The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-04-01

the sawyer wanted-tooll dinner at the
storekecper's house, and at about
half-past one started back toward Far
ley's.
Il had traTersed about half the
distance, and passing, on the way
up the mountain, a place where
the trees were for the most part scrub
by and small, with here and there 2
tall hemlocil rising from among them,
l noticed one tree in particular which
was tall and tapering, with stubs Of
dead branches sticking out all over 1t.
Only at the top had it a trft of live To-
liage. There seemed to be crows or
a hawk s nest up there: and thought
that if | wanted to climb it, it wouldn' t
be hard.
Il did want to climb it pretty soon,
but / haven't got to that yet.
I'D like to know, Just for the fun of
it, how many times I've described bear
cubs in my stories. A hundred, I'll
warrant. Well, sir! do you know,
when / really saw bear cub in the
path before me didn't know what it
was. hadn't any more idea that the
little beast | saw there was a baby
bear than had that it was a dromeda-
~ or an ornithorhyncus.
But had some excuse. The crea-
ture was Looping along the track a little
distance ahead of me, and couldn't
see him very plaiuly. especially as |
had left my eyeglasses at home.
Put l realized that there was some
strange animal ahead OF me, and
wanted to know what it was So
ran after s., and when / got near
enough struck it blow across the side
with my stick, which made it cry out
with pain and dash into the bushes.
/ stopped, out of breath.
MY first thought was that, for so
small an animal. it made tremendous
racket in those bushes. Then | real.
lied that some bigger animal was
there, too-a stray COW, proba bly,, |
thought Hooked confidently to see
cows mi'd, astonished face emerge
from the underground.
Instead, there came forth amid
great crashing of bushes huge she
bear, snarling and vengeful.
Imagine that, will you? And you
know | never did like practical jokes!
well, ! knew Ter at once-recog-
nized her from her photographs, SO to
speak. Them make no bones OF
saying i'll was frightened. ] knew
she could do more damage to my health
in three minutes than three months in
the country could repair-to say the
best of it.
Besides, l naturally hated to be
eaten after having taken such pains
to get into good condition. 1t
seemed too much like misplaced en-.
deavor. To fatten myself up for
bears dinner was not what l mad come
into the country for.
yet there | was, standing as stupidity
as a turkey in a barnyard the day before
Thanksgiving, for the moment entirely
bereft of my wits. with big bear not
ten feet from me. / had nothing to de-
fend myself with except my stick. A
cudgci is a good weapon against
woodchuclls; but every feature of my
enemy's expressive countena nee pro-
that she was no woodchuck.
" WdS W uOI 1DSblNCb al
swered the question for me. / took to
nay heels-which. luckily, are light
and made Decline for the tree which
I've just told you OF. Nor stayed to
look behind, as the poet says.
Reaching the tree, | climbed it,
using the stubs of branches like the
rungs Of ladder. No monkey in AZ
-, "a, ha1 I
wasn't ten feet up before the bear was
at the foot, and to my horror began
climbing after me.
Here | was, freed by a bear In
fiction the ituation was a good one,
though trifie-just trife-overdone.
But | confess that in real life ! didn't
find it so good. 1t struck me as toe
''At that moment pitied every hero
had ever put mp tree in the whole
course of my career as d writer. NY
heart was filled with remorse for my
misdeeGs seward them. Then | re-
mem bered that always got them down
again, with no bones broken, and was
comforted. And | wished to goodness
was one of them.
But / wasn't. There was no trusty
author about to manipulate me and nv
bear, ana consequently l was afraid
matters wouldn't end happily.
meanwhile, ! kept on up the tree,
and the bear kept on, too. 1t wasn't
very long before | was at the top: and
there / stood, clasplng the tree with
one arm, my feet resting on two little
stumps Of branches. There | stood.
The cold pcrspiration sta rting on my
and waited for the bear.
And yet 1 remen bered noticing, in
spite of my fright, that the nest I had
seen up there was crows and aban-
ioned.
The bear came steadily up; but
when she was within a dozen feet of
ne | noticed with JOY that she showed
signs of wavering She looked down
IT the ground and then up at me. Then
she growled and came two or three
eet nearer. Then she stopped again
Il saw that the tree was getting too
mall about tho trunk for her to climb
{ easily
But this didn't comfort me much |
vas too tantaligingly near her for her
o give me up; and l felt it in my bones
hat She could reach me if she tried
Il was right The bear again adj |
-anced little; but again she stopped, |
md grasping the tree stoutly, rested, /
painting.
Her jaws were open, her tongue
,3Opinu ont. there WAS an imrDenSa !
in her eyes. Her resem-
,lance to a dog begging underneath 1
ONE meat held above him suddenly /
iclled me. Some men would laugh at .
funeral.
Then noting her open mouth. a .
-reat hone Snr-ed M within me / |