The Hocking sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1871-1906, 1896-10-29
A BEAR STORY.

"You observe" remarked the jewel
ry salesman, 81 wear very little of my
own goods"
Possibly" suggested the listener. "it
is on the same principle that doctor
does not take his own medicine"
mo, not exactly" laughed the drum
mer, 'for my jewelry, unlike the doc
tors medicine, is is carat fine always"
''And there are no tricks in your
trade" grinned the listener, who at
that very moment was wearing a 10
cent pearl scarf pin that looked as If it
had cost $75. However, why don't
you wear jewelry? Can't you afford
it, or are your tastes too delicate and
refined?"
Thereby hangs a tale" said the
drummer. 81 used to wear lot Of it
and of the most expensive kind, but
had to give it all up once upon q time
and that taught me lesson. At the
have heard my story that l ought to
so around all the time loaded for emer-
gencies."
at takes you a powerful long time
to get to the story" ventured the listen
er, who had an invitation to go to a
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 1
won't do that. Here she goes. About
seven years ago was on my way back
from the Pacific slope and ] stopped for
a weeks rest and recrea: ion at 4 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. I remember 1 Wore a
$1,000 diamond stud in my shirt front;
a 500 chain to a $500 watch; 500
diamond collar button, heavy link cuff
fies with a big diamond in each one;
an uncut diamond worth $1,000 for a
watch charm, and so on until l was
a glittering array of gems and things
worth a small fortune. Besides, 1
was my own travelling advertisement
and stock Of goods in one. for what
ever l had that struck anybody's fan
cy and he wanted to buy would sell
on the spot. That was really the only
possible excuse for decking myself ou:
in such a fashion. Well, game was
plenty in the mountains just around
the hotel and a newspaper man from
Chicago who was there for month
was putting most Of his time in with
his gun. He was fixed for it, though,
and 1 wasn't, so let him go his way
and took his word for the sport he
was having. One afternoon / 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
shotgun there was in :he hall and
come on, for there was q bear I'D in
the mountain back Of the house. L
ought to have had more sense. sup-
pose, but am fond Of Il gun, and be-
for it, caught up the gun, and MOTTO
ing there was a powder horn and
pouch hanging to it, made a grab End
away l went. The landlord told me
that it was loaded with buckshot, and
to skip. which l did. The newspaper
mo fncI- CT
and in about half an hour l had got
clear out of sight and hearing of every
thing, and the next thing 1 knew 1
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
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 I
banged away. OF course, 1 hit him,
but it was most scattering kind of
hit and merely threw him off his pins
for moment to make him a 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 a tree and
prepared to load again, there wasn't
a buckshot or anything else in it. That
left me in a pretty pickle, and hadn't
any time to formulate methods of
Il Of
for me again. 1t was an old muzzle
loader, and in my wild anxiety to get
something into it besides powder and
paper wad, l was about to shove the
ramrod in and give him that, when it
occurred to me that a ramrod might
some in handy If ever 1 wanted to
load again. In the meantime / had
climbed up the rocks, which were big
and plenty here among the trees, and
was managing to keep myself fairly
safe. As l slipped into the last niche
of the rocks before had to take chanc-
es and run across the open to clump
of trees, my heavy W. tch chain caught
on something and almost tore itself
out of my buttonhole 1t gave me a
thought, though, and in a second
had it loose and was ramming it down
the gun barrel. A hundred dollars a
load was rather expensive, but it was
my life against the watch chain, and
there were other watch chains. To
make the chances in my favor some
what better, | dropped my link but
torc onI n COLLAR button into tho nthor
barrel. They were not so heavy as
the chain. but the range was short
and was counting to do some valu-
able work in my behalf with that
watch chain, which weighed half Il
pound. friend of mine used to say
and looked ton. AS the besr got