The sun., 1899-02-12
now LICE GOT HIS FIRST GUN.
A Stroke OF Genius That Likewise Brough
Him His First Bear.

Him His First Bear.
''Speakin' o. huntin'." said Uncle Lige Petit
bone, did ever tell you felers how l got my
first gum"
Nobody had been ''speakin O. huntin." but
everybody in the store knew Uncle Lige and
seemed perfectly willing that the subject
should be changed into any conversational
channel he might choose. "Guess that's one
you never told us. Uncle Lge." said La Fay
cite Jones.
wal. mebbe not. N et did twcnt hurt
ye none ter hear 1t agin fur it shows Jest how
much more man kin do by thinkin' an brain
work than he kin by Jest Go,n' ahead Ike a
Maybug round a karryseen chimley"
At this point according 10 the time -honored
custom OF story tellers-the veteran closed
one eve. aimed at the red hot portion OF the
stove with extreme accuracy and Kissing
result tilted his chair back against the brown
sugar barrel and continued:
Twas way back in ole Andy Jackson's time
when the woods wuz ez full o. game critters
an varmints ez the summer medders Is o.
Rrasshoppers. i wuz n young switch NV n
feller-ten year old or thereahouts an timber
an strong ez rawhide. Father wuz great
hunter an l got the fever airly an bad. but
every time said ennythln' bout hevin a gun
mother kicked up the worst row you ever see.
NO. blE, L w ant ROlH 10 nov no Ruu bnOOJln
myself every day an helm brought home dead
every night an'-pshaw, you know how
women folks goes on when they get ennythn'
in their heads. One day me an mother an
dad talked it all over Dad was wilin .sbut
him an mother final agreed that l couldn t
hev no gun ontil l killed an sold enough game
without a gun ter buy ono myself She
thought she he'd me thar. n thot so, too. but
it left some homo an | started in. he'd ole
box trap an I got bow-arrers an l worked
en- both fur all wuz wuth. Bout every day
fur year l wuz at 1t an all made wuz Jest
S13O-proceeds from sellin' skunk. two musk
rats an pint o chuck lie. Wal. this wuz
pritty slow. an at that rate I'd be 20
fore I he'd emmy shootn' iron. One day
vember day. Hadn't hit puthin' all day an
wuz settin on Jog feelin kinder down in the
mouth Suddintly | happened ter look down
footprint Nv. q all whoppin' big bar. GolIy
jumped up, Il alters wuz a, neryy kid an 50
little bCw,arrers | started ter track thet bar.
tell OF all curled NJ under a ledge ez sound
give me start Wal sneaked away n ez
left, l obsarved by the little road he'd made
reg'lar, beaten cowpath-thct this place was
ter ter speaE Ts nS0 q" thqt SoE te Dad Then '
sez:.No-hoP on mehhe here's chance ter
him.. No-thet won't do. fur then they'd lust
say didn't XIII him eordin' ter bargain Wal.
fur hntn an az brgR an sf o s
still a-thinkin'. l set down by'a big bassr God
stub an, ez ! wuz mopin away. bee come
buzZin' round j saDped at the cuss an
the thumb. II hurt like Jehu, but in a second
with JOY. fur thet stinGer he'd prodded a idear
inter my head thet wuz with somethtn'; Hur-
r2ar ssz J. Il E9t IL. SEE 30. Honey sez.
Il turned and looked ct the bqsswood stub
an ther hull plan come ter me like the robins
NOV. =" you S ieIiers all know thet basswood air
the dqmbdest ITd Tood ter swell when when its wet
thst mar & u.s. THvter t cut t IN story short ~
a S bars skull ' dad he'd out W in the barn. Then
stole two pound OF honey. axe an pail an
marked Jest the size OF the bars skull measure
on tho tree bout four feet above the ground
wuz hoer. Then TUX the axe an cut a hole
Just the size NV the measure tel | struck inter
the holler. 1t hadn't rainrd FUR SIX weeks an
Then l got some clay an a pail or water an
nlestered the inside Nv, Nv thet holer iGoGid so
hole an bout a foot below 1t, Then | tuk u
pound o honey an, comb an, tied / up in cloth
so the water wouldn't melt 1t all ter oncet:
bottom Nv thet basin. Thet done, filed tho
pail with water. s3t her clost ter the stub an
little on ther stub round an on the aidge o
the hole an then nude honey trail right frlm
thar ter the ole bars den. He wuz thar ag'in
II ended the honey trail bout twenty PAGES
frum hi an then picktn up small rock /
ter see what he done: fur ! knowed ez soon ez
he smeIt honey he'd fprgit bout me, SO lest
% Poured tho rail o water inter r. tho basin on T; tor
the pound o honey an climbed up inter u
neighborin hemlock ter watch.
mad n No nrn' m got IA I'M nah
rattle! long come Mr.; Bar ct summer heat
on the honey trail Ddnt stop f@r n P?thn ln GHt
hole an then-churk! in went his head. It
were n clost NJ. fur his ole skull wpz bigger'n
pG h dsd he'd G e% h. Fs Dao II a nsp 1oS
thet honey. / he'd put it lest fur enough down
SO ez he had ter stretch fur all he wuz wuth.
thet hole. II The WI water "I wuz Jest deep enough
ter eo"er his head an mock, an he'd HEX honey,
then he'd hefter raise up ter git air. When he
wuz lickln'. his head an neck ud git soakin'
wet an then when he'd raise M ter breathe
the water d soak frum his ha'r Inter tn aidges
tn, wood begin ter swell
Mr.. Bar wuz too wild about the honey ter
notice thet but ] cqd see The hole gitin,
smaller an smaller an Greas'n first on hl3 fur
f basn on lhf feeh bm raj IN
he wiggleh little, then begin ter pull. and then
Of yed eyer see the kickin, an niawin' an
The hole kept shrInkin' an, shrlnkin tel It
want no bigger'n the bunghole ter lqsses
bar'l. Wal, thet choked oif the blowin' an
T?arin' but the kickin kept right on oniil he'd
kicked SD much dirt frum the root @ the stub
thet his hind paws were cIear o tho ground
an thar, ,ez the Judge says. he hung by the
neck tel dead
II staid up in the hsmlock few minnits ter
make sartIn, hut see he wu2 gone. so Jest
Skinned down AN broke loose fur home ter tell
the folks The house wu2 only bout hun
dred rou away an ! run In like wild man,
Laws sakes, son, what's the natter yels
mother
Come and see sez |. an out | run an
when the ole folks got thar stood by the bar
with the, axe ready ter chop him out
Il didn't answer no questions. but Jest
chopped q circle round Mr.. Bars head an
pretty quick he fell back onter the ground
with ez purity wooden collar round his neck
ez ye ever, see. His face looked Ike pcter
in n round frame. Then Jest pointed ter the
hole an Dad he looked in. Then he TUX moth
er by the arm and made her look IN; an they
see the honey an the water. an Dad he says.
Mother, whatever we he ourselves. our boys
got brains
"Wnl, the ole man cudnt do enufr lie holped
mo skin the bar an, cut him up an we tuk, him
ther gun an ammynition IN Dad u pair o