The Arkansaw traveler., 1888-03-03
THE POWER OF MUSIC.
Hartford Post.

We poked a good deal of fun at Sagebrush about his power of fascin- ating bears with the mouth organ, and none of us at the time regarded the matter as anything more than a good joke. It happened, however, day or two later, that we struck first rate opportunity to put it to the test, and SO found out that music hath charms even to bear; charms that, if prop erly used, may easily lure him to de. struction.
 One night the mules broke loose and cleared out. In the morning Sagebrush and I followed their trail down through the timber and on out into the prairie. While crossing a sort of level inlet of prairie between two spurs we saw family of five cin- namon bears playing together right out on the open. There was no cover but a few knee high clumps of grease wood and one sinuous little dry wa tercourse, mere washout, barely suf- ficient to hide person crawling on all fours.
 We were halt mile or more from the bears when we first saw them. They were having a quiet game of tag, now you've got me and now you ain't, all to themselves, and had no idea of any body being within hun- dred miles. Dropping down into the washout we held a brief consultation as to what we had better do. Plainly there was only one thing, which was to crawl along the watercourse until it should bring us near enough to use our Winchesters with good effect.
 "Looks like a pity to spoil their play, though, don't it?" suggested Sagebrush.
 ''So it does," Iagreed; "but it would be still greater pity to let them get away" and 30 we started or up the washout. The bears were so absorbed in their play that we had no difficulty in creeping up unperceived to within 200 yards. At this point was slight pocket, or depression in the ditch, with couple of boulders in the bot tom. It seemed as if the hollow had been scooped out and the two bould- CTS placed therein for our special ben eft. By sitting on the two boulders we could just peep over little fringe of greasewood that ran around the edge and watch the bears at play.
 Bears are as play ful as so many kit tens among themselves, and it is one of the prettiest sights imaginable to see four or five of them playing tag. In this party there were five bears, three old timers and two cubs. The way they dodged around one another rolled over, stood up, sashayed, twirled around, whinnied, laughed and caved around generally was a heap the prettiest thing l had seen for some time in broad daylight. We sal there and enjoyed the circus awhile when an idea struck me all of sud- den.
 "Have you got your mouth orgar in your pocket, Sagebrusn!' l said remembering the talk an evening oi two before, and also that he usually carried the instrument in his pocket
 "That's so, Hank" says he, "by thunder! !" and producing the moutl organ he began to play "Buffaloe a-Coming in the Spring" for all sh' was worth.
 You just onght to have seen thos bears! When the first strains of tn mouth organ reached them it was tn comicalist sight you could imagine Their mouths flew open as wide a steel traps and their little ears com menced a-twitching like mules ear in fy-time. They didn't seem tn least bit scared or suspicious, bu simply puzzled to account for tn music. They all stood bolt uprigh and looked this way and that, an began to sniff the air; but, seein nothing, they abandoned themselve to their sense of melody without re serve. They began twirling arouni swaying their heads and waving thei