Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1891-03-26

hef to put flowers on my grave says 1.
s'Sayin' witch, the weather bein' colder
n Greenlan', creep back in the rocks
n snuggled down 'twiFt the snorin'
bars to git warm A week passed
away. hadn't had nothin' to eat, n
natur' were gettin' her dander up. The
two bars hadn't never winked nor
moved sence fined EN- hated to
disturb either of 'em, but had to hev
meat, n so, on the seventh day took
out my knife, felt ez gentle as a 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 wat were
goin' on, then closed 'em n winched n
shivered a little, then gave an
an-pervadin' sigh, N his compan-
ion on t'other side were a wild
der N didn't know it. Sicin'a chico
cut from the dead bar, took it out 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 l noticed
th't fer the fust time t'other bar seemed
to be gettin' Uneasy. She kinder moved
about N grunted, n seemed disturbed
in her dreams.
'Smelt her OF man a cookin,'
mebbe,' says l, turnin' over m going to
sleep.
I'D know how long l were asleep,
but were woke up kinder student
like, n openin' my eyes 1 see t'other
bar standin' over me, her eyes a-glarin'
n the giner'l expression O. her count
nance givin' me the idee th't she were con-
sid'able het up. Fun wat could gather
fun the looks O. things 1 sh'd think
th't the old lady had been tal1in' in the
hull sitiwation, 'n'th't she he'd con-
cluded not to wait till the spring time
kim fore she chawed my bones. be-
gun to reach fer my knife, wen heard
the howl o. VOLTS on the outside. The
bar heerd it, too, n jumped fer the
openin'. Setch a yoopin' n yellin' n a
gaashin' n smsshin', n a munchin'
N crunchin' ez follered never heerd
afore or sence. crep' to the openin'
N peeked out. The OF bar stood with
her back agin the ledge, vile pack O.
CANT n hungry VOLTS was pitchin'
inter her tryin' to gether her in. She
he'd swotted 'em right n left till the
open space were kivered with dead
VOLTS, N still they piled up agin her.
I found my gun N took a hand in to
help the bar. 'Twixt us we soon had
ev'ry one o. the pack stretched dead in
front O. the ledge. Then the old bar
'membered her grudge sgin me, n
turned to end up the fight by hnishin'
me; but put load o. buckshot through
her head, N she tumbled on top O. the
VOLTS.
81 counted the VOLTS Tha was TWEEN
ty-nine of 'em. fggered it up quick,
n found th't they was worth jist two
hundred and thirty-two dollars, the
bounty on 'em bein' eight dollars a
wolf.
/" That's enoughp hollers, jumpin'
fer joy. It's enough n thirty-two dol
lars over, sides the two BARI hollers,
jumpin' fer more Joy. 1 hollers, jump
in fer Joy ag'in- Jis then heerd
a noise ahind me, m lookin' round,
wat sh'd come tumblin' outen the
hole but two bar cubs, th't hadn't
see at ALL 'Jeewhizzp 1 hollers, jump
in fer some more Joy. ''Sides two
live bar that 1 didn't seer hollers.
No more dumps fer papP says L.
Ttook off my moc'sins n cut 'em up
inter thongs. M 1 cut my powder horn
straps inter thongs. Fer vile me n
the old bar was fightin' the VOLTS had
noticed sumpin'. I had noticed th't
that snowbank th't pitched of twixt
me n Sugar swamp was kivered with
q thick crust of glarin' ice. tied the
two dead bars and the twenty-nine
dead VOLTS together by the legs, stiff n
snug. 1 drug 'em to the edge o the
glarin' N harin' field O. snow. took
the two bar cubs one under each arm.
Then laid down amongst the bars n
the wolf, n pushed 'em onter the
pitchin' glare o. snow. 1 member tina
was a whizz n WHO'D n a slxwush.
The mex thing l1now'd 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 INV IL bAAO CO AAO nOAOt
braggin' on me a standin' up n gether-
In in twenty-nine big VOLTS n four
bar, two on 'em alive.
Pap says, Il never thort nothin'
bout VOLTS or bars says L. 'Wolfs
n bars want nuthin' to me- says: |
4 want fightin' VOLTS n bars says |
L were fghtin' your Dumps l says. I
were fghtin' the mortgage 1 says
''N' thar she lays, b'goshr 1 says.
She's riz,' 1 says, IN thirty-two dollars
over, sides the four bar says, two
On 'em alivep
"Sayin' witch l went out to chop
wood, leavin' pap n nam to rej'ice
cause the mortgage were riz, n the
humps was druv outen that corner O.
,he Sugar swamp deestric'. Ed Mott,
n n. Y. Sun.