The sun., 1898-12-18
CASE OF BESETTTN SINS.
ALSO STORY or gBE pEATHs or
PAINTER AND BEAR,

| MuroRD. Pa, Dec. a." The LeGlslatur' was
| talkin' the strongest kind about doin' IT," said
the man from the Knob country "and folks In
| our bailiwlck was fselin' toler'blc worked up
over Il. cause most OF 'em want cut and f1tted
TO enjoy anything o. the sort. hadn't been
perticlar anxious myself for the Legislator to
| do Il, but when come homo from the Eddy
| that night says to Mandy;
Seems to me. now, that hope the LeGis-
atur' will do itr
MANDY looked IMP from her sppls-parin'
and says:
"'Do what2'
Pass this here Maine law they're talkin'
about / says.
MANDY didn't happen to have much OF an
idea what the Maine law was. and so she didn't
say nothn' and went on with her apple parin'
There wasn't better Methodist in the hull
Knob country than Mandy, and thoy was Rettln'
ready to hold q season o. sinner meetin's in the
schoolhouse. was feein' 80 kind o. sad over
what had seen over to the Eddy that evenin
that by and by l says to Mandy:
AIMS selnshness besettin' sin. Mandy p
Isays.
MANDY was pertic,ar strong az gin' besettin
sins. and she says:
lone o the worst there is. Dan1.' she says
'selAshness 10 a besettin' sin TO beware OF and
hghtl she says.
ihoh, bayb' i VI ooNibo you W suth oho
dominic loose on Gabe and Silas. for II they
amt Jest more than besot with self1shness
then nobody never wasl says,
Mandy she looked up from her apple -parin'
ag'in. and see she was surprised: but fore
she got to askin questions begun to tell her
what had seen that evenin' over to the Eddy.
81 went into Soils says. and by and by
Gabe come in and sot down, and fore long in
come Silas. l don't know what started him.
but Silas up and says:
"'"I haint heerd nobody tell bear story
'mongst us for quite spell. pertic'larly one
that could be relied on fer its facts. and so
was thinkin' comm over that I'd tell about
that close call had up in the Promised Land
the winter 1 was doin the Job o. chopin up
there The older git." says Silas. "the glad
der am that don't fergit facts. fer It's real
consolation to me to bring 'em out now and
then. when there seems to be 30 much lyin'
goin' on. amt hankerin' after turnin' up my
toes yit while. but when do turn EN- up
want to leave a record that my folks kin make
an epitaph for my gravestone out Of. somethin'
like this His walk was setch that even his
affidavit wasn't no better than his plain word"
"'Gabe sot there chawn' and grinnin', and
when Silas said that Gabe winked and says:
''" And it'd be right. too. that epitaph
would" says Gabe. Yes. sir. Silasl And we'll
have 1t cut on your gravestone sure as gunsl"
Now says 1 to Mandy. that didn't seem
to set well on Silas. for you know how tetchy
he is anyhow. and he flared UP and says:
"'" Who'll put 1t on my gravestone2" he
says. You don't mean to say that you think
you'll have a hand in 1t. do you. Gabrel2 I'd
jest like TO bet you little somethn' that III
be here as lively as a cricket good many years
after your widder is Mrs. Somebody Else2 l
don'texpect to be Methusely, but I've got sands
O. life. and hain't run 'em out as fast as you
have your'n. Gabriel, and mine will be runnin'
yit. like buckwheat into O mill hopper, long
after you haint got durn grain O. sand left
So don't count on writin' anything on my grave
stone cause I'm afeard you'll be disapp'inted!"
says Silas
~ expected to see Gabe turn on Slas hot
and heavy. but he didn't. He Jest chawed a lit
tie harder and grinned little wider. and says:
"'"Oh. I don't know bout that. Silasl" he
says. Il sec the Legislator is goin to pass
law that'll make us all Prohibitioners and tee
totalers. I'm two years younger than you be
and kin stand the strain. but it'll strike in on
you. sure. and if my system want prepared for
1t no better than your'n is. 1 believe I'd rather
take my chances with smallpox. or some setch
ailins as that"
81 began to feel uneasy, for knowed how
peppery and quick Sias was. and was afeard
he'd pitch into Gabe now, sure. and there'd be
a fight betwixt neighbors that mowt end in a
lawsuit. and I'd be witness: but 1t hadn't
gone quite fur enough yet Sias was gittin'
terrible worked up. though. and he snapped
back at Gabe pretty ugly.
go" Gabriel" he says. If the Legislatur'
makes us teetotalers. and II my system is so
broke up that amt in no shape to stand ag in
setch strain on it. you kin have the consolation
o KNOWN, that 1t want broke up BY you al
ways a-a5kin' OF me what was goin' to have
nIidn m N N n ha I'm r tn CTtf
Seems to me. Mandy says, I never see
ANYBODY chaw and grin the way Gabe did then.
~" That's So silas." he says. II never
heerd do Of anybody ever Pqllin' P YOU, up to the
ieye you had yourclothesto tore much by hangin'
would aat Seed es 9s %ea dne snDS sas
brought him round TO the bear story he had
wanted to hear it, havin' one or two / thought
maybe mowt put up ag'in' his'n after he got
feaT sea sdssh salS sR wanted to
on the pint O. wiPin' me 9ft the face g the
maddest painters that ever screeched In them
or any other woods; 30 mowt lest as well call
It 1s painter ten stoy 6a nS dd had
The creek was high about that Time. t and
snab6in;, fsst to sopethinS lore. they got
rope and went up to fasten 'em. There was
talk of big and hungry painter that had been
seen prowlin' around In that neighborhood,
and hadn't gone fur up the creek when /
come to some fresh tracks in the snow. and /
see ut once that they was, made by painter.
and big one. | thuRk the matter over
spell. and then made mp my mind that
some e one else Gould ioox after them
painter. and / was Foin' to git him
In a way that nobody ever he'd ketched a
painter before hurried home aud got hunk
Of fresh pork, knowing that painters was per-
1 had see by the tracks in, the snow that the
one end OF the rope. and t'other end O. the rope
70 tree. The rope having been used while
before for shaking logs out o. the creek. it was
soakir' wet. but didn't see as that was ,goin'
to spie my painter trap, no- II didn't. And a
consarned good thing It was for, me that day
that the rope was wet. tell you'll" says Siias.
"'"l knowed that II the painter got scent of
that pork he wouldn't stop for nothin' tin he
kind OF fix would he find himself in? He
uaintar / tlouQht i InOut n we'll 10 ttnf fho