The Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1895-1897, 1896-03-31
JACKS TRUE YARNS.
THE OLD NORTH WOODS GUIDE TELLS
TWO GOOD STORIES.

From Freezing by n Bottle OF Kerosene
and Some Matches.
Jack Ormiston is still alive to toll
some OF the most wonderful tales that
are heard in the Adirondacks. Jack has
been a guide for some 80 years, ever
since bo has been big enough to carry
pack basket. He is tall and loose Joint
ed. and his muscles are as hard as hick
DRY knots. His black griszled beard Gov
ers nearly all Of his broad face. A pair
of small, blinking black eyes do most of
his talking for him, but when he is
properly asonsed he can spin tale at
the camp fire that will startle the
screeoh owls and brighten the wailing
looms down OH the lake shore.
"Yer've heerd some Of the fellers say,
hain't yer, how kotohed that old bear
last fall?" asked jack.
We assured him that we never had,
and it was strictly true, because he had
told Us dozen or more times himself.
"Waal. yer must know where Tully
pond is" continued Jack. blessed if
don't kotch bear mighty queer there
last fall. Jim Hodge give me lift on
the job, must say, but that ain the
point. Fact is, the great point wuz the
toe end of these boots wuz comm
down this way along Their trail when
heerd a rustling overhead in o tall pine.
Golly, when looked up, kinder quick,
sideways, fer feerd somethin wuz goin
ter drop, see mighty big bear comm
along one of the limbs toward the trunk.
He started ter come down the trunk
back end first, wiDkin at me. My gun
wuz over at camp. didn't have thing
with me, and Jim wuz half mile back
on the trail. That bear could see had
mighty fine hide that would bring mo
somethin like $50. with the bounty. I
didn't care ter have him run away, nor
did want ter shake hands with him
and pass the time Of day with him till
Jim come along and put him asleep
with bullet I didn't make up my
mind mono too soon. The bear warn.t
half way down the tree when / rushed
at him, not KNOWN what would do ter
own that hide and capture the bounty.
l looked around fer club, but none
como i'll sight, so when I got ter the
foot Of the tree there warn't nothin but
ono thing ter do. 1 just hauled off and
kicked that bear.
1T wuz tho first eyperimentin Of tho
kind L ever heerd of, and by gosh it
beat anything ever see. The bear CLAW
ed hard inter the bark and snapped at
me. He was easin up u bit with his
nails when / swung him another and
Onnthor 7 No1lol Il
again. yelled six times, kickin be-
tween every yell. Then Jim answered,
and I kept up yellin and kickin, first
with one boot and then the other. The
bear didn't drop an inch. Just as I've
eased up little bit 1 swung again.
Gosh 1t seemed as If Jim wuz takin
his time comm along that trail. Just as
l swung the forty ninth kick Jim come
In sight. | dropped fiat on my hack
jim popped one inter the bear, and it
| Hoped over on ter me. Jim wuz the
| most surprised man yer ever see. Itwuz
two hours before l could prove ter him
that l wuZ tellin the truth about that
| BEAR
Then Jack piled another log on the
fire and started i'll on new tale.
| COul0 Iltur DSIu uOnb
fer" he said. kerosene kept me in
pickle long enough ter get near fire,
and then l WIZ all right again.
We wanted to know if kerosene oil
wasn't Il new beverage for him.
| mo, I didn't drink none," he con-
tinued. 81 started ter cross Brandy brook
on log. wanted ter cut off three
mile walk around by tho trail. The wa
ter wuz high, and there wuz strong
| current running out inter the lake. This
| log wuZ about a foot and half through
1 rolled it off with the stream. I tucked
my breeches i'll my boots and straddled
the log. hadn't kicked dozen strokes
before got out inter the swift water,
and then could see wuz in fer it.
kicked ter back up again ter the shore,
but it wuz no use, so let itgo 1t came
on dark. and my feet began ter freeze
My old boots had been we'll CREASED, but
the water dripped in at the tops and
soaked my stOckin's. I tried kickin
harder ter keep my blood stirred up. I
drifted over toward Bear mountain, and
knew that If the wind kept up would
land somewhere before midnight. Just
as Iwuz gettin almighty froze thought
of q bottle Of kerosene had to oil my
gun. Yer can bet I wuz wishin it wuz
sometbin moro cheerin than kerosene
oil. A little alkehal and sugar at that
time would or slipped down inter them
boots from the inside and melted them
frozen toes, but there warn't nuthin but
kerosene. l poured it half and half inter
each boot, and know it holped ter make
me easy fer time But by and by it
seemed ter me the oil must be freezin
too. 1t wuz lucky had my old match
box along in my vest pocket, high and