The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1891-03-27


'mong the clearin's O. Sugar swamp! l
were unly mile fun home, but
mowt jist ez we'll ha' ben four hundred.
1 stood n looked down inter Sugar
swamp with a wishful eye.
"'Home o. my merry childhood! says
I, Mess tina comes rain soon n melts
these onpitying banks O. snow says /,
these here two slumberin' bars IL
chaw my bones wen the spring time
comes says l, IN nobody won't never
hef to put flowers on my grave says L.
''Sayin' witch, the weather bein' colder
n Greenlan', crep' back in the rocks
n Struggled down 'twixt 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 l fined 'em. 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 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 notion to see wat were
goin' on, then closed EN- n winched m
shivered a little, then gave an
all-pervadin' sigh, n his compan-
ion on t'other side were wild
der m didn't know it. Slicin'a chico
cut from the dead bar, took it out in
front O. the ledge, built fire, cooked
the bar meat, N soon put natur' in a
good humor wunst moe.
"Goin' back inter the hole 1 noticed
th't fer the fust time tother bar seemed
to be gettin' Uneasy. She kinder moved
about n grunted, n seemed disturbed
in her dreams.
'Smelt her OF man a cool1in,'
mebbe,' says l, turnin' over N going to
sleep.
"I'd know how long I were asleep,
but were woke up kinder student
like, N Openin' my eyes l see t'other
bar standin' over me, her eyes a-glarin'
n the ginerl expression O. her count
nance givin me the idee th't she were con-
sid'ablc het up. Fun wat l could gather
fun the looks o. things l sh'd think
th't the old lady had been takin' 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. l 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
gnashin' n a smashin', n munchin
n crunchin' CT follered never heerd
afore or sence. l creep 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 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 agin me, N
turned to end up the fight by finishin'
me; but put a 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. fingered 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.
Sc That's enoughr hollers, jumpin'
fer joy. It's enough N thirty-two dol
lars over, sides the two bart 1 hollers,
jumpin' FER more Joy. hollers, jump
in fer Joy ag'in. Jis then 1 heerd
a noise ahind me, N lookin' round,
wat sh'd come tumblin' outen the
hole but two bar cubs, th't | hadn't
see at all! Jeewhizzr l hollers, jump
in fer some more joy. ''Sides two
live bar that didn't seer 1 hollers. |
No more dumps fer pap! says I.
''Itook off my moc'sins m cut 'em up
inter thongs. M cut my powder horn
straps inter thongs. Fer vile me n
the old bar was fightin' the VOLTS had
noticed sumpin'. had noticed th't
that snowbank th't pitched off twixt |
me N Sugar swamp was kivered with |
a thick crust of glarin' ice. 1 tied the
two dead bars and the twenty-nine |
dead VOLTS together, by the legs, stiff n
snug. l drug 'em to the edge O the |
glarin' N farm field o. snow. took
the two bar cubs one under each arm.
Then laid down amongst the bars m
the wolf, n pushed 'em onter the
pitchin glare O. snow. member tina
was whizz n WHO'D n slzwush.
The mex thing know'd 1 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 a standin' up n gether-
in in twenty-nine big VOLTS N fouS
bar, two on 'em alive.
Pap says, 4 never thort nothin'
bout VOLTS or bars says 1. VOLS
n bars want nuthin' to me- says.
Il want fightin' VOLTS n bars says.
4 were fightin' your Dumps says. 4
were fghtin' the mortgage 1 says
''N' thar she lays, b'goshp 1 says.
She's riz,' says, m thirty-two dollars
over, sides the four bar says, two
on 'em aliven
"Sayin' witch I went out to chop
wood, leavin' pap n nam to rej'ice
cause tie mortgage were riz, n the
dumps was druv outen that corner O.
the Sugar swamp deestric'. Ed Mott,
in N. Y. Sun.