Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1896-05-08
JACKS TRUE YARNS.
THE OLD NORTH WOODS GUIDE TELLS
TWO GOOD STORIES.

From Freezing by Bottle of Kerosene
and Some Matches.
Jack Ormiston is still alive to tell
some of the most wonderful tales that
are heard in the Adirondacks. Jack has
been a guide for some 80 years, ever
since he has been big enough to carry
pack basket. He is tall and loose joint
ed, and his muscles are as hard as hick-
CRY knots. His black grizzled 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 aroused he can spin tale at
the camp fire that will startle the
screech owls and brighten the wa1llng
looms down Oh the lake shore.
"Yer'ye heerd some Of the fellers say,
hahn yer, how kotched 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 II
] don't kotch bear mighty queer there
last fall. Jim Hodge give me lift on
the Job, I must say, but that ain It the
point. Fact is, the great point wuz the
toe end of these boots. 1 wuz comm
down this way along Their trail when
beerd rustling overhead in tall pine
Golly, when I looked up, kinder quick,
sideways, fer I feerd somethin wuz goin
ter drop, see mighty big bear comm
along one of the limbs toward the trunk.
che started ter come down the trunk
back end first, winkin at me. My gun
WIZ over at camp. didn't have thing
with me, and Jim wuz half mile back
Oh the trail That bear could see had
a mighty fine hide that would bring me
somethin like $50, with the bounty. I
didn't care ter have him run away, nor
did I want ter shake hands with him
and pass the time Of day with him till
Jim come along and put him asleep
with a bullet. I didn't make up my
mind none too soon. The bear warn't
half way down the tree when rushed
at him, not KNOWN what I would do ter
own that hide and capture the bounty.
I looked around fer a club, but none
come in sight, SO when I got ter the
foot of the tree there warn't nothin but
one thing ter do. just hauled off and
kicked that bear.
cit wuz the first experimental Of the
kind I 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 a bit with his
nails when I swung him another and
another. I yelled for jim and swung
again. I yelled six times, kickln 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 he
eased up a little bit 1 swung again.
GOSH 1t seemed as if Jim wuz takin
his time comm along that trail. just as
I swung the forty-ninth kick Jim come
in sight I dropped fiat on my back.
Jim popped one inter the bear, and it
Topped over on ter me. Jim wuz the
most surprised man yer ever see. 1t wuz
two hours before I could prove ter him
that I wuz tellin Che truth about that
BEAR"
Then Jack piled another log on the
fire and started i'll on a new tale.
"This spring ! come near bein done
fer,'' he said. kerosene kept me in
pickle long enough ter get near fire,
and then I wuz all right again.
We wanted to know if kerosene oil
WASH t new beverage for him.
"Ne, ! didn't drink none," he con
tinued. ST started ter cross Brandy brook
ON log. I wanted ter cut off three
mile walk around by the trail. The wa
ter wuz high, and there wuz strong
current running out inter the lake. This
log WIZ about a foot and half through.
I rolled it off with the stream. l tucked
my breeches in my boots and straddled
the log. I hadn t kicked dozen strokes
before I got out inter the swift water,
and then I could see wuz in fer it.
kicked ter back up again ter the shore,
but it wuz no use, SO let it CO. 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 wuz gettin almighty froze 1 thought
of bottle of kerosene had to oil my
gun. Yer can bet I wuz wishin it wuz
somethin more cheerin than kerosene
oil. A little alkehal and sugar at that
time would er slipped down inter them
boots from the inside and melted them
frozen toes, but there warn't nuthin but
kerosene. I poured it half and half inter
each boot, and know it helped ter make
me easy fer time. But by and by it
seemed ter me the oil must be freezin
too. It wuz lucky had my old match
box along in my vest pocket, high and
dry, fer then the idea struck me that if
lit match and sent it down inter the
oil it would warm things up some
There warn't much else ter do er think
island slow, but steady. If didn't get
there till midnight, my feet would both
be froze Off, SO I made up my mind ter
try the matches. Lucky fer me my
boots had wide tops SO could send tho
lit match right down ter the bottom
where it 'ud do the most good. Well,
sir, the first match in the right boot did
the trick fine. 1t took fire and thawed
things out quicker I thought. Blisters
raised all over, and when it all got
scalded all comfortable I wrigg1ed
around and put out the fire. Then I
tried it Oh the left foot, and it worked
just as well. There wuz enough match
es left to start fire on the island when
! drifted in there toward 10 o'clock.
Eagle.
A Self Made Man.