Evening star., 1899-04-14
BEAR IN A BASS NET.
Complicated Process by Which Mrs.
Chicks TOOthache Was Cured.

From the Chicago Inter-Ocean.
The residents along shore cut holes in the
ice OF Wtnnegance creek, in Maine, in order
to pull out striped bass in nets, and also to
drown or wet the fish wardens who come
prying about to discover and confiscate
such nets as are made of finer mesh than
the law allows. The honest fishermen
leave the holes exposed and marked with
stakes, so that any, one may find their nets.
Those who attempt to violate the law
cover the openings with broad strios of
white cloth after the nets are put down.
ana shovel snow on top, SO no one can
detect their work. When fish warden
comes prowing about at night and walks
upon the cloth-covered opening he often
goes to his hips or his neck into the cold
water, and, sneaking away home in the
cold, Is glad enough to resign his lob in
faVo: of anybody who wants it.
one night during the full moon of jan
uary Abner Chick, a bass fisherman who
ilves iilves IN the village. came home and found
ms Wife suffering from bad toothache.
See here, Abby he said to his twelve
year-old son and namesake, You jest run
across the crtck to Hahn's woods an get
nuhk on that air pine stub what was
struck by lightning las summer an we'H
pruhs yer mother outer her trouble, all
right. There amt no ache in the world kin
stan the prodding of toothpick made
from tree what lightning has hit
Ihough 1t was a bright moonlight even
ing and the blasted pine stub was hardly
a half mile away, Abner, jr., didn't take
| kindly to the job. He had been to school
all winter, and was unfamiliar with the
covered holes in the ice, so he had to feel
MS way across the creek with the aid of a
| long pole. On reaching the pine woods
! the darkness and stiffness of everything
frightened him, the squeaking of his rub
Defs on the cruSty snow sending shiVers ul
and down his spine. In this frame OF
mind he found the dead tree and had pock-
/ eted chip of it's wood, and was about tc
start for home when an owl hooted above
MS mead. causing him to run deeper into
| the woods. At last when he was out OF
! breath he heard a voice in front of him
saying:
| ''Oof! o-of! o-o-f"'
Thinking the noise was made by one OF
| his schoolmates who had followed behind
| to frighten him, the boy threw broker
limb into the dark and yelled defiantly:
| See here, John Scott, yer can't scare me
not on yer life!'
AS he spoke something big and black anG
hairy emerged from the darkness and came
| toward him. The boy seeing he was ir
| danger of being eaten up by a bear gave
yell and fled for home, followed by the
| bear. He emerged from the woods at
| sx-minute gait, leaped down the embank
! ment to the creek, and, after running ter
! rods on the ice went feet foremost into {
| covered hole that his father had just made
| Though the water was not more than foul
| feet deep at that place, he would certainly
| nave drowned had not the frozen clOth GOV
| er kept his feet from sinking into the mud
AS it was, he crouched down until his heat
| was below the ice and kept quiet until HI
! heard the angry bear go scratching an(
| snuffing past his hiding place.
| Meanwhile his father had heard his cries
had grabbed an AK and had run to his res
| cue. Rushing at the oncoming bear, h,
&, struck a furious blow with the ak. Bruir
| was crafty, and rising on his launches, h
| Tended off impending death with his righ
paw and sent the ak flying twenty rod
| away. Having no weapon but a jackknife
Chick began to retreat, opening the lont
| blade of the knife as he ran. He had no
gone ten rods when he came to covered
warden trap, and, having gained such head
| way that he could not turn to right or left
he made a leap and landed on the opposit
side. The bear, having no knowledge o
| the hidden pit, dashed forward and wen
under the ice among 4 mass of snow ant
frozen cloth. The animal became entangle'
in the bass net, and there was killed b.
Chick. 1t was the work of a few minute
to get the boy on ice again, and then whel
they had pulled out the dead bear the.
| went home to supper.
The chip of the lightning-scorched pine
which he had gained at the risk of his life
had remained in the boys pocket al
| through his adventures, but when he Of
fered to split it into toothpicks for hi
mothers relief, he found that she had n,
need of such help because fright had cure'
her foot hache connfetaly