Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1881-03-25
TILE HOSTLERS STORY.

What amused us most in the Lake House
last summer was the performance of a bear
in the back yard.
He was fastened TO pole by a chain, which
gave him a range Of twelve or fifteen feet. 1t
was not very safe for visitors to come within
that circle, unless they were prepared for a
rough handling.
He had a way OF suddenly catching you to
his bosom and picking your pockets of pea
nuts and candies-if you carried any about
you-in a manner which took your breath
away. He stood up to his work on his hind
legs in 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 a rude playfellow.
shall never forget the ludicrous adven-
ture of dgnifed New Yorker, who came
out to feed bruin on seed-cakes, and did not
feed him fast enough.
He approached a trihe too near, when all
at once the bear whipped an arm about him,
took him TO his embrace, and ''wentthrough"
his pockets in hurry. The terrified face Of
the struggling and screaming fop and the
good-natured business-like expression of the
tumbling and munching beast, offered the
funniest sort of contrast.
The one-eyed hostler, who was the beasts
especial guardian, lounged quite leisurely to
the spot
keep still, and he wont hurt ye, he said
turning his quid. That's one of his tricks.
Throw out what ye'Ve got and he'll leave
you"
The dandy made haste to help bruin to the
last of the seed cakes, and escaped without
injury, but in u ridiculous plight-his hat
smashed, his necktie and linen rumpled and
his watch dangling but his fright was the
most laughable part of all.
The one-eyed hostler then made a motion
10 tho beast, who Immediately climbed the
pole and looked at us from the cross-piece at
the top.
"A bear" said the one-eyed hostler, turn
ing his quid again, sis the best-hearted,
knowip'st critter that goes on all fours. I'm
speakin' of our native black bear, you under
stand. The brown bear amt half so respec-
table, and the grizzly bear is one of the ugli.
est brutes in all creation. Come down here,
Pomp."
Pomp slipped down the pole and advanced
toward the one-eyed hostler. walking on his
hind legs and rattling his chain.
playful as q Kitten" said the one-eyed
hostler, fondly. 'I'Il show ye."
He took q wooden bar from clothes-horse
near by, and made lunge with it at Pomp's
breast.
No pugilist or fencing master could have
parried blow more neatly. Then the one
eyed hostler began to thrust and strike with
the bar as il in downright earnest.
"Rather savage play" remarked. And a
friend at my side, who never misses chance
to make pun, added:
eyes, decided act of bar-bearity."
"Oh, he likes il, said the eyed hostler.
"Ye can't hit him."
And indeed it was so. No matter how oi
where the blow was aimed, a movement oi
| Pomp's paw, as quick as flash of lightning
knocked il aside, and he stood good-humored
ly waiting for more. "Once in a while" said
the one-eyed hostler, resting from the exer
cises and leaning upon the bar, while PomI
retired to his pole, there's a bear of thii
species that's vicious and blood-thirsty. Gen
orally you lot them alone and they'll let yoI
alone. They wont run from you, maybe, bu
they wont go out of the way to pick a quar-
rel. They don't swagger round with a ehiI
on their shoulder looking for some fool t
knock II off,"
''will they eat you ?" some one inquired
for there was ring of spectators around By
this time.
"As likely as not, if they are shArp-set
and you lay yourself out to be eaten, but i
amt their habit to go for human flesh
Roots, nuts, berries, bugs, and any small
game they can pick up, Fatisfes their hum
Bile appetite as general thing.
The one-eyed hostler leaned against tn
post, stIoked Pomp's fur affectionately, an'
continued somewhat in this style;
Bears are particularly fond Of fat juic!
pigs, and once give 'em taste of humai
fesh-Why, l wouldn't want my children
playing in the woods within q good man!
miles of their den
Which reminds me of old Two Claws, a
they used to call him, a bear that plagued
the folks over in Bridgetown, where wa
brought up, wal, as much as forty years ago
He got his name from the peculiar shap
of his foot, and he got that from trihing witt
gun-trap. You know what that is-a load
ed gun set in such way that bear or an,
game that's curious about il must come up b
it the way II pints a bait is hung before tn
muzzle, and string runs from that to til
trigger.
He was a cunning fellow, and he put ou
an investigating paw at the piece of pork be
fore trying his jaws ON it; so / stead OF get
tin bullet in the head, he merely had bi
of his paw shot of. There were but tw
claws left ON that foot, as his bloody track
showed.
He got of but his experience seemed +
have soured his disposition. He owed
spite 10 that settlement.
One night a great row was heard in my uu
cle's piR-pen He and the boys rushed out wit
pitchforks, gun and lantern. They kneN
what the trouble was, or soon found out.
huge black bear had broken down the side 0
tho pen he had seized fat porkeT, and wa
actually Juggling him on In his arms! tn
pig was kicking and squeaking. but the boa