The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1898-06-11

and my fishin' tackle Ior tne next SIX
months or more, felt consumed sorry,
cause he had to spend that money for
clothes, and couldn't help sayin' ag'in:
".Dash it all, Bill, why didn't you let
ME know that you had an idee o. goin'
out an dom it? I'd "a give you some
p'ints ana shet you off, says.
"There's too many rabbits in the
swamp, anyhow, but that want no ex-
cuse for Bill goin' out after some at
that time o. year. But he went, and the
worst OF it was he had the best rabbit
dog in the whole Knob and Poconc
country with him. Where is he now?
Nobody knows. He started in the di-
rection o. the settin' sun, and the last
ANYBODY see of him he was headed that
way Wit. Bill had gethered in lot o.
rabbits and sot down ON log to eat
bite and have a smoke. While he was
eatin' and smokin' along come JADE.
Jabe had been chopin out some tam.
arack and was goin' home.
"sSet down. says Bill, and have {
smoke
"Jabe sot down, aud they was enjoy
in themselves considerable, when all
of student the rabbit dog riz up and
begun to growl and brussel. Bill and
Jabe they looked up, and there they
see bear settin' on knoll not more
than 80 PAGES away, takin' in the scene.
lookin' pleasant and shown no sign
but what he was glad to see Bill and
JADE enjoyin' themselves, and actin as
| if he might jine in with 'em if they
asked him. The dog was the only thing
that seemed to poster the bear and
threaten to raise his dander. JADE, he
knows bears considerable, and he says
| to Bill:
"Bill,' he says, that bear seems to be
sociable and setch, but as you amt
loaded for bear you better call your
dog and go along with me, he says.
"But Bill he felt huffy that the bear
should come a-nosin' round where he
wasn't wanted and intrudin' on their
picnic, and he was for emptyin' his gun
into Bruin.
"sHe's nigh enough for me to wing
him, even if my shot are small says
Bill. He'll run, anyhow, as soon as
he hears the gun. Bears is awful
towards. l was readin' book about
'em only yesterday says Bill.
i "'Bill,' says JADE, you come along
with me, no matter what the book says.
"But Bill he knowed, and he says:
i ".Jest you hold on, LABEL he says
I'ii give him a fine load of shot in his
nose and then jest watch him run!'
"The bear he jest KEEP on settin' there
iookin' pleasant at Bill and Jabe, but
givin' the snappin' and snarlin' dog s
glare now and then. Bill he hauled VI
and aimed at the bear. JADE he walked
| pretty fast to tree that stood jest back
. of him end got ready to shin upit.
. SNOW watch him run!' says Bill, ant
: he banged away at the bears nose.
, 'The bear did run, sure enough. Blu
somehow he didn't run the way Bill hat
/ calculated on. He run straight TO
; Bill and the pleasant look wasn't OF
, his face no more. He snorted ant
howled. Bill dropped his gun ant
tore up the highest tree. JADE he wa
half way up his tree. Bill got to thu
branches O. his'n jest as the bear got Il
. the bottom of it, and as he grabbed
branch it broke and down he come ker
fiummix. lie struck square straddle {
the bears back. That s'prised the bea
SO that it sort o. discumfuddled hin
and he give two or three crazy whirl
around and then away he went like
race horse straight for the thickest par
O. the swamp, Bill hangin' on to hin
like grim death, cause he was afear
to git off. The dog was so skeert at tn
first rush o. the bear that he droppe
, his tail betwixt his legs, so Jabe says
and struck bee line to'ards the wes'
! with his eyes hangin' most on his nos,
and he hain't never been seen nor heer
on sence.
"Soon as JADE see the bear prancir
! away into the swamp with Bill he cir
> down outen his tree. For somethiI
. like ten minutes he heerd the laurel
a snappin' an crackin' off in til
I swamp.
eff Bill is huggin' onto that bear a
> this time says Jabe, he can't be niue
less than tore to shoe strings the wa
them gnarly laurels must grab int
him and snatch him.
5 "By and by JADE heerd some one Civ
yocp from some'res out in the SWAMI
and he had an idee it was Bill, and b
whooped back.
"sHello, BILL he yooped. rs the bes
a runnin' yit?'
But Bill didn't say, and by and b
he come creepin' and crawlin' outen I'll
: laurels to the openin' where him and tn
bear had started from. All the cloths
! he had on him wouldn't hardly make
= patchwork block for bedquilt, and
i was stripped like zebra from head ,
!. foot where the sharp brush had du
y into him and the bear slsun along wit