The Monticellonian., 1899-07-07

"Eph he kind O pnlled his whiskers and didn't say nothin', but Paupack I Steve he lips ia and says:
 "'Course it was! My idea is that it lueged slammin' big mess e them chubs Q Eph's home with il, and want ed that pork 10 fry em in,'
 II hadHt said nothin', but 1 begun to think that if il was as interestin' as they was saSin' il was, il behooyed rle to git on it's trail. so l says to Eph' Was il much for Size?' | says. Was it as big as any Gil ever kileda' 1 sa.s. 'Causc Gil was tremendous hunt er. but apoor iedee O heft
 Big as any Gil ever killed,' says Eph Why, thunder n was bigger yit than any tii ever said he killed.
 "Gil didn't say nothin. but be@nr tc Steve he sHortcd right out. and says:
 "'Eph. he says. If l @as you 1 wouldn't take a jug with me no more when | went Gshiu': and when 1 see .Iona> I'll have to warn him to have the size of his enake-eare# pocket eat down from quart 10 pint, cause you fellers k beginning to see things. he says.
 ''But l thinks to myself that where there was 50 much smoke there must be some fire, and l thought it moWt be worth my while gittin' onto is track. So next day 1 started out. heerd on it here and there and most everywhere, and begun to think that maybe Pau- pack Steve had been leetIe loo hard on Eph and Jonas, after all. heerd on il bein' at Jake's, where il broke into the milkhouse, lugged out l2-quart crock O cream that Jake's wife was gon' to do her chrnin' with. and Sot down on the back stoop and sWamped the hull p quarts, hardly stoppin 10 breathe. Then it took the crock and smashed il ag'in the door. as much as if to give notice to the folks inside that they'd better be d comin' out and look in after things. Jake told me all about the don's. He didn't see 'em himself he said. cause he didn't happen To be home. but his wife seen ,em, he said and Was So scared that ii MaS all she could do to tell him when he got home
 And that's the way it kept eoin' oI
 
 10 what folks'd tell me here and there. but l couldn't strike its trail for cer. tain for more'n six weeks, and then 1 did. Job told me that it had got into one of his traps. and had took the traE along with it. This give me the trail and it p'inted straight for the big tam arack swamp. l hadn't gone more'n -Ea, | f h.,t II laid under a hemlock root, and there was a couple O toes in it with claws on 'em two inches long.
 its Nanked itself loose. haX2' says. It won't be so gay and funny HON when l come mp 10 it as folks has been say in it's been l says.
 And before long 1 come up to it. backed ag'in big hemlock. nussin' it's sore foot. When it see me it just ripped and tore. II sot me down as bein' the one that had got it into trouble and il rig up and hoWled and smashed and showed set O teeth that made nle quiyer.
 "'Eph was right says 1. It's bigger yit than any Gil ever said he killed
 Not Wantin' To see such m anpleas in sheNin' of temper any longer than | could help. | pulled mp and Whan9ed away. That must q ;, ,p.ised il, for il | turned and went smashin, aHaX so fast | that it got out O sight in the brush ! fore | could give it another ole. l fol | lowed ii. though. and ii led plump 10 the ! laurel patch t.ether side . the Knob | | hurried round by the coWpath and | was standin, there when 1 see Pete comia long the path on his Wa4 To the lIobdN road. and see that he Was goin | to leave the path and make a short cut through the pateh- jest cause it'd save him mebhe somethin' like an eighth oi d miIed. aud 1 says 10 him:
 "'Nou'd better keep the path, Peter, I says. and eo round
 Pete. bein' stubborn and head | strong. kind O snitfed at tne and says:
 '"'What fer2'
 'WeH. 1 says, it'll he consider r'bls further for you. but if you keep the path you'H get there good dea sooner.
 Cause | know d it was in there. bul Pete gave a sniff and plunged right into the patch and went on. don't know eNac1y whether ii was on toI or whether Pete was ou top when they came out and hain't never beel. able to figure out .iist how managed To gil | q ball through it and stitfen of il out for good and all WithouU kiIIin Pet" they was so kind 0 mixed up; but did Then 1 got Pete around. an.! aS >oor as he could get back some idee O wEa, had been goin on he says:
 'Danl. think it sWatt.d me
 "'fhere ain no doubt about it Pete, saNs. .Nou ought to kep' the path
 The first time that folks sees Pet, they naiur'lN wonder how he happened to tumble into the thrashin' machine secin that Jeff ear O his'n haneiu' most down on his shoulder. and his face al Wopper iaWed and him a faVorin' thai left leg o' his'n as if he want just sur, whether if sNas goin' to stay there wheg he puts his foot down. or whether il want. But he didn't tumble into nc thrashin machine. He WIS sWatted And the bear that swatted him was big ger Yet than any that Gil ever said ht killed. N Y. Sun
 Hearty Eater.
 Two girls were overheard talking to