Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1896-11-19
JACKS TRUE YARNS.
THE OLD NORTH WOODS GUIDE TELLS
TWO GOOD STORIES.

but His Boot Toes-Re Was Once Saved
From Freezing By Bottle Of Kerosers
and Some Matches.
Jack Ormieton is still alive to tel,
some Of the most wonderful tales that
are heard in the Adirondacks. Jack ha:
been a guide for some 80 years, eve,
since he has been big enough to carry q
pack basket He is tall and loose Joint.
ed. and his muscles are as hard as hick.
DRY 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 be il
properly aroused he can spin a tale q,
the camp fire that will startle the
ecreech owls and brighten the waiting
looms down ON the lake shore.
"Yer've heerd some of the fellers say,
hain't yer, how kotched that old beaI
last fall:" asked Jack.
We assured him that we never had,
and it was strictly true. because he had
told rs a dozen or more times himself.
"Waal, yer must know where Tully
pond is, " continued Jack. blessed il
I don't kotch bear mighty queer there
last fall. Jim Hodge give NE lift on
the job, must say, but that amt the
point. Fact is. the great point wuz the
toe end of these boots. wuz corain
down this way along Their trail when ]
heerd rustling overhead in a 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. winkin at me. Ny gun
wuz over at camp. didn't have q thing
with me, and Jim wuz half q mile back
on the trail. That bear I could see had
a mighty fine hide that would bring me
somethin like $50, with the bounty.
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 q bullet. I didn't make up my
mind none too soon. The bear warn {
half way down the tree when 1 rushed
at him, not KNOWN what would do ter
own that hide and capture the bounty.
I looked around fer a club, but none
come in sight, SO when / got ter the
foot of the tree there warn't nothin but
one thing ter do. I just hauled of and
kicked that bear
cit wuz the first experimental of tho
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 bit with his
nails when I swung him another and
another. yelled for Jim and swung
again. I 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. Tho
bear didn't drop an inch. Just as he
eased up little bit I swung again.
Gosh! 1t seemed as if Jim wuz takin
his time comm along that trail. Just as
swung the forty-ninth kick Jim come
in sight. dropped fiat ON my hack
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 wuz tellin the truth about that
bear"
Then Jack piled another log ON tie
fire and started in ON new tale.
''This spring I come near bein done
fer" he Said. kerosene kept me in
pickle long enough ter get near fire,
and then wuz all right again."
We wanted to know if kerosene oil
wasn't a new beverage fer him.
"No, didn't drink none" no con-
tinued. "Istarted ter cross Brandy brook
on a log. wanted ter cut of a three
mile walk around by tho trail The wa
ter wuz high, and there wuz a strong
current running out inter the lake. This
log wuz about foot and half through
rolled it of with the stream. / tucked
my brooches in my boots and straddled
the log. hadn't kicked a dozen strokes
before l got ont inter the swift water,
and then I could see wuz in fer it. I
kicked ter back up again ter the shore,
but it wuz no use, SO let it go. 1t came
ON dark. and my feet began ter freeze.
My old boots had been well creased. but
the water cripped in at the tops and
soaked my stockin's. tried kickin
harder ter keep my blood stirred up. I
drifted over toward Bear mountain, and
knew that if the wind kept up l would
land somewhere before midnight. Just
as Iwuz gettin almighty froze thought
of bottle of kerosene had to oil my
gun. Yer can bet 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. poured it half and half inter
each boot, and know It helped ter make
me easy fer a 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
dry, fer then the idea struck me that il
I lit match and sent it down inter the
oil it would warm things up some.
There warn't much else ter do er think
erbout Iwu1 maxim fer Bear Mountain
island slow, but steady. If l tiidn' t get
there till midnight, my feet would both
be froze off, SO made up my mind ter
trv the matches. Lrcky fer me- nv