilist or fencing could
have parried blow more neatly.
Then the one-eyed hostler began to
thrust and strike with the bar as if in
downright earnest.
"Rather savage play" remarked.
And friend by my side, who never
misses chance to make a pun, added {:
"Yes, decided act of bar-bear-ity."
"Oh, he likes it |" said the one-eyed
hostler. "Ye can't hit him."
And indeed it was so. No matter how
or where the blow was aimed, q move
ment of Pomp's paw, quick as flash of
lightning, knocked it aside, and he
stood good waiting for more.
"Once in awhile" said the one-eyed
hostler, resting from the exercise and
leaning on the bar, while Pomp retired
to his pole, "there's bear of this spe-
cies that's vicious and blood thirsty.
Generally, you let them alone and
they'll let you alone. They won't
run from you maybe, but they won't
go out Of their way to pick quar-
rel. They don't swagger round with
chip on their shoulder lookin' for some
fool to knock it off,"
Will they eat you ?" some one in
quired; for there was ring of spectators
around the performers by this time.
"As likely as not, if they are sharp
set, aid you lay yourself out to be eaten,
but it amt their habit to go for human
flesh. Roots, nuts, berries, bugs and
any small game they can pick up, salts
fies their humble appetite as general
thing.
The one.eyed hostler leaned against
the pole, stroked Pomp's fur affection
ately, and continued somewhat in this
style:
'"Bears are particularly fond of fat,
juicy pigs; and once give 'em taste of
human fesh-why, shouldn't want my
children to be playin' in the woods with.
in good many miles of their den
(which reminds me of Old Two
CLAWS, as they used TO call him, bear
that plagued the folks over in Ridge
town, where I was brought up-wall, AS
much as forty year ago.
~ a6 ROb Ills udIQ6 lIOm Uu6 D6Cullar
shape of his foot, and he got that from
trihing with a gun-trap. You know
what that is-a loaded gun set in such
way that bear or any game that's curl
ous about it must come up to it the way
it p'ints; bait is hung before the muz-
zle, and string runs from that to the
trigger.
"He was a cunning fellow, and he
put out an investigatin' paw at the
piece of pork before trying his jaws on
it; so instead of gettin' bullet in the
head, he merely had bit of his paw
shot off. There were but two claws left
on that foot, as his bloody tracks show
ed.
"He got off; but this experience
seemed to have soured his disposition.
He owed spite to the settlement.
"One night great row was heard in
my uncle's pigpen. He and the boys
ushed out with pitchforks, 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
po rker, and was actually Juggling him
of in his arms The pig was kicking
aud squealiug, but the bear had him
fast. He did not seem at all inclined 10
give up his prey, even when attacked.
Hs looked sullen and ugly; but few
jabs from pitchfork, and shot in the
shoul der, convinced him that he was
max ing mistake.