The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-07-24

A popularity about these mixed obituary
notices OF men and bears Is that IL the years Of
the dead man exceed the number of bears he
has slain. the tombstone makes no allusion to
bears, 1t being considered n lack OF prowess in
Aroostook for q man to kill less than one bear
ayear. even counting babyhood. Everybody
in Aroostook county knows that II Asa Smith
survives long enough to bring his hunting ave
eraRe down to one bear q year he will live until
1855. because he Is only 81 years of age nows
and as he has killed 142 bears in his timee
he must live eight years beyond the middle Of
the next century in order to make the figures
tally. In spite of the fact that the old man 10
away ahead of the game, as it is played In
Aroostook, his passion for the chase is az
strong as it was half a century ago. and though
his muscles are getting a little flabby and his
breath gives out in a rough-and-tumble cllnchs
his aim is moro true than half OF the sharps
shooters who have gone to Cuba.
, OF late the old mans desire for bear hunting
has cooled to such an extent that his friends
have noticed 1t and charged him with cowardice.
Last year he didn't kill a single bear. though o
Aother and her two cubs fed on the latest
lambs n his pasture for nearly a fortnight, AS
6 sh TSlS VIII flhlf take Is ps sH@f 70 Eifl % Sna CAT eG @utto6 ReGf n
and though they may be pardoned for raid;
ing, the pig pens and pastures early In the
Bear viii look at. meat when the hills are
red with berries. Another Aroostook tradition
i hlsttadd ' n upon 3 SaR b eqrE IS VARS prove ON i & terr @es eS
f Ssbi far% m Youth The nre 5 csrgEI ESST tbT TR; b69Tf ifel S ths
mother bear and one Of the cubs which had
been 6ssHnd lu 1Sat r. on I S SIN I'll 3 sheep 3 h p;o ey,e9ry6ody pre-
"s AR6 n and d h6Tf5g I misery Is d f. tie Ia ssttlS SnISnt tho
y young Sb bear EI stole t4 two pigs from the hef barn oeiiSSE
Of George Parkhurst, eating them up in the
watchSdog. Before Ma May " Was gone gone Il half a dozen
pigs had gone the same way. and when the
treasurer had heavy sheep indemnities to settle
nearly every week.,
bears to his credit, heard the stories of slaugh-
ter tepm upIfm m pyea and I'D sR Sie5 took his hr9m riaS d9 HG1
OF 81 years. went hunting nearly every day.
coming h0 I s at night to tel h his father e, how
vengeance. Asa senior heard these tales I'M
moved for 2 fortphight. but when ; I, he Iearn ne that
gave out word that he would 60 alone and kill
the presumptuous youngster. even II he did have
s e sE WITH i ye fate I0Af KnoW vi GFf the :. Ways sau Of BEARS BEARS
better better than sT mos mo men dG p A Nv sen Fdp t 1es
knife for r. his s weapon. y He to u th tps G wa93 game game
waste valuable time upon trivial matters. II
they wished 70 be near at hand, however. 50 as
short Of wind and had bad eyes for picking his
Having, admonished his admirers. the old
man started away about 2 o'clock in the morn
junior io and four 70 others The bear had Killed .
lat sheep the morning before and had left ID
almost untouched. consequently he would be
back the next morning to finish his meal. The
men who were behind saw the old hunter rise
erect against the dim sky as he climbed thq
knew BY the way he acted that the bear was on
later they heard q cracking Of limbs, followed
&2 4Ess se S5lS%.1 %EElS e ! sO%Sd q? tx! !a'.! SoanssSSSa VII
human portion Of the dialogue ceased altos
gether. and the snarling Of the bear and the
{SIT HS6liSsS e brush were all that could be disc
gancsE" said Tom Scott. nudsinG Asa junior H.
TAX E ysr :o replied nkowt the hs9RPShf sI Kan Ken GdG GnflS
live wat kin best ther Of man. Make it .
The pint was forthwith swelled to a quart
and was in danger OF getting enlarged to a gall
the old man called the bets off and hurried all
hands to the scene So Of g GSo HnqSt .so irr,or prom
ing. in, the dark. seemingly more anxious, to
avoid the bear thgan e sueeoE his parsslpt' "HeV
y9s1 A go. h mV b aSea came co ne f fSe %p ga snEn and pant-
ing voice Of the hunter. "ef yer ever he'd emmy
love fer yer oil daddy. now,s Their time fer yer
darn Quick ter hey it do me emmy good
One man lighted a match while another took
s cleared wlI6 Oh sls b bite iS S@9 p %hIfsda the the f sih&ks G I'D
man from the embraces OF the dead bear. The
hunters aant t LEFT tb sh3RS SstFI t was badly IS fnSwe "a 1 5Ii
ribs We're Broken on account Of the husging lie
had received. 1t will be potato digging time
household chores. He has told Asa gJghn!ort6at
he will never attack another - slab" boar with
so doing ha WDulu rival Mptlllsglah.