The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1897-12-02

nowhere to be sawn. but wasn't in
no hurry to 60 out and look fur her
l got sum breakfast, smoked my pipe
and along about eight o'clock I shoul.
dered my gun and started off fur the
pits. We was up that way, last Sun
day, if yo' remembers?"
"'Yes.'
THAR ar six or seven places whar'
they dug down fur iron ore. Sum of
'em amt more'n ten feet deep, and
sum ar full 30. l didn't know which
one she had drempt about, and
l went along slow and looked fur
signs. I had looked into TO- or five
pits. and was thinkin' the ole woman
had got lost on the mounting in the
night when I cum to the deepest pit
OF all. It was as big around as a we'll,
and down on the leaves and bresh at
the bottom was sight to behold. NV
ole woman and monstrous big bar
was down thar together and all mixed
up. She heard me movin' about at the
top, and she knowed my face as l
looked down, but she didn't say a
blessed word until arter l spoke. l
was sorter glad to find her alive, and
sort O. mad about her calm me
names, and bimeby, seq:
"'Mebbe I'm mistook, but ar that
Mrs. Zeb White down thar at the bot
tom?'
"'Mebbe it arr SEE she, cool as yo'
please.
"'And ar that a bar alongside O.
yo'?'
"'Yes, it's b'ar-same bar
drempt about last night. Mebbe yo'r
name might be Zeb White?'
"'I'm considerin' that folks call me
by that name. It's a pleasant mawnin',
Mrs. White
"'Pears like it,
'Then we didn't say no mo- fur long
time," said old Zeb as he smiled and
chuckled and filed his pipe anew. IL
seen she was powerful sassy yit, and 1
wasn't gwine to humble myself fust."
"And she had tumbled into the pit
with the bear?" queried.
"She had, sab, but the bar was down
thar fust and she had lit on him and
didn't receive no hurt. Them two had
been wedged in thar together fur
seven or eight hours, and the bar
hadn't even growled at her. His
tumblin' down and her fallin' on ton o.
him had just skeert him most to death.
Bimeby seq to the ole woman:
"'A1rs. White, mebbe yo' ar takin'
a heap O. comfort down thar? If so.
don't let me disturb yo'!'
81 amt complainin',' seq she. but
jest fur change yo' might pull me
OUT
But am an onery man 2 sell.
"'Yo'. surely arr seq she, but be-
tween an onery man and an onery bar
I'll take the man. shan't take back
no mo- than that, Zeb White-not if yo'
keep me down yere week.
II wasn't feelin' quite satisfied, but
knowed she was woman of her word.
and so I cut a grapevine and lowered
it down and pulled her out. Then I
shot the bar and went off and got
two men to help pull the karkass out.
He was the biggest, latest bar any
body had seen around yere fur ten
Vars. I sold the pelt alone for $40 in
cash, and we had bar meat till we got
tired of it. Reckon we've got sum O.
the grease in the house yit, and it's
prime stuff to lie up yo'r butes."
And You bought the dress and
shoes. of course?" asked.
"Of co'se," he replied. Il never did
feel quite right about it all. Pears to
me like the ole woman got ahead of me
In the fuss, in the dream and in the
b'ar-skin, and she never really took
back any of them words. Deed. but
she went round braggin' over me and
holdin' her nose so high that 1 felt
mighty humble all winter"
And as he got up and knocked the
ashes out of his pipe and wound up the
quaint old wooden clock he said to
himself:
Eyes, wimin il Gurus critters-miehty
cuTus' n QUAD.