The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1885-08-01
LIFE IN THE COUNTRY.
Experience of n Philadelphia Doctor
who Went TO the Country for Rest.

OF the big BuSnklll region last week 10 stay u
month. He brought with him his collie dog
Bruce. The Doctor went home on Friday.
The dog is somewhere in the neighborhood
yet, but his whereabouts is not known with
any degree of certainty The Doctor came
up for rest.
On Wednesday he was chased across
fifty-acre lot by bull that objected to his
trespassing in the pasture, and got over the
rail fence Just in time to save the bull the
trouble of helping him over. On Wednesday
he and Bruce dug ground hog out of a side
hill. When they reached the bottom of the
hole the ground hog turned and sci. his teeth
through the feshy part of the Doctors leg.
On Thursday he thought he would like to
go huckleberrying. He took ten-quart tin
pail and Bruce, and went out on a ridge
mile or so away. He came back toward the
middle of the afternoon, bareheaded and
without the pail. His dog did not return
with him.
The following story of the huckIeberry ex-
petition is related by the natives, who, on
account of its high literary qualities, took
pains to have it reduced to writing as soon as
the Doctor got away:
''Along about noon,'' said the Doctor, 81
had my pail nearly full of the biggest buckle
berries / ever saw. | was thinking about
starting back home, when | heard Bruce
barking and snarling in a singular way off i'll
the brush, and | went in to see what he had
run up against. | carried my pail with me.
The sight that met my eyes would doubtless
have carried joy to the heart of one of your
bear hunters but it froze my blood, and my
blood was at fever heat at that. A bear that
seemed to me to tower up at least eight feet
stood on its launches, and kept dashing saw
agely at my dog as the dog circled around
Whan he n nd
got right between my legs, from which vantage
ground he barked and snarled with renewed
yehemence. This display of cowardice on
the part of the dog apparently emboldened
the bear, for it came slashing right toward
me like a locomotive. Its mouth was wide
open, and | thought my time had come. L
couldn't move to save my life, but when the
bear got almost close enough to grab me, |
up with my pail of berries and brought it
down over the beasts head with all my might.
1t had no effect on the bear, but it made
very sick looking vessel out of the pail. The
bear kept on, and in my desperation | jam
med the battered pail down ove4 its head.
The pail fell down and caught in under the
animals chin. This took the bear by sur
prise, and it dropped on all tours and tried to
scrape the pail off. Bruce took courage from
my apparent acceptance of the big brute's
challenge, and attacked it in the rear. The
bear abandoned its efforts to get the pail off
its head and turned on the dog, which imme-
diately ran to his old place between my legs.
The bear advanced toward US, the pail still on
its head and cooked to one side in way that
gave the animal most comical appearance
something like helmeted soldier might look
if drunk
was so awfully scared that | hadn moved
a foot out of my tracks, but ! now saw that
something must be done. | gave Bruce a
kick and shouted:
''Sick him. Sick him''
'tBruce started to run. picked up a stone
bruin alongside the head, and made the ami
back and pitched in again, but ran for my
legs as soon as the bear turned on him. |
got club, and as the bear came within reach
of me again | gave it a whack, and then
turned and ran. Bruce followed me, and,
looking back, | saw that the bear was not
only following Brace on tight jump, but that
two other bears were following in the process
sion. The two new arrivals were halfgrown
cubs. If | was making good time before,
simply flew when | discovered the arrival of
these requirements. | hadn't gone a hun
dred feet when [ tripped in vine, and tum-
bled heels over head. l rolled over and over
anu Ctilc up Oll my 1GCC WlbnOu6 dHy
stop in my course, but my fall rather confused
my dog, and he stopped in an undecided way,
which allowed the bears to come up with him.
In the wrangle that ensued, in which the
three bears and the dog were mixed up in
very promiscuous manner, | made tracks for
tree, and although ! never climbed
tree in my life before, | wasn't ten seconds
in reaching the branches of that one, and
settled myself there to await results.
Bruce managed in some way to get out of
the tangle with the bears and followed me to
the tree. The bears came forward few
steps, and then, apparently satisfied that they
had routed their enemy, they turned and
shuffled deliberately off toward the woods.
As far as | was concerned, was not inclined
to lay single obstacle in the way of their
retreat, but the old boy seemed to suddenly
take possession of that blame fool dog of
mine, and what does he do but hristle up and
start after those bears as iercely as if he
hadn't had experience enough with them to
satisfy any dog that ever lived. The retreat
ing bear family paid no attention to the dog
until he caught the old bear by the heels.
Then she turned on him, and Bruce started
in retreat. The old bear stood a second and
looked after him, and then seemed to say to
herself:
"Aint got enough. hey? Well, then, I'll
just settle this fool of dog, once and for
all.
''With that she dashed after Bruce, and the
two young bears followed close at her heels.
Bruce took position in under the tree, and
when the bear came up he ran. The bear
followed, and he led them a chase in circle
around the tree for at least five minutes.
The old bear couldn't get any closer than
about one good jump of the dog. and the two
young bears followed at about the same dis
lance behind her, She finally tired of the
chase, and stopped, She growled and gnash
ed her teeth for few seconds at Bruce, and
then turned and made off for the woods again,
driving her cubs ahead of her. Bruce lay
down under the tree and watched them as
they departed After the bear had gone a
long distance l thought | could now come
down and make my escape. | had just start
ed to let myself down when what did Bruce
do again but spring up and start off after
those bears as fast as his legs would carry
him. | yelled at him to come back, but he
paid no more attention to me than the wind
that was blowing, so | settled back on my
perch again to await the result of this new at
tack. Bruce soon caught up with the bears,
and the next minute back the dog and the
three bars were tearing once more toward the
tree, the dog three jumps ahead, and the
bears bringing up the rear IN one, two, three
order. The same circus was gone through
with around the tree, and again the bears re-
treated in disgust. Three times afterward /
started to leave that tree and every time Bruce
would rush after the bears and fetch them
back again and have the circus in under the
tree. | finally realized the fact that it was
not the bears that were keeping my life in
the balance, but that my own dog was the
animal that was responsible for my peril. If
| had had a revolver I'd have put hole
through him, but | hadn't, and so my only
hope of escape was that the bears would
eventually capture Bruce and make short
shrift of him.
''The fifth tine that the dog started on the
trail of the bear they had reached the edge of
the woods. They disappeared among the
trees, and Bruce dashed in after them. |
waited ten minutes The dog did not appear.
Hope grew so strong within me that | let my
self down out of the tree and took to my
heels. As Bruce hasn't turned up yet, dare
say he is either following the bears yet, by
easy stages, or has served as refreshments for
them.
Under the circumstances, said the Doctor,
as he packed his trunk en- Friday. Il am
afraid that this neghborhood is not as pas
toral in its quietude nor as lotus-like in the
influence of its sylvan charms as my nature
requires.
Business Locals.
ATTENTION THRESHERMEN.
A full line of RUBBER and LEATHER Betting
for sale by A. N. Stephan, near Depot, West