The sun., 1895-02-03
OLD TIMES ON A CLEARING.
MILEs's WOLF-HUNTIHG STEER AND
mrs BElR-KILLING WIFE.
wolves Provyied Around the Cabin Tin the
steer Found HIs MIssion-uow Susan
shaved the Ktnd OF womRn She Was.

hear bout Of times, sald OctORehhthh NuJh-
bert Miles in his snug cabin near the head Of
Indian Run, where for forty ycnrs he has busted
himself with fashioninR willows into baskets OF
various shapes and kinds during the winter to
peddlc them among tho backwoods towns dur
ing the summer.
"'Fore got to he a widdcrer, forty-lvc year
aso an better" tho old basket-mnking recluse
went on, me an my OIL woman lived down the
creek yender. a couple o. inied, OIL nice clear
In. but IL got lonesome down there when she
died. an go ! come UP here an put UP this cabin
an here ben ever sence. When welived on the
clearin' IL KEEP us busy good deal o. the time
aghtin' of bears an wolves an painters | had
q two-year-oI brindlo steer that was the great
est wolf fighter any body ever heerd on in this
country. We didn't think nothn' o. seein
wolves prowln' around the clearin', an they
killed every dog we'd git, jst as reg'lar rs we
got 'em. But they found out by an by that they
better let that steer alone. He was nice
an fat, that steer was, an ! know'd
the wolves had their eyes on him, for
IL was a cold winter. an the snow was deep, an
the wolves was powerful hungry. One mornin'
got up about sun-up. as usual, an went out to
feed the steer an the cow an the oxen an the
pigs. As was goin' to the barn l heerd a tre-
mendous helabaloo in the log shed whore KEEP
that steer. The steer was bellerin' as II he had
y
griped,, a. mixed up with his bellerin could
hear snappin' an a snarliD' an a growlin' that
knowd didn't como from no belly ache.
"wolvesr SAYS I. A passel o. blame hungry
wolves q tryin' to chaw up that steerr
THAT was enough fer 20, an struck n gal
lop an started to give the steer lift aR'in EN-
slung the door open, an there l see one big
wolf with it's fangs socked plumb inter the
steers nose. while another un, bigger yet, was
gnashin away at one o. his TANKS The steer
was rushin' around the shed. bellerin' an snort
In an tryin' to whang the wolf ag'in the log
sides o. the pen. He did whang it, too, but the
wolf had got few doses o. the steers blood, an
he hung on like leech onto a swelled leg.
There was little yard to the shed. with a
log fence round 1t. an when the steer the
door open an me standin by it, he MADE q
spring fer II an come bouncin out inter the yard.
fetchin' both wolves ahyin, with him, the 70 one he
flank, an stickn' straight out in the air as the
steer come out. l grabbed the wolf that had
around his throat chokin' him ali know'd how.
/ squeezed him so bad that he let loose o the
loose from my clutch. an then turned on me.
He sprung straight fer my throat. Now. tell
had Time .,sor hghtind nnnd that h wolf on of
from the wolf that had him by the nose he list
turned an spread himself ag'in t'other wolf.
He shuck II loose of his flank. an as he done 1t
he ketched the tarnal varmint on his horns. He
it up in the air. I'll bet ye. twenty foot,
down ag in the steer was ready fer it an Ketched
IT square on his horns agin heerd sumpin'
an 60
from him. The steer had fixed the wolf SOS it
want no use fer nothin any more 'cept fer fod-
ii seen all this a-goin' on spite o. me havn'
my hands more'n full fghttn' the wolf that was
fight an spilled his chance O. maxim his break
fast on the steer; My clothes was all tore to
my Sn bood toS Mo
outen me. by his claws an his teeth. which he
want noweyss shy in psin'. tell ye But KEEP
could give n him man good o o. sc soundin ITO toss. % an thi
was list the steer ketched t'othcr wolf an
in the fine give my wolf. an slammed it
ag'in the log fence on one side o, the yard. But
his fse as IF noshn
come fer me e ~ agin as fierce rec as sc ever, ia ben
went fer the W wolf 4 that was mi fer me with
made a plunge. He ketched that wolf. as .ye
moWt say. tst ABOUT 'mdships;, He ketched ct it
like ye mowt cut a Watermelon. half an half.
II want well for a month arter that, but the
steer didn't seem to mind the scrimmage bit. |
had sumpin' In it that he hadn't knowed afore. |
He wouldn't stan 1t no more to be shet up in his
So let him hev his way. One mornin' found |
seven dead wolves strewed in the yard an out |
an they was ripped an stomped uncommon aw-
full! Arter that wolves i've that elearn' o.
mine the gG,s tell ys am was sorry fer the
the fence an went away: couldn't lind him to |
git him back. but heerd on him now an then. |
wolves. an when the last wolf that was left in |
the lnjin Creek deestric' get lonesome an dug |
follered his trail. cause never noerd O. him nor
the wolf ag,in.
One might woke up down yondsr on the
my cow an the oxen bellerin' an thumpin' in
the barn like as If they'd kick it down.
Susan says to the old woman, tha's q
most nheerd OF rumpus gon' on out there |
among the critters l says.
an go see what's a stirrin' of 'em up
SO | got up an slid my clothes on. an hus-
moon moo NV was IS shinin most like day. % an M as trotted
over t9srd h the pig pig pen see what ma a the trouble
over the side o the pen. which was only sort ofa
square concern laid up with logs, four foot high:
them pigs up to this notch o. heft for bears to |
come in an lug of" says.
II the gun had had sumpin' Ia it witt more bus.
lness to 1t than pigeon shot, the hull trouble |
would ben settled consarned quick. Pigeon |
shot was all II had in, though, an II Susan her. |
self hadn't bsn loaded fer bear, dunno how |
things would a come out. When run back fer
" Susan says l. bearsl They'm takin away
BE they p says Susan: gittln' up an griffin
Be they 2 says she. Wen see about that
Susan didn't even stop to put her stockin's |
on. She grabbed double bitted axe, an hol- |
lerin' fer to come with the gun, rushed |
out to hev a little argument with them bears.
The bears was still struggln' to git the |
squealin, pig oyer the fence, an the cattle was
with the pigs an tryin' to skeer the bears away.
Me an Susan got to the pen, an rested my gun |
IN the top log Q the fence an blazed away The .
end O. the gun bar'l want two foot away from |
one o. the bears, but my nerves mus ben leetle /
upset, fer instid o. borin' hole clean through
the bears head only list shot away his fore
paw. That was sumpin' the bear wouldn't |
stand without fndin' fault. II I'd a bored
hole through his head he wouldn't q said
word; But 70 hey his usefulness knocked inter
cooked hat by the BLOWN OF o. one o. his paws
was too much, an he lifted up his voice an
made the woods ring and my hair raise at the
same time. An he come fer me. So did t'other
bear.
"'Good-by, Susan, says l. TN see you
Agin when Gabriel blows
"'Cause thought my time had come.
"'le'll see me at break fast says Susan. an
sho rz her axe an sunk II clean TO the handle in
the we'll bears brain. The bear dropped back
Into the pen an never said another word but