Walker Lake bulletin. (Hawthorne, Nev.) 1883-1926, 1896-11-18
A BEAR STORY.

"You Observe" remarked the jewel
ry salesman. 81 wear very little of my
own goods"
Possibly" suggested the listener, at
Is on the same principle that doctor
does not take his own medicine
NO. not exactly" laughed the drum
mer, "for my jewelry, unlike the doc
tors medicine, is 1S carat fine always"
"And there are no tricks in your
trade" grinned the listener who at
that very moment was wearing a To-
cent pearl scarf pin that looked as If 1t
had cost $75. However, why don't
you wear jewelry? Can't you afford
It, or are your tastes too delicate and
refinedW
Thereby hangs a tale" said the
drummer. 81 used to wear a lot of it
and of the most expensive kind. but l
had to give it all up once upon time
and that taught me lesson. AT the
same time you may think when yau
have heard my story that | ought to
go around all the time loaded for emer-
gences."
to get to the story" ventured the listen
err, who had an invitation to go TO
Thanksgiving dinner along In the lat,
ter part of November.
"Does it?" snorted the drummer.
"Well, it's good enough TO keep and
put in your Christmas stocking, but
won't do that Here she goes. About
seven years ago l was on my way back
from the Pacific slope and stopped for
weeks rest and recreation at a semi
wild hotel in the Rocky Mountains. AS
usual in those days, | was loaded to
the guards with jewelry and couldn't
give it up even In the woods. But
was only there for short stay and
had with me my ordinary civilized
city attire | remember l Wore a
81 200 diamond stud in my shirt 'front.';
500 chain to $500 watch; a 500
diamond collar button, heavy link cuff
fies with big diamond In each one;
an uncut diamond worth $1,000 for a
watch charm, and so on until | was
glitterlng array of gems and things
worth a small fortune. Besides, |
was my own travelling advertisement
and stock of goods in one, for what
ever l had that struck anybody's fam
CIV and he wanted to buy l would sell
on the spot. That was really the only
possible excuse for decking myself out
In such fashion. Well, game was
plenty in the mountains just around
the hotel and newspaper man from
Chicago who was there for Il month
was putting most of his time in with
his gun. He was fixed for 1t, though,
and | wasn't, so l let him go his way
and took his word for the sport he
was having. One afternoon l was sit
ting on the piazza Of the tavern array
ed In all my jewelry, for the safest
place for it was on my person under
my immediate eye, when the Chicago
man came dashing through the grounds
with his gun, calling me TO grab up
q shotgun there was in .he hall and
come on, for there was bear up In
the mountain back of the house.
ought to have had more sense, | sup
pose, but l am fond of Il gun, and be-
fore | thought of how little l was fixed
for it, caught up the gun, and motto
ing there was powder horn and
pouch hanging to it, made a grab end
away | went. The landlord told me
that it was loaded with buckshot, and
to skip, which l did. The newspaper
man took up one side and the other,
and in about half an hour l had got
clear out of sight and hearing of every
thing, and the next thing l knew |
ran slap into a big bear that wasn't
looking for me or any body else, and
evidently had not been disturbed be-
fore. / was so close on him before
l saw him that escape was impossible,
and besides ! was up there to let him
do the escaping If he could On the
instant he was up on his hind legs and
coming at me and on the instant |
banged away. or course, l hit him,
but it was most scattering kind of
a hit and merely threw him off his pins
for a'moment to make him hundred
times worse when he got at himself
again.
''Some way or other must have up
set the pouch with the powder horn,
for when l lodged behind tree and
prepared to load again, there wasn't
buckshot or anything else in it. That
left me in pretty pickle, and hadn't
any time to formulate methods of
defense until the bear was coming
for me again. 1t was an old muzzle