The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1891-05-08

these here two slumberin bars II
chaw my bones wen the spring time
comes saws /, m nobody won't never
hef to put flowers on my grave says l.
'.Savin' w'ich, the weather bein' colder
n Grecnlaa' l crcp' back in the rocks
n snuggled down 'twixt the snorin'
bars to git warm week passed
away l hadn't had nothin' TO eat, n
natur' We're gettin' her dander mp The
two bars hadn't never winizcd nor
moved sencc / fined EN- 1 hated TO
disturb either of 'em, but had to hev
meat, n So on the seventh dag / took
out my knife, felt ez gentle as passin'
zephyr fer the biggest bars wizzen, n
with one gouge slit it from chin TO gull
let The bar opened his eyes looked
up ez If he'd q notion TO see vat were
gGin' on, then closed 'em N Sinched n
shivered a little, then gave an
all-pervadin' sigh, n his compan-
ion on t'other side were Il wild
der n didn't know it Slicin'a ch'ice
cut from the dead bar, took it ont in
front o. the ledge, built a fire, cooked
the bar meat, n soon put natur' in a
good humor wunst moe
-'Goin' back inter the hole noticed
th't fer the fust time tother bar seemed
to be gettin' Uneasy. She kinder moved
about n grlnted, n seemed disturbed
in her dreams
- .Snelt her OF man n coolzin,'
mebbe.' says l, turnin' over n going TO
sleep.
I'D know how long ! were asleep,
but We're woke up kinder student
like, n openin' my eyes | see t'other
bar standin' over me, her eyes a-Slarin'
n the giner'l expression o her count
nance lrivin' me the idee th't she were con-
sid'ablc het up Fun " at could gather
FUN the looks o things / sh'd think
th't the old lady had been tallin' in the
hull sitiwation, 'n'th't she he'd con-
cluded not to wait till the spring time
kim fore she chaved my bones l be-
gun TO reach fer my knife, Wen heard
the howl o. wolfs on the outside. The
bar hcerd it, too, n jumped fer the
openin'. Setch 4 yoopin' n yellin' n
gnashin' n smashin', n nunchin'
n n crunchin' ez follered / never hcerd
afore or sencc- crop to the opeEin'
n peel5ed out The oil bar stood with
her back agin the ledge, vile q pack o
CANT n hungry wolfs was pitehin'
intrr her tryin' II rcther her in She
he'd swotted 'en right n left till the
open space were lzivered with dead
yolfs, n still they piled up agin her.
/ 70 n my gun n took 4 hand in TO
help the bar. 'Twixt us we soon had
cv'ry one o the pack stretched dead in
front o the ledge. Then the old bar
'membered her rrudgc agin me. n
turned to end up the fight by finishin'
me; but put load o buclshot through
her head. n she tumbled on top o the
wolfs.
- counted the yvolfs- Tha was TWEEN
ty-nine of EN-. / figgered il up quick,
n found th't they was worth jist two
hundred and thirty-tyvo dollars, the
bounty on 'em bein' eight dollars a
wolf.
" That's enough- hollers, jurnpin'
fer Joy. It's enough n thirty-twod dol
lars over, sides the two bar" i hollers,
jumpin' fer more joy hollers, jump
in fer JOY ag'in. Jis then / heerd
n noise ahind me, n loolzin' round.
wat sh'd come tumblia' outen the
hole but two bar cubs, tn t l hadn't
see at ALL 'Jeewhizzr / hollers, jump
in fer some more joy. sides two
live bar that didn't see!' l honers.
no more dumps fer papr says |.
Il took off my moc'sins n cut EN- up
| inter thongs. N l cut my powder horn
straps inter thongs Fer vile me n
the old bar was fightin' the wolfs had
noticed sumpin'. / had noticed th't
that snowbank th't pitched off twixt
me n Sugar swamp was kivered with
thick or lst of glarin' ice. l tied the
two dead bars and the twenty-nine
dead wolfs together by the legs, stiff N
snug. i drug EN- to the edge o the
glarin' n harin' field o snow. took
the two bar cubs one under each arm.
Then l laid down amongst the bars n
the wolf, n pushed 'em onter the
pitchin' glare o snow. ] member tha
was whizz n whoo n a skwush.
The mex thing / lknow'd I Were settin'
in our kitchen in Sugar swamp. They
had found me in the back yard, mixed
up with the bars n the VOLTS The
house were full o. neighbors, n my
pap, low in the dumps ez he were, were
braggin' on me standin' up n gether-
in in twenty-nine big wolfs n four
bar, two on 'em alive.
Pap l says, 1 never thort nothin'
bout wolfs or b'aEs,' says L. 'Wolfs
n bars want nuthin' to me- says
Il want fghtin' wolfs n bars says
4 were fghtin' your dumps | says. 1
were fightin' the mortgage l says
~ thar she lays, b'goshr 1 says.
she's riz,' says, m thirty-two dollars
over, sides the four L'ar,' / says, two
on EN- alive!
"Sayin' witch L went out to chop
wood, leavin' pap n mann to rej'ice
cause the mortgage Were riz, n the
dumps was druv outen that corner o.
the Sugar swamp deestric'. Ed Mott,
IN y. \. sun