Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1886-02-18
A HUNTERS STORY.

HUNTERS SIOkl.
consider rifle preferable to shot guu
when hunting, for person is then ready
for large or small game. The morning was
all that could be desired for partridge shoot.
ing-not breath of wind stirring, and
white frost on every shrub. / had splen-
did success and by noon had a dozen or
more of these wild birds minus their heads,
which the unerrng rifle had clipped off.
During my mornings tramp 1 noticed
bear some distance away eating acorns on
the side of an oak ridge. l did not wish to
molest him for the season was too early to
covet the skin, the thick hair for winter
had yet to grow. Crossing the brook and
getting in the shelter Of large rock, for the
day had become warm, l uncovered my
lunch basket and set to with a fine appe-
tite, which the forenoons walk had engen-
dered. had finished my repast and was
tention was aroused by the noise of some
animal-apparently not many yards from
where / was sittipg-rushing madly over
the dry leaves with which autumn had COW
cred the ground. Shortly good-sized bear
came into vieW-tOngue out, and to all APP
pearances fleeing for his life. Naturally
raised my rifle, but on second thought, low
cred its muzzle, wondering why this mar
velous hurry. He at once plunged into and
crossed the stream aforementioned. The
unearthly screech of a panther at that in
ling the animal was in sight. With one
bound it cleared the stream and was soon
on the opposite bank in deadly struggle
with bruin. The struggle was of short
duration, the bears entrails were soon rip
ped out by the long claws of his antago-
mist and his throat torn open by the pam
theirs terrible teeth.
AS soon as the ferocious brute was satis-
fed that the bear was lifeless he approach
ed the stream with the apparent intention
of recrossng. When at the margin he sat
down on his launches, licking his chops
and still growing. 1t was now my turn to
Of temper if l did not shoot the fellow
would soon share the fate of poor bruin.
All this while 1 had been spell-bound. l
was yet undiscovered. Quickly finding a
good rest for my rifle, took deliberate aim
and fired. My trusty gun did not fail me;
the brute sprang into the air some five feet
and fell lifeless; the bullet had pierced the
heart. On examination I found it to be
female, and giving milk. Probably the
bear in her absence had visited her den and
killed her young, hence the revenge. Al
ter skinning my game 1 started homeward
quite proud of my days adventure. What
could shotgun have done in this case?-
Portland Transcript.
A BELATED CoNFEDERATE.-Short
after the Confederates began their struggle
for independence, Winship Upchurch, of
Chatham County, N. c., joined volnnteer
company and went to the front. He made
a good soldier and fought on until the last
wear of the conflict. The Federals captured
him in one of the bloody battles in Virgin
ia, and he was sent to one of the prisons in
the Northwest At the close of the war he
was discharged. He was without money
and had heard nothing from home in many
months His relatives, he knew, had good
reason to believe him dead. Despondent
and poverty stricken the poor fellow drifted
about from place to place wherever he could
obtain work. His wanderings carried him
all the time westward, and when he found
himself in San Francisco he yielded to
temptation to visit the Sandwich Islands,.
The voluntary exile intended some day to
return home but many things interfered.
He also intended to write and notify his
people of his Wherea bouts, but from time to
time he delayed. Almost before he knew
it twenty years fitted by. A few weeks
ago he felt an uncomfortable desire to see
the old North State again. He arranged
his business, packed his trunk and started
on his long journey. Last week he turned
up in Chatham Comfy with the announce
ment that he had come to pay short visit
to his old friends.
1t is easy to imagine the astonishment
created by the temperance of the belated
Confederate. The intelligence of his return
spread like wildfre, and hundreds Of farm
ers who were total strangers to him rode
many miles to interview him. The Sand
Wich Islander will be the lion of the hour
and nine-day's wonder. Unfortunately
for the symmetrical rounding off of the sto-
ry, the adventurous soldier does not propose
to settle down in his old home. He has
prospered among his heather friends and
will 60 back to spend his days among them.
Perhaps all the points in the story have not
been made public. There may be woman
in the case Upchurch may have been
drawn to North Carolina by sneaking de-
sire to again look upon the face of the girl
he left behind him when he went to the
tented field He may find her, not the bux,
ON lassie of twenty years ago, but faded
matron in the ceaseless duties and cares OF
wifehood and womanhood. This may be
the end of the little romance. Who knows?
atlanta Constitution.
WOMEN IN THE MoRNING.-A bachelor
writing to the Pail Mall Gazette thinks the
best time to judge of a woman is in the
morl ing. "What is the most favorable
time to see woman in order to compose
character synopsis? Decidedly, think, at
breakfast and during the forenoon. As a
ronor,l rnla If cha lOokS well then she is in