The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1899-07-29

NdS G-SOiu 70 NIL the pear. an eau
toned me, under no circumstances. tc
do any shootin' myself. Find the bear
an I'll do the rest he said.
The next morning the doC-goncd
idiot woke me up at three o'clock and
told me to get a move on me, as bears
were uncommon early risers m would
be a-nosin' around for their breakfast
! long before sunrise. an he wanted IL
Kill his bear and be back in New York
in time to get his story in the pape.
that night. / never saw 4 Teller so all,
fired hot for bear as he was.
We'll, we had our eat an were ready
TO start by four o'clock.
You night leave your gun here he
said, as he saw me pick up my rifle.
I'm to do all the Shootin'. You know
well. | won't | replied. shortly,
Where | goes in the woods, my gun
goes.
20 he said, You needn't be afraid.
| could pump Il Dear as full of holes as
a sieve with this here gun of mine be-
fore he could touch you. The magazine
MINUS ~ ~ pi h' |tiill'h-
"'Goldarn your old pump l says
back. When | shoots bear ! shoots
them with balls. l don't pump holes
into them. l was considerable riIed:
but | didn't say more. because | had il
mind that old she bear, an knowcG
enough about bear nature and man ma
ture to know there'd be trouble when
them two collidcd.
1t was Il beautiful mOrnin. The air
smeiied sweet an fresh. with just Il
touch of pine in it, an the air was a.
clear rs Il whistle. | felt sure ] could
walk right on to the old bear. n~rstiin'
down under the root of a great tree.
which the wind had blown down. an
where she had been kecpin' house for
the last month. As we went deeper into
the woods. an the rocks an the trees
an all began TO look more wild like.
| could see Mr.. Reporter was be"innUr'
TO get nervous, an the way he kept
tin"erin the trigger of his gun made
me mighty careful how | walked il
front of him.
We'll. after about an hours hard
tramp We came to the spot where the
bear ought to be. 1t WIS "A ~wilG-loukin'
place, down in Il deep gully. ali over
grown with great trees and thick with
uHderbrush. l told Mr.. Reporter thai |
rcckoncd we were near bear. He
cooked his rifle an began TO look scarf:
but. with Il desperate show of courage.
IA. ym.I, rnr,tI,n.T n,n NOV -, do a. y
Shootin'. When we were within ahOu,
TWO rods of the fallen tree. an where |
could look into the hole under the roots.
| stopped an picked upa great stone. &.
Get ready says l..
where. Where an he looked
wildly around.
"'Therc.' an hurled the great stone
with all my strength right into the
hole.
".Jiminey. You oughtcr see that bear
come llyin' out of that hole an make
straight for the reporter. She WIS
@rowiin' like a thunderstorm. an her
hair stood on end all over her body. 50
hat she locked rs big As an ON.
Mr.. Reporter threw his rifle wildly
10 his shoulder and fired. ~ luck
would have it. the bali struck TIE bear
somewhere in the side IN made her
moment Mr.. Reporter tried 10 pump
her full of holes. but he WAS 81 Mustered
an scarf that he couldn't make the
blamed old pump work. The bear
reared up on her hind legs right in
front of him. could see his face gro"
white as n.ilk. an then. with Il mad yc!l
OF terror, he flung the rifle at her head
an bottled for Il tree. The condemned
idiot didn't know enough to climb a
small tree. but scrambled up the trunk
of a great oak what the bear coHtC
climb as quick as he could. The bear
wasn't murc'n ten feet behind him. an
gruwlin' an gE;shin' her long. white
teeth awful to hear. She went up the
tree 50 quick that the reporter didn't
care TO climb up high. but crawlcd out
on Il great limb. thinkin' that the bear
would fear to follow. When the bear
came to the limb she paused an began
TO growl more terrible than ever. Mr..
ittloiltf SAT SiTdttllt u 'Ht llhi'
a-hoIdin' on with both hands. an sworr
at the bear. He was that scarf he had
plum forgot all about the big horse
pistol an knife he had in his belt. The
bear began cautiously To creep out on
the limb.
shoot her, Shoot her. For Gods
sake. shoot her quick yelled the re
porter. hitchin' back further an further
on the limb.
I'm not to do any shootin'. you
know | SAYS back. You're To kill the
bear. You was a-goin' to pump her full
of holes.
The reporter did some more swear
in.
The bear kept crawlin nearer an,
nearer. an the reporter kept hitchin
further an further. an swcarin
harder an harder. The limb began ~
bend an to shake. an ali of a sudder
the reporter lost his balance an went
down. but he held on TO the limb with
both hands. The jar iumDlcd the bear
off. but she. too. caught the limb with
her fore paws, IN there they hung. a
facin' each other an kickiu not morcn
feet apart. Neither could get back
the limb. because when the bear