Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1881-09-22
THE YOUNG FOLKS.
HOLLIE AND THE BEAR.
A True Story Of"Ye Olden Time"

tie sat In tne doorway eating turn
over, this little Hollie Of whom l am
going to tell you, one sunshiny morning
in August, ninety years ago. The corn
tassels were waving in the soft breeze,
and beyond the small clearing, among
the tall old forest trees, the birds were
giving a morning concert. Everything
was so freshsnd sweet and beautiful
that Hollie's heart sang, too, glad lit
tie song. Perhaps the turnover had
something to do with that.
just as he had finished the last mouth
full he saw his father coming along the
path from the corn-feld, walking very
fast, with very red face.
Hollie jumped up in hurry. "It's
the bearw he cried, excitedly. II do be-
lieye it's the bear come againl Isn't it,
father?"
81 should say it was," returned his
father, Grossly; "and either he's mon
strous big fellow or there's morn one of
him. He's tramped down square rod
of the eorn-patch. It's enough to pro-
woke saint, that's what it Isl"
And / think 1t was almost. Every
night for week except the last one,
had Hollie's father taken down his
trusty queen's-arm and gone, at twi-
light to the further edge of the corn
Geld, there to wait and watch until the
morning frightened in the east. For
ssven long nights he stood guard, and
the bear did not come. The eighth night
he slept, and the bear did come. Wasn't
1t provoking?
II shant have enough corn left to fat
ms pig" he went on, as Hellie's mother
looked cut of the low doorway. IF l
could only shoot that tarnal critter,
though, we'd get meat enough out O. him
to last good spell. He must be -hefty
chap; his tracks as big over as plate"
How large plate did he mean, do you
think?
@When are you going to watch for
him again 2" asked Hollle's mother
"Netyery soon, reckon. The brute
has too much sense to- come when I'm
there, and wouldn't lose another
weeks sleep, any way, for. forty, patches
of corn" -
Hollie's eyes were twinkling like very
bright stars, indeed. "Oh, father, let
me watch one night, pleasei" he cried.
"Iknow how to fire the musket. Maynt
l father 2"
And of course his father said Non
sense" very decidedly. You knew he
would, didn't you? Your father would
not let his little boy spend night in a
corn-field, with a deep, lonely forest
stretching away on all sides, and with
no company save the katy-dids, an old
musket and possible bear, would he |?
No more would Holie's father.
Nevertheless the idea grew and grew
until it filled Hollis's bright little mind
completely. II he could but kill that
bearl ~
"Father didn't say / mustn't try,Y he
declared over and over to himself; he
only said 'Nonsensep"
You zee, don't you, that Hollie was
very like good many little boys now-a-
nays. l45
So, in the afternoon, he crept around
and loosened some of the boards which
were nailed across the place for a win
dow in his bedroom. There were but
two rooms in this little log house. The
larger was kitchen, dining groom, sitting
room and bedroom in one; the smaller
was Hollie's bedroom, and the old
queen's-arm hung from a peg in the
wall, just at the foot of Hollie's cot-bed.-
That night when Hollies father and
hfObIOA ciOCpluB OOdsiOigs etuu JucI6t
were no signs of life anywhere about
the little house, the man-ir-the-moon,
just peeping above the eastern.tree-tops
say those loosened boards drop noise
lessly down from the window-hOle, and
q little boy crawl through softly as any
mouse, dragging big mHsket out after
him. latz 4aA
How very still everything wasl Hol-
lie had half a. mind to be frightened.
There was Dosound Of life save the mo-
nctcnous ''Cro-ak ,cro-ak, cro-uk, cro,uk!"
of the frogs down by the brook. The
vell-sweep had an unfamiliar look, and
the corn rustled and shivercd in the
bright sunlight. surely.
But Hollie walked along. boldly enough,
toTard that part of the corn6eld near
est the wood Almost there, he stopped |
suddenly. A rustling, much louder |
than the rustling of the soft wind among |