Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1892-03-31
NO RAILROADS THEN.
But the Sport Was just Good and tho
Bears rs Active.

No" said Gilman, "the' want no
railroads then, an t seems : eff the
want much of anything else. The
boys nowadays do know anything
about what Their daddies he'd ter git
along with when they was young. |
EN- remember when matches fust come
round. The was young Teller t
went over to Chatham, bout twenty
miles FIN where we lived then, an he
bought little box bout 5 big s that,
n he paid York shillin' for EN-.
well, every boy he come to on the
road hum he'd ter see one O. them
matches lit, an b. the time he got ter
our place they was nigh about burnt
up. We used ter cover up the Goals
kcerful O nights, but many's the time
I've been round ter the neighborS to
lrry some Goals When we couldn't
Git 'em we'd put some loose tow in the
old shotgun an, fire it out Some
times we'd use flint and steel, but
mos emily the gun. Them old flint
locks want much to brag on, but they
was better'n nothin'.
Its Jest about fifty year ago.
was about year old, l know, an one
night about l o'clock my mother
shook father an told him the bears
was after Uncle Johns hogs We
could hear 'em a-squealin' awful. So
father he got up n lit the candle in
the old tin lantern-you'ye seen them,
s'pose, full O holes ter let out the
light. He loaded up his old shotgun
with shOt-he hedn't no ball-an'
primed her up, an away he goes ter
Uncle Johns. 1t was jest about such
night as this-a-rainin' hard an dark
as all git out
well, he routed out Uncle John,
an an old one-armed sailor they he'd
there, name o. Simmons an he would
swear awful. They loaded up another
OF nintlock an started for the hogs,
an sure enough there was the biggest
kind o bear, with his arm right round
one o. the hogs, and a-eatin' away at
the back Of his neck. lie looked up
an growled, an then went on a-eatin',
| was a-shiyerin' at the Winder, and
could hear the hull racket.
Chen they opened the door of the
old tin lantern, SOS to get a good
sight, an both on 'em pulled an snap!
went the old lOcks-they were both
wet. Then they went ter work an
primed em up agin; the bear a-grOwl-
in, an the hog a-squealin' all the
time, an the OF sailor a-cussin' for all
'at's out. Seems ter me / never did
hear SIGH a-growlin', an a-squealin'.
an a-cussin' in all my born days, but
| was a little feiler then, an want use
to it, an | was feared the bear d eat
up father an uncle, N all the hogs in
the pen, fore he got through; an fer
all | knowed the was forty bear-'t
sounded s eff there might "a ben
a-clawin' at them hogs.
"Then they opened the lantern
agin, an draWed another bead, an
that time fathers gun went off. He
made a lucky shot, tOo-lucky fer him,
| guess, for eff he hadn't, an the beard
"a got clip at the lantern, an put
that out they couldn't "a see nothin'.
an might "a run right into his arms.
But he run off, up hill piece, an
they follered on, an there they see
him a-lying down. Then father wan
ed Uncle John ter gwup n hit him
with the ak, an he wouldn't, fer fear
the bear warn't dead. So father he
went up n hit him clip, an he was
dead, sure 'nuf. Four hundred pounds
that bear dressed, an they sold the
skin for $l2-a big price them times,
but twas late in the fall. Yes, we
use ter see some tough times them
days, but we ruther enjoyed it, alter
all. "--FOreSt and Stream.