The Coconino weekly sun., 1895-08-15
GRATEFUL BEAR CUBS.
Telo of Potato Field by a Man from Sinnemahoning Way.
His Uncle's Power of Remembering, Ills Fathers Business Idea, and His own Willingness to Take
 Homer's Placo.

this side of the mountain every time come over from old Sinnemahone! I do, really Honest, 1 dol Why? Be- cause, in the first place, this side of the mountain seems to feel it's littleness, and its away ay-down-in-the-dept as it were, and can see it wondering what it's on earth for, knowing that Sinnemahone is just over beyond, kick ing it's heels in the air, so to speak. like lamb on the hillside and swelling up, and looking sassy, as if it might be a steer in the oats! And, in the second place, because l have noticed a prepon- derance of yaller dog on this side of the mountain. and then this side of the mountains bears ain't up to snuff. I'll fares the land, to hastening ills a prey, where yaller dogs accumulate and bears ain't gay" Sorry? Why, I'm so sorry for this side of the mountain that if I had bosom of destruction with me I'd sweep every one of your yaller s dogs into the Allegheny river wander, and then go and drive herd of Sinne- mahoning beans over here and give you a new start in life! Sinnemahoning bears! Why, say, Homer made the mistake of his life in not waiting few thousand years and being born on the old Sinnemahone! Then he'd have had something to twang his Tyre about! He wouldn't have had to tramp bare foot over the hills of Greece and adJa- cent bailiwicks, making heroes and heroines out of more or less disrep- utable folks, but he could have stamped and sloshed along the storied Siunema- honing, in !. pair of cowhide boots, and sung of bear till the cows come home! l often lie awake nights regretting that Homer made that mistake. Those Sinnemahoning bears ought to have a Homer to put 'em on record as they should be put. But all is not lost. Homer gave old Sinnemahoning the go- by, and preferred ancient Greece to bears grease, but all is not lost. Old Sinnemahone may not have Homer, but she has Me! And if her bears don't go down to posterity with bells on my name ain't Praxiteles Pettibone!
 "The trouble with me is, my memory isn't long enough to do the Sinnema- hone bear full justice. have to deal with him as a contemporary, and con- temporaneous history is a trifle dan gerous to handle, for there are other people who are contemporaneous, and they may insist on proofs It is much nicer to deal with history that was contemporaneous with your grand father, for then the burden of proof is on him, and all you have to do is to cite authorities Now, if l had a mem- ory like an uncle of mine once had, l could go way back beyond this ques- tion with ease, and show up the Sinne- malone bear in a shape that would be much more amusing than any he has put on within my recollection, amazing as that shape has frequently been. That uncle of mine quit working his memory, though, quite suddenly, and the reaction hastened his death. He was letting it h ave full sway once, and after he had at last called it in, the new school-teach cher, who had never heard my uncle remember before, said to him:
 "'If I had your memory and fearless ness in exercising it, l would write a book and call it "Recollections of the Deluge, by a Survivor.
 Somehow after that my uncle quit remembering and went into decline, and never stopped this side of Jordan.
 When l was boy, ten years or so old, my father, Reuben Pettibone, said to me one day:
 'Praxiteles,' said he, I s'pose you know them 'taters is to be planted to- day. Iguess we'd better get at 'em.'
 ''I knew it we'll enough, but l had just dug lot of worms and had every thing ready to go down to the creek and try for trout. So l said:
 Yes, father. But the trout are biting tremendous, so they say
 IS that SO? said father. Well, my son, s'pose, then, you've been digging fshworms?'
 Yes, father,' said I, feeling good, for father was an indulgent parent.
 "'And got your pole and line all fixed ready, too, s'pose? said he.
 "'Ies, father, said, and felt just as if l was as good as on the creek.
 "'Well, said he, I s'pose it wouldn't make much difference if only one of us planted 'taArs to-day?'
 Not bit, said I, if it don't make any difference to you
 "'No, it don't says he. You're sure 5ou got tishworms enough?
 Plenty said, starting to get my
 ole.
 And you're sure the trout are bit
 rg good?' said he.
 They were never biting better, 6 said l.
 All right said he. I guess I'll Ike the pole, then, and go down to -Le creek and see what luck I'll have. ] You go on planting 'taters as if wasn't here, and get in as many as you
 n, for it's a'good day for planting, If you get that field all in to-day you can go fishing yourself all next week. "l was trifle set back, but couldn't help admire the preponderance of the business idea in my father. It wasn't fShIng that he cared so much about. IL NyuS tEa uattincr in pf the 'tatars and