The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-08-20

paws like q prize-fighter, and woofed
and snorted till the woodpeckers and
blue jays flew away in terror. i would
have been glad TO fly away. too. as fast
as my legs could carry me. but tied
up as was in that Internal rope among
lot Of rubbish with a big bear tug
gng away at the other end of the line,
running was out of the question.
81 felt then as II l really had no use
for the new gun and the $35, but 1t
was not the proper occasion to become
sad d-hearted, as there was something
there to face that was enough to make
any man brave who had any desire to
save his life.
"I struggled to get the rope loose
from my right arm, but the mad old
brute at the other end kept tugging at
it like sailor and once when he hit
the stretched line with his paw the
blow sent me spinning around like a
top and made me dizzy.
Finally in his raving and ranting
about the old fellow got partly freed
from the trees and came at me like an
avalanche. but the log that had got
twisted up in the rope swung around
with great force and hit him a thump
over the head that made him groan
with pain. He then tackled the log
and knocked it silly in three rounds.
and while the log was trying to take
my part ran around another tree with
my end of the rope. We were only
abut ten feet apart and brought face
to face, and the way old bruin began
to look me over with such a comcally
| curious grin on his face made me
/ oh, in Of ~ ~
danger. He lacked only the wards to
tell me that l was a mean, cowardly.
but highly original cuss,' but afraid to
let go of the rope and fight fair. He
wanted to know what in the deuce
meant by getting both of us tangled
up in an Internal rope among lot
of branches, trees and logs. He began
to spar at me and evidently wanted
me to come up and knock the chip off
his shoulder. He opened his great mouth
to show his wicked-looking teeth, and
then l shook my left fist at him and
shouted, D you. keep off, or I'll
smash your ugly old nose" 1t was easy
| for both of us to issue challenges when
we could not reach each other, being
kept apart by circumstances beyond
our control. After swearing at each
other in all kinds of language (for
want to tell you that If ever a bear
uttered real 'cuss' words that one did,
we both began new tactics.
THE BEAR FOILED.
''To tell the truth, had already real
lied the seriousness of my situation and
wanted to get clear of the predicament
in which had been accidentally plac-
| Cd trio l.
and falling in that, owing to the con-
stant and malicious tugging kept up
by bruin, / next attempted to cut the
line between two stones but the con-
founded rascally old fool of a brute
thought l was going to hit him with tho
stone 1 picked up, and he gave me a
yank that knocked me sprawlng
against tree, and then he came at
me with a rush. l thought then that it
was all up with me, and my fate would
certainly have been sealed, but the old
fool got on the wrong side Of a tree
again, and was checked by the rope
while was jerked around like rubber
ball at the end Of a string in March
weather. In spite of my eXertions tc
prevent the additional calamity and
disgrace l lost my trousers entirely
y uSl lIldSlne yOuISell III the WIlu WOOut
tied to a big bear, with most of youl
clothes missing, and you can form some
idea of my feelings 1T that moment
When bruin saw that I had partly
changed color, owing to the loss of my
neither garments. he began to examine
me in most quizzical manner.
IF bears believe in evil spirits tha
fellow must have thought l was tht
4. I.
tainly concluded that he was hopeless
ly hitched UP with the worst of al
hobgoblins. But his superstition, if h
entertained any, did not appease hi
wrath. / was getting madder anC
madder too, and while standing there
half naked and shivering, l cursed my
luck and hurled anathemas first at tn,
bear and next at Jim Davis and hi
SS5, and wished them all in hades
SIGNS OF DISCOURAGEMENT
l.