The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-07-02
POINT OF A LOON STORY.
p. GRISWOLD CNRAVELS ONE OF M
TURE,S MYSTERIES.

amt. but am"
This was spoken with fine scorn by Charley
Champlin. the Cheese King 1t was spoken TO
Packey Griswold. formerly instructor to the
liammondsport Try-to- Catch Black Bass Club.
now keeper OF place. and Razor-back Hog
Exterminator to the Wild Swan. Wild Goose
and Wild Duck Club OF Hyde county, North
Carolina. 1t was spoken to Packey Girls
void, and in Pnckeys place. right here
In Hammondsport While the speaking OF
1t has not exactly strained the relations
between the Cheese King and Packey to the
breakin point the tension is great. Col. II =.
Stchbins. poet and erstwhie incidentally
General Manager OF the Bath and Hammonds-
port Railroad. who 10 now general man aging u
freight line away out in Seattle. has heard OF
1t. and pours out tho wall OF his disturbed soul
over it 10y telegram sent collect. as follows:
oh. but this news hurts me
Like neck with boil on 1t!
Settle that trouble, quick,
Somebody dump oil on III
The way the Cheese King happened to say it
was that Packey had then recently returned
from HYDE county.whither his duties ms Razor.
back Hog Exterminator to tho Wild Swan.
Wild Goose and Wild Duck Club had called and
kept him some weeks and. having brought
home with him various swans. geese and
ducks. and things. he gave dinner at his place
to the members OF the Try-to- Catch Black Bass
Club. at which the savory loot OF tho HYDE
county woods and waters was served They
were all present except the Poet Stebbins
which was pity, for It was a great opportuni-
~ lost to his genius. although it il rumored
that when some one al the feast voiced the gen
eral regret that the poet was not there to turn
his muse loose Doc Moore said:
Yes. There never was n better opening for
n Inf bnu
look tomorrow morning with her head packed
in ice?"
But this is only a rumor. Perhaps Doc Moore
never said so.
Over the coffee Packey Griswold always has
something instructive 10 tell the club. Tho
club always expects it,and lays back and lights
its pipe, closes its eyes. and waits for it. Par
ticularly did the club EXPECT something Of the
sort on this rarc occasion. Nature is Packey's
stronghold. Especially the mysteries OF
nature. He delights IN unraveling them. II
nature has any mysteries that she doesn't want
unraveed. she had better not let Packey Girls
void get on their trail. While down in Hyde
county last winter. razor back exterminating
Packey unravelled mystery of nature. and he
cnt the telling OF it for this occasion
Tho age OF looms. said Packey. has al
Ways been one OF the greatest mysteries
out until this last season OF mine down in
~ hyde county Jest how long looms span o
as much as noticed vi zen showed it it to toll him
it most Knocked him dumb. knickerhocker
told mo about the loon. Knickerbocker has
lived down In Hyde county forty years aud
more. but he is native, OF old stooben. So
In the fail Of 1872 80
The club opened its eyes suddenly. Its Pipe
pin the Cheese King. actually began TO whistle
hut was Instantly brought to his senses under
ana cosad s ewes Pa w ay DaGd
dismissed the interruption with II wave of his
hand, and proceeded;
grandfather was drowned in Albemare Sound.
which is part OF Hyde county. knlckerbock-
ihere. il you only set and ii listen stem 10 10 hin Him.
There amt nothin to it. though. except that
they meyer found The old mans body and con.
buckles he e, wore , on his shoes. which, knick-
indin' the body. That's what always made
en- remember SO particnlar the year the
! thin else. The soinethin' else was that 1872
Vas the , year the looms vas 80 Tremendous
before Since then nobay has ma
anything but now and then scatterin' loon
or two DOWN there her spd That makes me loon
that couldn't fix the date Of the war Of 1872 Il
a looms ss%d in Il The sonnd
SO thick Along late in the fall nowadays You
can see a loon occasionally in that country. but
they are generally iyin' over goin on further
South. Once, in awhile one lights in tho Sound
and gives the hunters, few. DAYS chase
looms Will. as this club knows from the loon
rhases it has had right here on Lake Keuky
but they don't seem 10 banker after Hyde
"Knickerbocker had iintlock pistol that
had been n the family as long as he cou ID re-
ried Il bullet as big MS u good sized p'tater. He
said it originally belonged to a pirate. 1t had
cause nobody seemed TO have the courage to
shoot It on. ono day last fall week or two
there was IS Northerner sayn Three or rf fonr
mi miles his nG(s Who s"ck on hpy
good idee for him to take that old brass pistol
the chap, So he tied the pistol TO him in belt
Know what il mish do i Got 'os sudden dc alg iar
and started to hunt uGthe Northern man that
GHyR he wool. h wa. s0"x
about how high a tlgger he ought to set on the
pirates pistol. when he heard snort ahead
bear standin' ar'in tree aud showin'
It's teeth aud snappin, its Jaws; Hyde
m"rh snopt9 EN-. and sort o lay low durhi In
III" day. nights hein' their .foragin' time aud
Pe ." co "% Thai l this w MH, %ne
O the usual sncaky sort and he picked up a rock
and chucked it az the bear {" drive il away;
But. somehow. this bear had fight IN him. and
he began to show it 50 fierce that knick"r-
booker coudn't show his surprise any better
way than by shinni up a tree about as quick
as coon could have done it. He rlumb
the tree so qnicl; that he hadn't no.
tirod, that it :. was big enough Tor
the bear to climb. too, and when he
stradied a limb t" .r"st. and looked back. he
seen the bear comm up the tree after him.
Tho bear wasn't comm last, but he was comm
with blood in his eye. and comm sure. As he
drawed higher and higher to knickerbockcr
the wider his mouth flew open. till Knicker-
hooker could see clean down towhere it seemed
that the chances was he would be hacked away
unless sOmrthin turned up to save him. Then
he happened to think Of the old pistol
- S'pOsc there's Jest as much danger Turk
in in that pistol as there is in that bear. SAID
he. hut it'll he better to have it kick the tar
nal dayliGhts out o me than II will be to he eat
| up by "a damn pig stealth bear.
| SO knickCrhocker unfastened the pistol
and cooked II, The bear was about three foot
| IRON the limb Knlckerbocker was on. and
| knickerbocker could look down through him.
so he said. AS knickerbockrr moved to get II
| good clutch on limb, hopin that he might be-
able to hold himself tight enough SO tho pistol
wOuldn Kick him ont q the tree when it went
of. he somehow slipped his holt on the pistol and
| down it went Ii turned over once and popped:
| butt FIRST square into the wide-open mouth OF
| the bear. Knlrkerbockcr said it slid right ON
u int Nal ..aNat