Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1881-12-21
For the Vermont Waterman.
Another Bear Story.

In the year 1900, my maternal grand
parents were married in Salisbury, New
Hampshire, and came directly to Vermont
and settled in the town of Washington,
then almost a wilderness. Grandfather had
previously cleared a few acres and built
small frame house Of two rooms, and they
thought themselves very well settled. In
year a son was born, and in little more than
another year a daughter, who was my
mother. There were no roads TO speak of,
so travelling was done on horses or on foot,
and many were the chance encounters with
the bears and other wild animals, which in
after years furnished stories for rehearsal to
their grandchildren. These stories ought
to be gathered into book, and many of
them are given in the Gazetteer of Miss Hem
epwsy.
Grandfather had cleared and planted a
good allowance of land, aud was still en-
gagged in clearing at the time of my story.
He usually left off work about sunset, and
grandmother would often go out to meet
him as the days were long and uneventful.
One evening about the first Of September
she had prepared the supper and, the Oldest
child being asleep in bed, she took the baby
in her arms and started towards the place
where her husband was at work. She fol-
lowed path, on one side of which was
field of corn rudely incosed with fence
of brush and feled trees, and on the other
side was thicket Of blackberry vines and
other bushes extending to the dark woods
westward. She had not gone far when she
heard great cracking Of brush just ahead
in the fence, and the next moment, big
black bear came rolling and tumbling down
into the path with great crashing of broken
sticks and twigs from the fence. He did
not see my grandmother at first, but set
himself down directly in the path to recover
his breath, and not more than half dozen
yards from her. He wagged his head, and
acted as though he was immensely pleased
to think how near he came turning sum
mersault over that pile of rubbish which a
man had built to keep him out of the corn ;
but he had made sure of one supper of it.
Grandmother was so frightened she could
not stir a step and she tried to scream, but
could not utter sound, so she stood staring
at the creature, hoping he might not see
her. He seemed in no hurry, but after a
moment he saw her and sat staring back.
By this time her courage began to come
back, and, violently shaking her apron at
him, she shouted, "get out" as she would to
a dog. He slowly pulled himself up to his
feet and disappeared in the bushes. Grand
mother gave piercing scream, and in a
moment more grandfather was there. He
had heard the brush crack when the bear
climbed over the fence, and, fearing grand
mother might be on the path to meet him,
had hurried on.
During the few years my grandfathe r
lived there he saw much of bears, and killed
quite number, but he always said bear
would not attack person or dog unless -
to use his expression-the bear was "aggra-
vated."
must tell another bear story of later
date. At one time my father had hired
man, or boy, of sixteen years, or about that
age, and one day he sent him directly after
dinner to distant lot to catch horse for
use. He came back, in great excitement,
without the horse, and said he had seen a
bear. There had been a number of sheep
killed by some animal, and there was quite
a talk about bears, so father thought it pos
sible he had seen one. Father was hunter,
SO he took his trusty gun, and the boy an
axe, and went to slay the bear. They crept
through thistles and briars and over fallen
logs till the boy, after taking an observation,
said he saw him. Father cooked the gun
and crept onward and after much whisper
ing and pointing, he saw an old black STUN p,
and nothing else That sort Of bear never
attacks anybody, even when aggravated"