Evening star., 1894-02-08
n E w AS L lCk e D,
But he Didn't Find It Out Until he Nearly
Finished Montana Jim.
There Was Lots of Go I'm a Dear That
Had the Top of Its Head
Shot on

'You see that bear hideg" remarked Col.
Jim Struthers. otherwise Montana Jim"
to The Star man last night at the National
The reporter saw IT, Col Jim was in a reve-
RE In musing sort of way he was stroking
that fur backward and forward with his
FOOT and seemed once more TO be living in
the home Of the setting sun. There was
something so impressive in Jim's manner
when he said You see that bear hide"
that the reporter sicklied his face with the
pale cast of thought. touched the skin with
awe and arranged his feelings so that they
would be in full sympathy with those Of
the colonel
Then Jim said: "well, sir, the spirit the
grit, the courage and the get-thereness
that once upon time animated that bear
robe came within an ace OF widowing my
wife. orphaning my kids and making BROTH
erless host OF my promissory sisters. Yes,
sir; that is the fur OF a cinnamon bear.
That bear was a whole menagarie in one
act As a rule cinnamon bear amt much
good except for circus purposes and steaks
but, as the poet says there are exceptions
TO all rules, and that bear was the most
exceptional exception that ever got unmuz-
zled- He was an all-around athlete He
could run like a streak Of Blue Line light
nins when the plug puller hits her hard
and makes'his machine chew cinders: his
blow was very much more deadly than any
Brazilian warlet: he could swim like Le-
ander when Hero was on the other side Of
the creek. and that bear could use up more
cartridges with less wear and tear to his
constitution than any pensioner on the
rolls.
| Didn't Know He Was Licked.
When he got into a controversy ne didn't
know how TO quit any more than the usual
after-dinner Cicero. His voice wasn't tuned
to cry enough l got into dispute once
with that bear, and 1t required the heav-
lest Springfield arguments i could ire or
TO make him admit the superiority OF him
who was alleged to have dominion over
the beasts of the field. I'll tell you how IL
was. Last summer | Was fishing ON Koote-
nay lake, in British Columbia. / got tired
l OF this.
The fishing was all right but there was
| nobody around 10 listen TO the stories. L
had a brother at Couer dAiene military
reservation i'm Idaho. and pulled up stakes
with the intention of visiting him. follow
ed the kootenay river in sOutherly direc-
tion till 1 crossed over into the land Of the
| free. halted at the town Of Hope. ON Lake
| Pena d'Oreiile, ferried Clarke's Fork and
struck into Couer d'Alene mountains. IL
was about noontide, and II was one OF
| those soft. still days that occur more fire.
| quently in the pages OF novel than the
pages Of the weather map. The trail led
1 through a jungle of BURBERRY bushes and
! ragged quarrfes Of gray. hchen-covered
| powders. Tall pine timber grew at nter-
| walls. About the only sound of the .orld
! that threw up any sound waves was the
| grinding and twisting clatter of my pony's
| hoofs. 1 reached the brink OF a mountain
| stream that had been swollen into a tor
| rent by late rains. and thought il best TO
Y camp until some dove should announce
| that the raging waters would be calm than
! to attempt to swim IL and get iammed by
| dead trees and branches that were whirl-
| ing along.
| The Pony Was Alarmed.
Il was preparing lunch when the pony be-
gan to act curiously. He paved the ground.
| raised his head in frightened manner
snorted and did other things which horses
usually do when they know that breakers
are ahead. 1 followed the line OF the pony's
gaze. but couldn't see anything but blue
berry bushes. / noticed one sway and felt
that an Indian was lurking there. 1 brought
the hammer Of my gun up and formed in
line Of battle, but the bush continued TO
| sway and could see nothing. At last felt
! sure that 1 could see part of brown OBJ
ject. and / fired at fl. 1t was the porter
house end of bear that had shot. He was
eating the berries from that bush and had
| Interrupted his meal
| "Bruin wheeled round came out into the
| trail on the other side of the torrent end
surveyed me Bang, hit him again. but It
wasn't my day TO shoot.and the pellet lodged
forward of the shoulder, instead of ingrati-
ating itself in the seat of his affections
That shot was enough for him. He snapped
at the wound and spoke sonorous growl
! Then, socating me as the cause OF the eff
| feet, he proceeded to remove the cause. On
ward he came down the steep decline 10 The
waters edge. The Springfield erupted and
made one more hole in the bear. He was
mad. He plunged into the stream, and
| small WiCkQC-lOOkfnN s3VQ her
on me- swan with whOle-souled desire 20
get there. His head was the only thing in
sight and this was my target. 1 shot at IT,
struck him between the eyes and lifted the
top of his head of that the water which
he was splashing with his paws washed into
the skull and mingled with the blood and
brains.
Determined Effort.
But he didn't halt He landed on my side
of the creek and waltzed along the trail He
was hideous object, with the roof OF his
head gone and strings OF brain dangling
around his face Another shot took effect in
the body. He was within ten feet OF me-
| He raised on his trailers and came at me-
One more shot. I felt his hot. painting
breath My gun was knocked from me.
was in the embrace OF the bear. His hug
was terrific and / felt my skeleton giving
| way.
MY whole life passed in review. II had
| known prayer 1 would have prayed IL. but
my memory is bad on such matters and i
did not have my manuscript. l tried TO get
out my knife. but i felt that L was falling.
i lost Consciousness. When / returned from
catalepsy the bear was dead beside me. He
had expired from his wounds just as he was
| about to finish me. He had taken two balls
| in the heart. his brain had been almost
blown out of his skull pan and yet he dis
| armed me and almost killed me before he
| died. Yes sir, that bear hide you see there