Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1899-07-20

hands, an swore 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 10
creep out on the limb.
"'Shoot herl Shoot her, aFor Gods
sake. shoot her quickv yelled the reporter.
hitchin' back further an further on the
limb.
I'm not TO do any shootin' YOU
know I says back. You're to kill the
bear. You was a-goin' to pump her full
OF holes
The reporter did some more swearin'.
The bear kept crawlln nearer an
nearer, an the reporter kept htchin'
pack further an further an swearin'
harder an harder. The limb began to
bend an to shake an all of a sudden
the reporter lost his balance an went
down. but held on to the limb with both
hands. The Jar tumbled the bear off.
but she, too. caught the limb with her
fore paws, an there they hung. a-facin'
each other an kickin, not moren six feet
apart. Neither could get back on the
hmb, because when the bear would try
to swing her body up the man would kick
her I'm the stomach an knock her back.
an When the reporter tried to do the
same trick the bear with one vigorous
Kick Of her hind legs, ripped the panta-
looms clean off his legs an took a lot
of skin along with them. The limb of
the tree had bent considerable with the
weight of the man an bear, an the re-
porter's feet wasn't more'n six feet above
the ground, but he was too scarf to know
II an didn't dare TO let go, thinkln' that
every bone in his body would be broke
by the fall.
For a moment they hung there this
way, the reporter yellin for me to shoot
an swearin'-gosh, how he could swear,-
an the bear kickin an growlin an
gnashin her teeth fit to make ones blood
run cold; then, all Of n sudden. the limb
broke, an bear an man went to the
ground together, the limb fallin' on top
of both, with a crash like thunder
Il don't know who was most scarf, the
man or the bear; but / guess It was six
of one an half a dozen Of the other
The reporter jumped 20 his feet an ran
yellin' through the woods, the thick un-
derbrush scratchin' his bare legs at every
jump: an the bear, with a yelp of fright,
bounded away up the mountain side.
Il picked up the reporters rifle an
started out TO track him up. I found him
roostin' in the top branches Of a tall
hickry tree, an a shiyerin so | could
feel the ground tremble near the trunk.
2" Come down quickr i yelled, or the
bear will get away from your
-" Dash-it-ta-dash! Dashl Blank-it-ta-
blank! Blank Blank the bcarr he re-
marked. Then seem the monster wasn't
I'm sight. he began slowly an painfully
to crawl down the tree.
when he reached the ground I offered
him his rife
On the gum he said. shortly
You can have IT, Take me TO your home
He was that glum all the long way back
that not another word could / get out Of
him, though l tried TO put him in good
humor by tellin' him how funny It all
really was, an what a good story IL
would make for his paper.
when we came to my cabin he grab
bed his bag, took out a new pair of trou-
sers. an put them on.
I'm goin' home. Good-by.'a an he
started down the path leadin' TO Cats
Eve Mills, nine miles down the valley.
BE you I'm such hurry TO tell your
readers how to kill bear that you can't
wait no longer? / called out after him.
No he answered savagely, An II l
ever hear Of your tellin' any one about
this bear-hunt I'll send a prize-hghter up
from New York 10 knock your teeth
through the back of your head, an he
was gone.
THAT was the most fun I ever had
huntin' bear" finished the old hunter, as
he knocked the ashes out Of his pipe ana
refilled It with tobacco.