The Wilmingtonian., 1886-08-21

Away back in Pike County, July 3, we
were smoking our pipes after sayory supper
of trout, for which we had whipped the al
der-bOrdered mountain stream all day. Old
Joe, our camp factotum who has lived in the
woods for fifty years, fell into reminiscent
mood and spun off yarn after yarn about his
own exploits and those of fellow woodsinen.
The bear and the panther entered largely in
to the structure of these "reminiscences, and
wild animals that Old Joe has sent to their
last account, according to his stories, could
have then and there appeared, the woods cer-
tainly would not have been broad enough to
accommodate the shadowy packs and herds.
'The rippinist Of struggle with bar hit
| ever had" said Joe, "was on railroad
keer, the first an unly time ever rode on
the keers, an I've been down on railroads
ever sense, an fight shy of EN-. were hun
tin back on the Paupack Ridges one fall.
The railroad had jist been built up through
the Lackawack Valley, an all the folks th't
lived thin ten miled of it was crazy to ride
on the keers. A city chap ez had ben hun.
tin over Paupack had lef word th't he'd
give $40 to any one ez' d ketch him a live 'ar
an oliver il at the mouth O. the Lackawack
heerd o. the offer, didn't wait fur it to
git cold fore l were on the trail O. that $40
hunk o'meat. l dropped few traps aroun'in
the swamps, an one line mornin' in Octo-
ber foui' nice fat, battle-ground bar in one
r,f' 10 ta1 tr hait Ialt - I
had to rassel with him over an acre or so
fore 1 could coax strap 'roun' his snout an
hitch rope to his bind leg.
"Pooty soon we began to bzz along like a
blue racer after huckleberrypicker. l sot
thar gawkin' roun' the keer and worderin if
the gol-darn thing wouldn't bust some'rs
fore we got to the Mouth, we'en a feler
come tearn' inter the keer with his face
whittier TIL dead mud-sucker's snoot an
his hair standiu up like the prickers on a
ches' nut burr. His eyes were bigger an
shineyer thin chiny nest-egg.
"Great Gabriep he hollered, runnin' up to
me, yer dod-blasted bars fetched loose,
says he He's freed the baggage MASTER
he says, 'an' is jst more thin wipin' up the
floor with trunks and things, says he.
But got thar by an by, an yanked Mr..
Bar inter the Paupack settlement. L were
fur startin' overland with him fur the mouth
of LacBawack, but the folks all said ez that
wouldn't be hardly fair shake to'ris the
railroad, witch orter be incourged for spend
in it's money to give that part o the country
a cl auce to ride on the keers, an that l or
ter give it the job O. cartin that bar an me
down to the Mouth. 1t want sch power
full stretch cross kentry to the Mouth, but
if went by the keers l had to walk nine
miles to git to 'em, an then had bout eigh-
teen miles furder to ride. But moi wantin'
to hev the railroad throw it up th't l were
going back on 'em, an sayin' th't thar
want no use o. buildin' keers if nobody'd
patternize 'em, yanked my bar the nine
miled to the deepo an loads him in the bag
gage keer. wanted to take him in the keer
with me, bnt they wouldn't let me, an
up an tol 'em to their teeth th't l thort
they was putin on a durn many airs with a
feller who'd logged all the way in from Pau
pack list to help their darned OIL railroad
along but they only kinder laughed an
snickered, an tied my bar in one corner O.
the baggage keer, an went forrid an foun'
a seat fur myself in t'other keer.
''Wall, want ptic 'larly worked up bout
the baggage and ez fur trunks an
things they want mine, an want thar tc
keep an eye on 'em. But th't bar was sum,
PIN th't meant business fur me, an / had
started to git him to the mouth O. the Lack
awack, an didn't tend to let him spile his
self chawin' trunks. So piled back intel
the baggage quickel'n chipmunk coulC
run panel o. rail fence. Sarten ez beeswa2
thar were Bruin iist havin' leetle cely
bration an high ol' breakdown. Th' was
beam runnin' crostways o. the keer, no
more'n a foot from the roof. The baggag,
man were squeezen in 'twixt that au' tht
roof howlin' fur somebody TO fotch gul
an kill the bar. He hadn't no coat-tai
to speak Oh, an the seat o. his pants wer
gone so c'ncluded to wunst th't mebb
my bar had kinder reached fur the baggag
man ez he clumb onter the beam. The b'a
has got his muzzle off, an' had busted opel
three trunks an hustled a consd' able o. tog
gerry 'rouu' an bout the keer. He were js
gointer famine inter the contents o. tn
fourth trunk wien | bounced in an grabbe
him.
It'd did yer hearts good to hev see W "a
follered Talk about rascals ! Thar wer
rough tumble th't feller with snap in hir
could a iist laid back an mi i'ved. An wy al
not? That bar were wuth $40 to me alive
but he want wuth $40 to me ez hide, mea
an taller. So didn't wanter kill him. y
kin bet, an jist buckled inter him to g
him down an muzzle him ag'in an taste
HIN. In ltss'n two minutes hadn't hardl
clothes 'nough on me to make ball o ca
pet rags, but were b1un' to save that b's
if had to go hum dressed no better'n Adal
an Eve was after that leetle apple-cut
their'n in the garden.
"We fit an we fiji, me an that bar did, u
an down that keer, an the hair an rags lie
like chaff Out'n thrashin' machine bl
fur all that, if it hadn't a ben fur a piece
the properesJ kind o good luck, I'd had I
cart him in ez dead ez beefed steer. tt
train fellers got kind o tired seein' me a
the bar maxim mincc-meat o things in tn
keer, an SO a couple of 'em come pilin'
with axes, an in less'n minute mo
they'd pounded the life out'n the bar; bl
fort'nitly, the sldin' door Oh the side o. tl