The Progress. [volume] (White Earth, Minn.) 1886-1889, 1889-07-13
TEASING IA BLACK BEAR
An Exciting Chase in Jacksonville
!. Florida.
: A Cracker Who Thought He Would Like
to Find Out Exactly How Mai
Bear Could Get-A Success
full Experiment..

1m Experiment
Of course it was common Florida
black bear, and, although not quite
full grown, his activity and enterprise
fully compensated for his youth and
inexperience.
The bear being OF greater bulk than
the panther or wildcats, always ex-
cited the greatest fear in the mind
of the visitor Whoever came to the
menagerie always stepped in front of
the bear, wondering and fearing, and
said; my! I'd hate to meet him alone
in the woods!'' All visitors, from the
bloated capitalist of the North to the
cadaverous cracker of the back
woods, met on the common ground
OF that great original remark the
same that every mammal taxi
dermist hears about a thousand times
"a year. Black Joe, who took care
of the animals, always took it as a
personal tribute to himself and the
success which marked his management
of the stock. He began to expect it of
every visitor, and although he was
satisfied to have one member of a party
say it for all the rest, if it was ever
omitted entirely he took offense at
being defrauded of his just due, and
the way he would stir up the animals
with long pole was caution to cata-
mounts to make a better showing of
teeth and claws next time.
Black Joe's bear was not really say
age, nor was he exactly tame, either
''sorter betwixt and between as a
cracker once expressed it. He was
tame enough to keep chained to
stout pole in the yard, but not tame
enough by half to ever let loose. To
Joe he was tame enough, and even
friendly, but when that was said it was
all said. No one else dared take any
liberties with him, or even trust him
self within the circumpolar regions he
had marked out at the end of his
chain. No one but Joe ventured to
pass the dead line, for Billy's we'll
developed teeth and claws always
seemed to be loaded and at full cock.
One day a cracker from up the river
came into town with an OK team and a
load of wood, and in the course of his
post-commercial wanderings about
town he finally fetched up in the back
yard, where the live animals were. He
was long, lank and slab-sMed. He
wore old gray trousers tucked into old
gray boots, long-tailed coat, and
long hair. In his hand he carried his
ox-gad, a stout supplemented switch,
about six feet long, which soon deyel-
Oped into storm center Of the first
magnitude.
The cracker came to a halt in front
OF Billy, who sat curled up with his
back against his post, at peace with
all the world, and looked at Thin with
that preoccupied, day-after-to-morrow
air common in people who have few
thoughts and seldom use them. He
said never a word in regard to meeting
him alone in the woods either at night
or any other time. Black Joe was
swabbing out a monkey cage close by,
and when hesaw that the great original
remark was not likely to get in on
schedule time he felt defrauded and
scoWled darkly on the unconscious
cracker. At last the sphinx spoke.
"Ugly?" he asked Of Joe, pointing with
his chin at the bear.
''You bet he's ugly said Joe, en-
phatically. Don't ye go near i'm or
he'll ketch holt Of We quicker,n double
geared lightninn.
The stolid native showed signs Of
being interested. The bear certainly
did not look very thirsty for human
gore as he sat there playing with his
chain. The cracker thought that Just
as like as not it Waren't loaded, and
that Teller was just trying to skeer him.
Leastways he'd see.
He reached out with his ox-gad. and
with a gentle flick brought the tip Of
it nearly across Billy's well-shaped
nose. Instantly the bear sprang up
and came to attention. and .sfront
face. !" The cracker backed off a step.
or two, then reached forward with his.
CAD and vibrated the supple end of it
so near the bear that it switched the
end of his nose. With a savage growl
Billy sprang forward to the end Of his
chain, which brought him up with a.
jerk and made him madden still.
Let dat beas alone!s said Joe. in a
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