The Lafayette gazette. [volume] (Lafayette, La.) 1893-1921, 1895-09-21
GRATEFUL BEAR CUBS
falo OF a Potato Field by a Ma,1
from ~Sinno nGhonipg Way.
His Unclc's Power of Remembering, IIIs
Fathers sus!ness Iden, aud His
Own Willingness to Take
IIOncS's Place.


come over from old Sinnelna hone! l
do, really! Honest, 1 do! Why? Re
cause. in the first place, this side OF the
mountain seems to tee1 It's littleness,
and its avvay-lown-in-thc- Gc ;.tnsness,
Us it were, and ca.i see II wondering
what it's or, earth for. knowing that
Sinnenaahone is just over beyond. kick
ing ITS heels in the ai-, so to speak,
like a lamb on the hillside and Swelling:
up, and looking sassy, rs IL it might be
a steer In the oats! And, in the second
place, because l have noticed u prcpon-
dcrancc OF yaller dog on this side of
the noun tain. and then this side OF tho
fares the land, t., fastening ills Il prey,
where yal!er dogs accumulate and
bears amt gaye Sorry? Why, I'm so
sorry for this side OF the mountn in that
IL I~had Z, Bosom of destruction with
me I'd sweep every one OF your yal1er
dogs into the Allegheny river yandcr,
and then go and drive a herd Of Sinnc-
mahoning bears over here and give you
4 new start in life! Sinncmahoning
bears! Why, say. Homer made the
mistake Of his life in not waitinr Il few
thousand years and being born on the
old Sinnelnahonc, Then he'd have had
something to t.-ang his Tyre about!
lie wouldn't have had to tramp bare
foot over the hill. of Greece and ad1a-
hcroincs out of more or less disrcE-
ut: bic folks, but he could have stamped
a.id sloshed along the storicd Sinnema-
honing, in a pair of cowhide boots, and
sung of bear till the cows come home!
L often lie awake nights rcgrctting
that Homer made that mistake. Those
SinneInahoning bears ought to have a
Homer to put en- on record as they
should be put. I;ut all is not lost.
Homer gave old nncmahoning the GO
by. and preferred ancient Greece to
bears grease. but all is not lost. Old
Sinncmahonc may not have :, Homer.
but she has Nc! And if her bears don't
go down to posterity with bells on my
nanc amt Praxiteles Pcttlbone!
1.-The trouble with me is, my memory
isn't long enough to do the Sinncuaa
hone bear full Justice. l have to deal
with him as a contemporary, and con-
tclnporaneOuS history is u trit1c dan
gcrous to handle, for there arc other
people who arc cOntempOraneons, and
the, may insi.t on proofs. 1t is much
nicer to deal with history that was
contcmporancous 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 (. MEM
DRY like IN uncle of mine once had, l
could go way back beyond this q,les-
ton with ease, and show up the Sinne-
"
much more amusing than any he has
put on within l1ry rccollcctio alna ri n &
that shape has frequently been.
That uncle Of mine quit working his
memory, though, quite suddenly, and
the reaction hastened his death. lie
was lc ting it h ave full sway once. and
after he had at last called it in, the
new school-teacher, who had never
heard my uncle remember before. said
to him:
IF had your memory and fearless
ness in exercising it, 1 would write
book and call it. ''Recollections of the
Deluge. 10y Survivor"
"Somehow after that my uncle quit
remembering and went into 4 decline,
and never stopped this side Of Jordan.
"When I was Il boy, ten years or 50
old, my flthcr, Reuben Pcttibonc, said
to me one day:
- 'Pruxitelcs,' said he, 4 sposc yo"
know them Eaters is to be planted to-
day. guess we'd better get at en-
II knew it we'll enough, but l had
just dug Il lot of worms and haA every
thing ready to go down to the creek
and try for trout. So 1 said:
"'Ycs, father. But the trout are
biting tremendous, SO they say
"'Is that -o?' said father. Well, my
son. I s'pose, then, you've been digging
ishworms?
Yes, father said 1, feeling good,
for father was "a indulgent parent.
"'And got your pole and line all
fixed ready, too, l s'pose" said he.
Ives, father said. and felt just
if was good as on the creek.
"'Well,' said he, Il spose it wouldn't
make much difference if only one OF
us planted tatcrs to-day?'
mot u bit said 1, If it don't max :
any difference to you
mo. it DON'T says he. You're sure
you got tishworms enough?
Plenty said, starting to get my
pole.
"'Aul you're sure the trout are bit
ing gool?' said he.
.'Thcy were never biting better,
said !.
"'All right said he. L guess I'll
take the pole, then, and go down t.
the creek and see what luck Ill have.
Iou go on planting Eaters as if ]
was n't here, and get in as many as You
can, for it's a good day for planting. If
you get that field all i'll to-day you can
go fishing yourself all next week.
IL was trifle set back, but couldn't
help admire the prcponderancc of the
business idea in my father. 1t wasn't
f@;ilng that he cared SO much about.
1t was the getting in OF the Eaters, and
you'll notice that he didn't make up
his mind to go fishing until he found
could get along with the planting all
right. Ny father was q remar!1a bic
man in q good many respects, and it is
with feelings of great thanlfuln ess
that look back now and know that he
let business overpower indulgence that