Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1895-06-20

their cries. When | came up with the
/, dog there sure enough was a big
! grizzly sitting or his launches and
complacently taking in the situation.
| poised my rifle and was about to
| fire. when to sny utter surprise | saw
! stout leather strap about the bears
chubby neck, while from the brass
ring under his throat dangled a roserte
| and tassel made of red. white and
blue ribbons Besides the animals
coat was as sleek and clean as if he
| water. SO long as l allowed the dogs
! to bark at a safe distance he sat bolt
upright, perfectly still. neither sniff
fling nor growing, and with an air of
Stolid Indifference
WAS the brute an escape from some
menagerie? Was he a household pet.
o. was | dreaming? None of these,
surely. We We're in the heart of 4
mountain wilderness. more than 50
miles from the nearest border settle
ment and 200 miles from the nearest
town ever visited by circus or
nenagerie. Besides, family pets are
not made Of grizzly bears weighing
half a ton. Moreover, l was wide
awake, and / had not tasted my
brandy since leaving camp.
Il called off the dogs and put them
in leashes. Strangely enough, the
huge beast plunged instanter into the
thicket and scrambled off up the creek.
while | followed as fast as l could
lead the hounds. At a point about
half a mile further up the bear forded
the stream, scaled the opposite bank,
and was soon lost in the brush. | fol-
lowed, still leading the dogs, now fu-
riously barking and n,adly trying to
get loose. / could hear the cracking
of dry twigs under the bears feet, and,
quieting the dogs in order to catch
his course, | heard human voice, the
shrill, treble cry of a woman.
"'HO, Dio! Dio! Dio-o! it came.
"Once more I was dazed. All the
fairy stories of bears and wolves
had ever heard or read came back to
me, and l was beginning to distrust
the reliability of my senses. when the
cry came again, a good deal nearer
and louder, Dio! Dio! Ho, Di-o-o-or
"Chaining the hounds to a sapling,
| plunged forward. l soon overlook
the bear, which paid no attention to
me whatever, but laZily walked along
as if his business was his own and
nobody else's, halting now and then
to MUNICH a few berries from the
bushes LAS bruin and l emerged from
the thicket into partially open space,
what was my amazement to suddenly
meet face to face a woman-a real,
live woman! The apparition was clad
in bllcksl1in frock and leggins, with
high brOganS buckled over her feer,
and her head covered with a brown
SLOUGH hat, from beneath which
streamed her long hair. She was a
blonde of the most perfect type. She
snapped her thumb and finger, and the
bear walked to her side, reared up on
his hind feet and licked her cheek
while she stroked his shaggy coat.
Now, SIR said the woman, will
you walk home with me and see
where | live with Dio and his fam
lily?
"a 20 minutes walk on a we'll
beaten trail brought us to a limestone
cliff a few rods from the stream. This
cliff was nearly perpendicular, 40 or
so feet high, and III it's face on a level
with the bank of the creek, there was
a broad opening or cave perhaps 10
feet high and 80 or 10 deep. Just
within was a snugly built log cabin,
it's front gable end extending outside
far enough to catch the sunlight and
permit the escape of the smoke from
a stick-and-clay chimney. This re-
treat was the home of the woman,
while a family of bears occupied the
further end of the cave.
Upon our arrival Mrs. Grizzly
Bruin and two half-groWn cubs made
their appearance, all exhibiting the
same docile characteristics as the
great Di0. A big Newfoundland dog
also bounded forth to greet us. The
cabin contained three airy and we'll
lighted rooms, studio or parlor, q
bedroom and kitchen. g."
Retiring to her bedroom few min
utes the lady reappeared attired in
her reception suit as she laughingly
called it. While we sat at luncheon
she told me her history, and | assure
you it was only the old story, with
romantic variations and practical Illus
trations. The giSt of the whole mat
ter was love sorrow caused by the
interference of uIrWise parents, and re-
Sulting in the abandonment of a COM
Portable home for the precarious life
of recluse. Only two or three trus ed
friends know the secret Of her where
abouts and mode of living.
''BackwooGsmen built her the :abin
five years ago, aid about that time
she bought pair of grizzly cubs from
the Indians and reared them on con-
densed milk TO this simple diet and
the kindest treatment the philosophical
lady attributes the wonderful docility
of her grizzly pets. FrOntiersmen
hired for the purpose make monthly
visits to the cabin, bringing upon pack
animals every comfort and many
luxuries.
'',Ehe hermiteSS maintains that
mercy between man and man and
kindness to the lower animals must
constitute the great panacea which is
to redeem animated nature, bring back
the golden age and hasten the millen-
MUM. Growing enthusiastic, she cited
many interesting facts in her own ex-
perience 1T was a common thing
every summer for humming birds to
come through the ODen window, build