Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1886-12-02
The Farmer and the Rear

like man when he finds that he is wr,,.'.p
says the New York Sun. The Other as
he was working in his turnip natot
which Is right across the road FROM -
mousse There are not many neichbors i,
the part of Sullivan county where NJ
McCue's farm Is, which is the Beavarlr;ii
country, near the Ulster county H.
Mr.. McCue had heard quail whistlinr, i,
his turnlp patch, and had taken hi
gun with him, thinking that NAV ha
he might get the quail for his sunrer
As the farmer worked no was fnaIl,
brought with his face toward the roaS
and he caught a glimpse of sometb;no,
passing along. Farmer McCue raised
himself up. As he locked toward tba
road his eyes opened very wide. AS tbev
opened Mr.. McCue exclaimed
"By iee!'
What the farmer saw was bear, ana
it was slouching deliberately along in tba
road past the house. There was notbino
but bird shot in Farmer McCue's onp
but he felt that he must get that baar
de seized the gun and fired both barrels
at bruin. The bear stopped, looked in
deprecatory manner at the
farmer, and then passed on. Tbo
farmer watched it until it disappeared in
bend of the road. Then he examined
the hammer of his gun ana blew in the
barrels Satisfied that the gun had gone
off, he exclaimed:
"Missed him, by iee"
Farmer McCue finished his work in the
turnip field and went to the house.
"If l had gone out loaded for bear.n
said he to his wife, II couldn't have seen
my way, the qGails would have been so
thick. But there l was laying for quail.
and what do l flush but bear as big as a
yearling colt! If that bear bothers me
tomorrow, though, I'll be sorry for him
and I'll load the old gun now Mother.
count me out thirtyseven buckshot for
each barrel"
you mean nine, Joseph, said Mrs. Nc
Cue.
"Thirty-seven, mother, for each bar
REL"
mine buckshot, Joseph, is a big load
for any gun, and will kill an elephant
mine buckshot won't hurt a coon.
mother, and TN after & bear. Thirty
seven is what | want, but it isn't enough,
I've notion to put in fortyseven, to make
sure. No, I'll take thirty seven; but thir-
ty seven amt enough"
SO Farmer McCue put in double charge
of powder and thirty buckshot in
each barrel. Mr.. McCue is good farmer
but his early education as a hunter was
sadly neglected.
Now let the bear trespass on me
again, by jee!" said Farmer McCue.
The next day he went to work again in
his turnip field. The gun, loaded for the
bear, was with him. He had no idea of
seeing the bear, so that when, in making
a turn in the field, he came almost face to
face with it, evidently enjoying itself
among the turniPs, from the way it was
pulling them up and munching them, the
farmer was obliged to open his eyes wide
again and exclaim, with more yigor than
before:
"By ieew
Farmer McCue was bound to get the
bear, however, and backing off a few
feet to where his gun lay, he picked it
up, took good aim at the bear, and fired.
Mrs. McCue heard the report at the
house. 1t made the windows rattle, and
reverberated among the hills like Fourth
of July salute. The farmers wife ran to
the door and looked over into the turnip
field. There vas thick cloud of smoke
over by the stone wall where she had last
seen her husband at work.
Joseph must have killed the bear" she
said.
But there was no bear and no Joseph
to be seen. Mrs. McCue ran down into
the field. She had not gone far before
she saw the body of the bear stretched
out among the turnips. Looking farther
she saw Farmer McCue also stretched out
among the turnips as stiff as the bear.
just then Farmer Rose and his son,
neighbcrs, happened to be driving by.
Mrs. McCue hailed them. They carried
Mr.. McCue into the house. One side of
his face was as black as his hat and swol-
len three times its natural
size. His right shoulder was
dislocated and his arm
was black and blue from the shoulder TO
the elbow. 1t was good while before he
could be brought to. Then he opened
his left eye, and looking at his wife, said
firmly, but feobly:
"Mother, thirty-seven is enough"
There was a hole through the bear
amidships big enough to run a stoveplpe
in. Farmer McCue, little set in his
opinion as he is, but willing to own up
like a man when he finds he is wrong, Is
doing as we'll as could be expected.