Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-07-24

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s% loose, sure as s""'''
said he.
T en- he jumped out of bed and ran to
back window and looked out He saw
something that surprised him.
''Mercy" he exclaimed. 'Them horses
hain't only loose, but one of 'em is tryin'
to climb the milkhouse!
By this time the farmers wife was awaken
She raised up in bed and remarked to
Farmer Ruby that in her opinion the horse
he saw was nothing but nightmare, and
that he had better climb back into bed. But
the farmer kept on looking out of the win
dow. and presently he was surprised again,
and more than ever.
''Great guns!" said he. "'Tain't horse,
neither! It's man,
The Old Lacy Wasn't Excitabie.
The farmers wife calculated mildly that
she was glad to know that there was a man
outside of the house, even if there wasn't
one left inside; but the farmer kept on
looking. The result was still greater sur
prise.
"'Tain't a man, neither!" he shouted.
cts bear!''
Whereupon the farmers wife remarked
Pooh" very distinctly, and turned over
and went to sleep.
A hill. crowned with woods, rises in the
rear of the Ruby farm house. Against the
hill, and set part of the way into it, is log
milkhouse. When Farmer Ruby first
looked out of the window that star-lit night,
with his horses on his mind, he saw large
black object on all fours, climbing up the
hill at the side Of the milkhouse, and
headed for the roof He thought it was a
horse. When it appeared on the roof it was
standing erect, and the farmer thought it
was a man. Then it dropped on all fours
again, and the farmer knew it was a bear.
And he stood right still and watched the
bear from the window. What he saw dis
turbed him greatly, but he was so surprised
that he never once offered to interfere
The Strength of Ok Team.
The bear shifted around on the roof for
few minutes Then he came down and
went to the milkhouse door. He tried all
sorts of ways to open the door, but failed
His failure brought forth growls from the
bear that caused the farmer yet more sur
prise. The roof of the milkhouse was low
and projected few inches at the caves.
Four-inch stuff was the material from which
it was made, and it was fastened down by
wooden pins driven half way through the
8-inch logs on which it rested. When the
disguised bear found that the fastenings of
the door were proof against him, he walked
back up the hill at one side of the milk
house, placed his two great forepaws under
the projecting roof, and raised slowly on lis
hind feet.
1t is the opinion of. everyone who knew
that milkhouse that an or team couldn't
have pulled the roof loose from the logs;
but when that bear rose up the roof rose up
with him. There was rip and crash, and
the stars looked down into the milkhouse
through an opening in the roof big enough
to tumble horse into. And still the
farmer was SO surprised that he never lifted
finger against the bear.
Sounds of Revelry by Night.
Bruin, as we'll as the stars, looked down
into the milkhouse. What he saw there
evidently pleased him, for, with self
congratulatory snort, he disappeared
through the opening so quickly that it al
most took Farmer Ruby's breath.
"Mercyp' said the surprised farmer.
''There goes all of mothers this weeks
churnin'!'
Instantly there was a sound of revelry by
night inside that milkhouse. The clatter
and bang of milk pans mingled with the
bears voicings of untrammeled pleasure.
This lasted several minutes, and then the
milkhouse door came open with smash.
The bear had been satisfied to enter at the
roof, but he chose to come out by the door.
So ne burst it open as easily as he had
lifted the roof
"That bear beats lightnin'!" remarked
Farmer Ruby, still growing in surprise.
As soon as Farmer Ruby could do so he
came to Roulette. He routed out Leroy
Lyman, the mighty hunter, and told him
the narrowing tale of the bear and the
looted milkhouse and requested him to
take after the bold midnight marauder and
run him down.
Laying Plans to Catch Bruin.
'The bear will be back for some more
fun in the milkhouse tomorrow night"
said the old hunter. "I'll go up and set .
trap for him and we'll gather him in."
That day Hunter Lyman went to the
Ruby farm and set big trap skillfully in
the milkhouse, leaving the door ajar so the
bear would be put to no trouble in getting
in. He told Farmer Ruby that the cum
ming animal would be along again some
time that night, and walk into the trap.
"You can sit up and watch for him." said
the old hunter to Farmer Ruby, ''or you
can 60 to bed, just as you please"
When night came the farmer concluded
that he would sit up and watch for the bear.
He got double-barreled gun and big pis-
tol. Both were heavily loaded for the bear.
The farmer and his wife watched patiently
far into the night. There was yet no sign
of the bears coming, and the farmers wife
went to bed. Not long afterward q dark
object came slowly from the woods. 1t
slouched lesurely down the hill toward the
milkhouse. 1t was the bear. The farmer
sat at the kitchen window, his arsenal we'll
in hand. The big bear went up to the milk
house door and stopped. He stood notion
less, with his nose in the crack of the door,
and he stood there so long that the farmer
could scarcely keep on his chair.
"Git in there, ding you!' he muttered.
'T want to pour some lead into youp'
A Scene of Awful Rage.
By and by the bear pushed the door open
and stepped in. There was loud snap, .
louder roar, and out of the milkhouse came
huge ball OF black fur and q changing tran.
The ground pitched smartly from the milk
house toward the window where the farmer
was sitting, waiting to pour lead into the
bear. The bear, with the heavy trap fast to
one hind foot, rolled down the ditch, roar
ing and believing, and swapping his great
jaws at the trap and clog. The farmer
dropped his gun and pistol.
"Great gunsp' he shouted. ''The bears
agoin' to bust in the kitchen!''
Then he ran into another room and locked
the door The bear tumbled and plunged
and fought the trap about the kitchen door
for five minutes Then all was quiet
After awhile the farmer ventured to peek
out Of window. No bear was to be seen
or heard anywhere about the premises
|. At dawn Farmer Ruby hurried to Rou-
lette again to carry Leroy Lyman the news
He got to Lyman's house, pale as ghost.