The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-08-11
BRUiN AND SlLAS.
The Funny Incident of q Boosters Great
Fright.

The Funny Incident of Boosters Great
Fright.
"Load your gun for bear" said DIR
Foote, one morning nearly hundred
years ago. LOAD your gun for bear,
Silas, for we shall depend upon you II
we are attacked" And he smiled a
rather sly smile as he turned to fix the
fire.
"Dear me-" said Mrs. Foote, you're
not really going to cut wood up on the
hill where they saw two bears last
weeE!''
''Why not?" said DR.. Foote. "Silas.
here, can take care of the whole party"
And with that he smiled again.
Silas was the hired man. He was
fond of talking big" BY his brag you
might think that he was the bravest
man on the Unadilla river or in all
York state, for that matter He told
stories of his fights with wildcats,
wolves and bears, in which he always
came out ahead by hairs breath.
81 tell We, little more an l should
have been everlastin'ly chawed up, ne
would saw, ''but finished him.
For all that he did seem little nerv-
ous that morning while he loaded his
gun for bear. which made DIR. Foote' S
smile broader than ever.
They soon started for the woods, DR..
Foote and his grown son, and Capt.
Brown and Silas, who boasted all the
way what wonders he would do II they
should meet a bear. You would have
thought he was going on purpose for
bear hunt But when they got to chop
ping he took pains to keep as near as
possible to where the horses were
hitched.
They had been at work some hours,
and Silas had grabbed his gun half a
dozen times, thinking he saw bear III
the distance, when all at once they all
saw one, real, live one, and, as they
found, very hungry and cross one.
He smelled out their dinner-baSkets,
and was just helping himself to the
contents, when DR.. Eoote sent bullet
into him If that bullet had killed him
there would not have been any story.
But it did not, and he made rush
for DIR. Foote, and for some time he
kept things very lively. The hired
man stood looking on, at first too
scared to move; but when the bear
rose and dealt DIR. Foote a dreadful
blow on the shoulder, Silas managed
to break the spell and run. He did not
wait to see that Capt. Br0wn shot the
bear dead next moment. He did not
notice that DIR. Foote was soon on his
feet again He ran with all his might
to the horses, and throwing himself
upon one, dashed away to bring help.
He rode up to Deacon brakes and
shouted: s.Turn out. turn out. There's
a bear killed four men" The deacon
rushed out, crying: "Who? Where?
Who?" To which Silas replied: Capt.
Brown, DR.. Foote and his son, and N.Y.
SELF"
Good land." said the deacon, as Silas
galloped away II only hope the rest
amt killed any wuss'r you be- and he
started down the road the way
Silas had come and soon met the
others. who were not killed very
bad, though rather worse than
the boaster. They were able, at any
rate, to laugh at him well for his fright,
and after that, some one was sure to
strike in with: Turn out. turn out!
There bear killed four mem and that
always settled him.
Eighty years afterward Grandpa
Foote, vino was little boy when this
happened. used to tell the story to his
grandchildren when they came to him.
They wanted to hear it every time they
came. for grandpa told it far better
than I can. They always nestled and
nudged each other when Silas shouted:
Turn out. turn. There bear killed
four men,
They smiled when Deacon Drake
rushed out and cried: who? Where?
Who?" And though they had beard ii
so many times, they always laughed at
the Boosters reply: Captain Brown.
Doctor Foote and his son, and myself"
-Eudora S. Bumstead, in Youth S Com
panion.