The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1899-07-17
The Bear and the Reporter.

''rhe funniest bear hunt ever had
took place nigh on to 20 years ago."
said the old hunter. as he poked a fresh
bowl full OF tobacco down into mis- pipe
with his finger. and resumed his smok-
Ing and his story telling. "In them
days these mountais an valleys were
covered with a heavy growth of tim
Der an full OF bears an wolves an'wild
cats. an such like critters. with long
claws an sharp teeth. / lived over on
Dog mountain, just across Saas' fras
valley from here. in as snug a little log
cabin as you would want 10 see. an
used to earn more'n enough To Keep me
an tobacco an powder an balls guild
gng the hunters. who came up from
New lark an Bostin to Kill bear an
deer. But they weren't no real hun
ters, leastwise not many OF them; an
If they got bear or deer IL was usually
my old rifle what killed 1T. But / sus-
pect they didn't tell IL that way when
they got back to the city IAN as they
always paid me well l kept mum. But
that aint my story.
"One day as | sat on log in front
OF the door of my house, shaving the
fat off bear skin. / heard some one
yellin' down in the woods.
1u.
Hello. yourself" I shouted back.
:" Come down 10 the road. / We got
a guest for your hotel, an then L
knowed Ii was old Dave Utter who
sometimes drove the hunters up to my
place from Cats Eye Mills, nine miles
down the valley. He couldn't come no
nearer 10 the house because of the trees
an the rocks. so he yelled.
II went down 10 the road to see what
Dave had brought me
Here's a feller chats after bear.
Can you take him?' Dave shouted, the
moment he caught sight of me.
i reckon. Let him jump out with
his valuables.'
THE man was tall. thin specimen
OF city chap. with an uncommon large
mouth an a long, thin nose. a-lookin'
up between two high cheek bones. He
Warn't old. not more'n % at the most.
Are you Luke Jones, the bear hun
ter?' he asked. lookin' at me.
That's my name, l answered, AN |
I hunt bears
Can you find bear for me to
kill?
II reckon
"'All right Help me with my traps
up TO your place
Within ten minutes he had told me.
confidentially. that he was a reporter
)n big New Yark daily, an had run
up just 10 xiii a bear, so as to tell his
readers exactly how IL was done.
soon discovered that he knew more
about bears IN one mint than l had
earned in all my trampin' up am down
.he woods. Leastwise he thought he
lid. AMI didn't care. for VI gave him
whole lot OF satisfaction, an
lnowed that tomorrow was a-comin'
IN had In mind the identical old she
,ear | would turn him loose on.
fHaf ter1a fr.f In hA I
leared his rifle at least a dozen times.
md every time he told me just how he
vas a-goin 20 kill the bear. an eau
toned me- under no circumstances, to
10 any shootin myself Find the bear,
m I'll DO the rest he said.
The next mornin' the dog-goned
dot woke me up at O'clock an told
ne TO get n move on me. as bears were
Uncommon early risers an would be a
,osin' round for their breakfast long
,efore sunrise, an he wanted TO kill
lis bear an be back In New York in
ime 20 get his story In the paper that
right. I never saw a feller so all-ilred
lot for bear as he was.
You might leave your gun here he
aid. as ne saw me pick up my rife.
I'm To- do all the sh0otin,' you know
.NVeU | won't ! replied shortly !
Where goes in the woods my gun
'oes'
"'O' he said. YOU needn't be afraid. |
could pump a bear as full OF holes as
sieve with this here gun OF mine be-
ore no could touch you. The maya
inc holds sixteen shots an ne smiled.
{" 'Goldarn your old pump saws
ock. when 7 shoots bear shoots
ham with balls. ] don't pump holes
ITO them ] was considerable rilcd: |
ut 7 didn't say more. because I had in |
hind that Old she bear. an 7 knowed
nough about bear nature an man ma
ire 90 know there'd be trouble when
ieu two c1llidcd.
"Wel after about an hours harl
ramp We came TO the spot where tha
ear ought 90 be. II was wild lookin'
lace. down In deep gully. an over
r1Wn with great trees and thick with !
udrrbrush. I told MI Reporter that
reok0ued we were near bear
o. Get ready says T.
Where's Wherel an he looked
ildly around.
There. an 7 hurled the great stone
ith all my strength right into the
1io
Jininey, You oughtcr SEQ that bear
'me nyin' out Of that hole an make
raisht for the reporter. She was :