The St. Johns herald., 1900-07-14
Bill Blake and the Bear
Also Two Girls Who Seemed to Need
 No Protection. A@AAAAA3A@ANA.@A@AS

@A@AAA.AA@A3
 4 QUARTER of century ago. wher
 A the valleys and bottom-lands oi
 Pennsylvania were decked in the album
 dant growth of timber which was na
 ture's heritage, any self-respecting log
 jobber, if his attention had been di-
 rected to the desolate Kettle Creek
 region, would have turBed up his nose
 disdainfully and passed on to greeneE
 fields, says a Williamsport (Pa.) cor
 respondent of the \. Y. Sun. But the
 days when a contractor could choose
 his place of residence are practically
 past, and so it was that Hank" Bell
 man was reduced to the extremity
 last fall of erecting his shanty and
 starting operations in the heart of the
 jangle-like forest overlooking Kettle
 Creek. The camp is fitted into lit-
 tle patch of clearing ground far over
 the mountain top. A narrow turnpike
 winds up to it from the highway hun
 dreds of feet below, and beyond it. ex-
 tending into the wilderness, great
 wastes of fallen trees. stumps and
 piles of hemlock bark show what the
 woodsman's ax has been doing all win
 ter. Directly surrounding the shanty
 the trees have not all been removed, and on-the frosty winter nights. when
 the snow hangs in great layers upon
 She heavy branches and the air is so crisp and keen that sound travels through it with as much precision as though shot from a megaphone, the partners and catamounts climb up into the tall timber and wake the slumbering echoes of the forest, as we'll as the boys in the camp. with their wild anu dismal howlings.
 One of those nights came about a month ago. The partners and wild cats yelled more furiously. it seemed, than they had done before during the winter, and added to their wOeful wail- ings was the voice of the north wind as it tossed the snow against the weather ten sides of the shanty. For that night the shanty was good enough for the boys. When supper was over and the storm showed no signs of abating they all gathered to- gether in the big lobby" which is home. club. society and Sunday school to them. and prepared 10 make the best of night indoors. Now these are not the sort of men who can spend an evening over book or enjoy themselves at any tame diver sion. and on this night even jack poker had no charm for them. The fact is that they were just in the mood to listen to one of Bill Blake's stories.
 "Say, Bili," said one. of the woods men. what tarnal cussedness ever possessed you to leave the good job you had in the Slate Run camp last fall and come up to this pesky hole?"
 Bill Blake puffed contemplatively at his pipe for a moment, after which he said:
 Well. mebby had a purity good reason. if wanted to tell"
 Then he laughed quietly. Nobody spoke. and when Bill had finally gone over the details in his own mind, he 
 You see I'd never have gone to the Slate Run job in the first place, but Tor one thing. Down at the city, where l had lovely suit as coach nan for rich lady. got knocked out n a love affair. You needn't grin. Shorty. kept myself purity spick- ln'-span on that job. an if do say [. they want many han'somer rib ,on singers drivin' down the pike. Wall. who the gal was don't matter, m it hain't no ones business who he dude was at cut me out. I only mention the incident for the sake of ] xplainin' why it was at l ever went 'ack to the lumber business al all
 "You see, everything went sort O ontrary with me in town after that.
 got sick of the whole business. an II the time while l was drivin' them pankin' hosses through the streets ny mind would keep a-runnin' back | 0 the old camp life. where I knowed hey want like to be no dudes nor 70 gals 10 play hide-an'-seek with 8 eller's heart. So back l goes to the Id Slate Run job. where I was we'll nown an only had to whistle to get Iork.
 "Wall. the very first night spent n the camp made up my mind it mt no use for me to try to get way from the gals. Right in that amp they was two as purity gas as ou'd care 10 see-nieces of the boss fife. guess. a-yisitin' thar. they told le. for their health. found out afore was in the camp very long at they as a little too healthy for that place s it was. an you'll see purity soon hat made me think so.
 "The damsels started right in by irtin' with me. an they was so win ,mA at forgot all about the city gal ght away I met 'em half way in le flirtin' game an it seemed to me f was in clover The other fellows as all gettin' jealous of the way le gals was shinin' round ne: but
 want exactly my fault if they a mt in it. so didn't bother about lat. Wall. thinps went on lovely for bout week. an one night the gals TVS to me. they says: Let's go along own an get some apples
 "Now the o'chard was quite ways ,low the camp an it was closed in by big board fence about six feet high. course. went. We had jolly time ,in' toward the o'chard an the gals