The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1893-08-24

"My heart gave a great throb of Joy when it
| landed fairly and squarely on the back of the
bears tongue. By great good luck it stuck just
| where she must swallow it, willy nilly.
''And swallow it she did, though it was big
mouthful. Its sharp corners hurt her throat,
and the water came into her eyes, but with a
painful gulp she got the tobacco down. Then
she growled and eyed me with an air of mingled
wrath and astonishment.
8" But the tobacco seemed to have no other
effect than to increase her i'll temper True,
she backed down the tree two or three feet on
receiving the dose, but a minute later she came
up again with renewed energy.
s. felt confident that the tobacco, which was
as black as a hat and strong as Hercules,
would make her dreadfully sick-in time. But
supposing she mustered up courage to climb
the few remaining feet that separated US first
''This was desperate case, and if my rem
edy wasn't going to have pretty prompt effect
/ might as well have saved my medicine.
"The bear slowly and with difficulty hunched
her way mp toward me. l began to despair
again. But just az l was giving up all hope
l perceived that all was not well with her
ladyship.
Evidently she had bad taste in her mouth
An expression of uncertainty passed over her
face like cloud. She began to cling tight to
the tree as if afraid of falling. / made up my
mind she was dizzy.
"She appeared to be quite willing TO go
home. She began in great hurry to get down
the tree. Her grip wasn't at all secure.
"She came near falling once or twice. and
when about 10 feet from the ground actually
did so, landing with a terrible thump.
"But she mediately raised herself up on
her launches and gazed dOubtfully about her.
] think the earth must have been revolving
and tipping round in peculiarly rapid way
about that time for noticed her forefeet were
planted very far apart, as if her body needed
bracing
Finally she got painfully up on all four
legs and lurched off into the bushes. That was
all she could do. And once there she stretched
herself out at full length, completely done up.
She was dresdfully seedy bear.
"She was pretty near the tree, but / thought,
under the circumstances, might come down.
She did not stir when landed on the earth
once more; but did not stop. l started for
Farley's about as fast as l could go.
"You see there might be other bears in the
neighborhood. and my stock of tobacco was
limited. Besides it wasn't mine; l had no
right to be giving it away to bears.
Il told the people about it at Farley's.
They knew was a story writer; in fact, had
been incautious enough to read them one CT
two of my best bear stories, and fancy they
thought / was giving them another yarn
They didn't seem much inclined to believe me,
anyhow.
"But showed them that part of the to-
bacco was gone, called their attention to the
fact that was extremely unlikely to have met
anyone to give it away to on that lonely road,
and asked them if they had ever know me to
use it in any form.
They yielded to my reasoning at last and
the next day went to the scene of my advent
ure. They found no bear, but they did see the
place where the bushes had been crushed
down, and observed that the bark OF the tree