Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1885-02-06

| on his head at all but fringe OF carroty
whisker which was visible above the edge
of his celluloid collar, left one TO infer that
the curls of which nature had bereft him
were originally of similar hue. The
end of his nose was tinted to match, and
his tout ensemble, so to speak, reminded
one of Connecticut deacon run to seed.
He had just arrived in Chicago that
evening, and the confidence operators did
not know what to make of him. He threw
his gripsack down behind the stove in the
| bar-room of West Side hotel, kicked the
spittoon into convenient position, took
the only four-legged chair and made him
self as much at home as possible. He
said nothing to anybody, and. beyond
squirting an occasional stream Of tobacco
Juice at the stove, exhibited no symptoms
of animated existence.
The boys didn't know how to size him
whether to take him for State fair Wis.,
| itor or missionary; so as the best way OF
opening the conversation. Skin-an'-Bone
Jake asked him to take drink.
The stranger gave a deep sigh. and ris
ing to his feet, walked slowly up to the
bar, helped himself to big horn of Blue
Grass whiskey. and swallowed it at a
gulp. Gent" he said, ''here's at you.
| have drunk every sort of drink from
lager beer to champagne, but the fire wa
ter of the pale faces knocks 'em all out
In fact" he added, sit saved my life once
in most extraordinary manner"
Tell us how it was" said Skin-an'
Bone Jake.
WAL" said the stranger, with a
drawl "me and two other fellows was on
huntn' expedition for seals and such
like, up on the northwest coast OF Alaska,
in the winter OF rs. 1t was powerful cold
an no mistake-a matter of u hundred
degrees or so below zero, should think
and US fellows was most froZe to death.
We were pretty successtul-had got a
good many seal skins, and had shot a
couple Of bears, when we met with an ac-
cident. Our boat was smashed in jam
of ice, and there was nothing for it but a
tramp of $50 miles to the nearest Esqui-
maux village. We hadn't got far on the
way. when tumbled into a hole in the
ice, and cut and bruised my leg so that
| couldn't walk a step further.
at was death to stay there, for our pro-
visions were nearly all lost when our boat
was smashed, and what we had left were
running verv short. So Bill Smith and
Jim Kenny left me to take care of myself
while they went for help. They left all
the skins we had saved from the wreck
for me to take care Of, as well as enough
grub to last until they got back, and a
small key OF whiskey that we had brought
along with the other things, on sled
made of the timbers and planks of the
boat. They made me a sort of house to
crawl into, of slabs of ice.
81 watched them as they trotted away
over the snow, their footsteps leaving no
impression on the hard, frozen crust, and
/ felt so melancholy when they were out
of sight, that thought would brace my
self up with little suthin'. The whiskev
was halt frozen in the key, so we had
busted in the top. had to break the ice
to get at it.. Il guess III have to chop the
Ticker with a haichet if this cold keeps on,
says to myself. | was just a-goin' to
dip some out of the key with tin
cup, when what should see, coming over
the ice lickety-split, but polar bear, the
biggest ever set eyes on. There was no
use trying to run away with my game leg,
so crawled into my ice house and looked
out through the slabs with one eye, hoping
he would pass without seeing me-
But there was no such luck. When he
got to within hundred yards. he turned up
his nose to the breeze as if smellin' snn-
thin. and then made bee line straight in
my direction. WAL, nv heart went ri chit
down into my boots; don't think | ever
felt so tired in my life. It's all up with
you, pard,' says to myself. You won't
never shoot no more seals in this world
That bear is hungry see it in his eyes
and you are his meat
II hadn't any weapon, not even knife
for they had all sunk when our boat was
smashed. There didn't seem to be three
cents worth of chance for me; so lay
down with my nose in the snow. waiting
to be dragged out, like rat from the hole
| heard the bears step outside and a loud
snufling. Then, all being quiet for a
moment, looked out between the slabs OF
ice and saw the bear. He was standing
with his snout in the whiskey key, drink
ing with all his might; could hear il
gurgle as it went down his throat When
he finished his drink he began to stagger
around. and. after amusing himself for a
while tumblng abou, and trying to stand
on his head. he turned over on his back
and went to sleep, drunk as lord
''As soon as | saw the beast was help.
less, | crawled out on all tours and sat or
top OF it to get warm and think The
more | thought, the more necessary il
seemed to do something at once. If he
got sober he would gobble me up to a Ger
tain'y. and it was useless to try to run fol
it. for couldn't get very far with my
game leg. If | had had even a penknife
| might have killed him while he Law il
that helpless condition, but didn't have {
weapon of any sort.
81 sat on top of the bear and though,
for more'n two hours. He was white
elephant on my hands an no mistake
What should | do with him? And VIVA
would he do with me when he got sober
If he would only stay drunk until the
other fellows came back. By Jove tina
was the idea.
II propped up his shaggy head on thu
whiskey key to get it into convenien
position and to thaw the Ticker by the
warmth of his body; and, taking a tir
funnel and the cup, poured about fou1
quarts of whiskev down his throat.
Boys, you may not believe the story
but it's Gospel truth I'm telling you
kept that bear in a beastly state Of intoxi
cation for nigh onto week, an slept with
him every night to keep warm. He wa.
like a stove; if it hadn't been for him Pe