The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1895-06-27

OluneludnOHe 10 SET TRAP LOT Dear,
when bear from it's hiding place in
the laurels saw him, jumped. out,
pitched into him, took the trap away
from him, and proceeded to shake
Reuben out of his boots and breeches.
| The bear was in such downright earn
| est that Reuben saw it would soon be
| all up with him if he couldn't get away.
The only thing he could think of that
would be likely to save him W to
| plunge into the Sinnemahone, W ii
was running a flood from a s
| rain. and swim to the other sid
| had no idea that the bear would
him. But he was wrong. ThA
| did follow him, and followed S,
fast that when he got to the bG1tf
| side of the stream and was pulling him
| self out on the bank the bear was right
on him. 1t grabbed him by both legs,
and went to chawing him and yanking
| him back into the flood.
'Good-by to Nancy Puterbaugh and
the banks of the Sinnemahoner said
| Reuben, for he couldn't see any reason
why his time hadn't come
Suddenly, though, the bear gave q
howl that almost made Reuben deaf,
| and at the same time it let go of Reu-
ben's legs and dropped back into the
stream. Reuben dragged himself out
| on the bank and looked back The
bear was h owing and spluttering and
struggling in the water, and making
| frantic efforts to get back to the other
side. But something was hindering it.
Something was handicapping it in its
| struggles Something was such drag
on the bear that it was being drowned
as sure as sap in the spring.
"'What in the name O gumption has
tackled that bear? exclaimed Reuben.
What is it that has saved me to Nancy
and the Slime mahone?'
There was no one about who could
answer the question, and Reuben stood
there and watched the bear meet its
fate, which it did before it got half
way across the stream. The food car
ried its big carcass down, and whirled
it back in an eddy against the shore,
short distance below where Reuben
stood. He hurried down to see what
could have so suddenly and completely
undone the bear. AS he neared the
spot he saw an immense swapping
turtle climb out on the shore. He rec
ogniZed it at once. 1t was the fifty
pound snapper he had released from
the tavern swill barrel. The turtle
| waited until Reuben came up. Reuben
| said afterward that the turtle gazed at
him moment with recognition, graft
tn1a tD1aa al -,
and then slid back into the water and
disappeared. 1t was all plain to Reu-
ben. The big swapping turtle had hap
pened to be in the stream at the spot
where the bear had captured Reuben,
and recognizing his deliverer, had
seized the bear by one of its hind feet
and closed its jaws upon it like wise
The bear had turned to escape from
this unknown but terrible foe, but
couldn't do it. And Reuben Pettibone
| was saved.
But this was not all. A greater
debt than that do Reuben Pettibone
and his posterity owe to turtles Sim
nemahone bears are epicurean in their
tastes. They lie turtles. especial
ly land turtles. When Sinnemahone
bear finds one of these he straightway
gets stone, smashes the turtles shell
and treats his palate to the meat
within. One day, some time after his
life was saved by the big snapper,
Reuben Pettibone was going through
the woods when he discovered bear,
with pleased and eager expression
on his face, hurrying along with big
stone in its paws. Reuben followed
| fast and saw land turtle little way
ahead, terror in its eyes and lying
helpless in the grass. Reuben knew
at once what the bear intended to do
with the stone, and, remembering
what he owed to the turtle family, he
| didn't propose to see this turtle sac
| riticed. The bear had the stone raised
to hurl 1t on the turtles shell when a
bullet from Reuben's gun crashed
through it's brain. and Bruin fell dead
at the turtles side.
Reuben Pettibone used to say that
he never in all his life saw such graft
tude as that turtle showed. 1t came
up and rubbed itself against his feet
and looked up into his face with an ex-
preston that almost made him cry.
He stopped down to stroke its head and
it licked his hand. When Reuben started
| at last to go the turtle gazed after him
with such a touching, appealing look
that he couldn't bear to leave it, and
he took it up in his arms and carried it
home with him. That turtle and Reu-
ben became inseparable He named
the turtle Jasper, and everywhere he
went he took it with him. And a lucky
| thing for Reuben that he did!
Il told you that old Squire Puter-
baugh didn't like the idea of his daugh-
ter Nancy being in love with Reuben
Pettibone, and the main reason for this
was that he wanted her to marry
chap named Japhet Saltcider, from
down on the west branch. But Nancy
said she wouldn't. Reuben was popu-
lar, and by and by they elected him tax
collector. One day, having collected all
the Sinnemahone taxes, footing up to
some thing like one hundred and nine
ty-two dollars, he started with the
money for the county seat to settle up,
taking Jasper along as usual. He had
some bear traps scattered along
through the woods, one of 'em being
an inclosed log pen with a falling
door. This pen he baited inside, the
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