The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-09-16
MANS LOVE AND A BIRDS:
FERoY THE GUIDE ON THE SWEET
HEART-COLLECTING HABIT.
Baisam Bus Power over women and . Bit
OF Northwest Forest Justice-Ths Pleas
ant That would Go Counting and
FiEhtlnE-A Female Error OxerIooked,

FiEhtlng-A Female Error Overlooked,
FIYIELD. Wis, Sept. ~il.-Fergy the guide
swayed easily backward and forward In the
boat, his short oars biting the water only
lightly. II was his normal mode OF progression
and he was competent 10 keep IL up for twelve
hours on end without a hint Of fatigue.
This" said tho other man. elevating
his rod to bring his bait TO the surface. glancinR
back TO see that II was all right and settling
again. this is good air. good water and a good
country. You raise some big men here. I've
watched the aXemen and II seems 10 me that II
the Government ever wants 10 recruit an en-
cheering company for making army roads
through a difficult land northern Wisconsin
Is the place 20 do the recruiting In. There
ought to be fine looking women hidden away
around here. too"
"Yass," said Fergy. -th' mems strong 'nough
an tn wlmmen's purity 'nouRh. TIL trouble
is tn men amt got no sense an the gals Is
worse'n tn men. / seen lots O. trubble roun'
here bout gals-an' tn gals hoped It on. |
Amt had none myse'f. cause % a day in tn
summer. IS a day loggin' In tn winter an n
jug o. OIL forty-rod onst In a vile Is good 'nough
fr me. Teller knowed come through Finel, one
winter an seq me doin' a Injun polky In
tn middle o. tn street. I been sick with fever
an amt workin' none. but l got money 'nough
10 s'lute tn bar-keeps eighty times a day. tie
ketched me by tn elbow. this Teller did. an he
says; What you dom out here in tn snow
actin crazy7' he says. You're so full o. bug
Juice It's runnin' out'n your years. Go home
an go 10 bed. you've got ons foot In tn grave
says he. 'Yass. | says: l got one foot in the
grave an tn other on III moon. G'way' Vow
! says. lie says: You're a good guide an
| says: Il be. Wowl' He says. says he:
'Whynt you git you a good omar an marry
an settle DOWN. says he. An l says: I'm full
O Ticker. amt - an I'm dsncin'. Amt l? an
to-morrer Ill have a haid like somebody was
film a saw inside O. II, won't l? But mex day
III be in purity fair shape. won't II an tn day
after that | kin out-jump, out run an out-las
any man In Price county | says. But wa
happens TO me- | says. ~ l git married. It's
alters mex mornin' them | says. It's alters
saw-flin's in your haid It's alters the devil 10
pay an not feesh 'nough In all the lakes to pay
him. says /. Come have a drink ur g'way.'
ays. an the Teller he comes an has a drink"
The other man struck a weed with his trailing
spoon and reeled in to disenRage 1t. Casting
out once more he rem arked briefly: That's
good philosophy for the distilleries."
"Yass." Fergy said quietly. it's good all
roun', that is II tn wimmen don git a man
one way. they'll git him mother. Sometimes
they don love him 'nough an sometimes they
loves him too well. Sometimes they ruin him
an sometimes they lets him ruin hissef. This
love bizness amt nothin' but se'ishness arter
all an tn se'isher a man is tn worse he gifts
II In tn neck, tn se'lsher he is tn more he
loves an III more wimmen he wants. This
sorter Teller in love is like a miser with money,
he CANT never git 'nough. He not only wants
one oman fr hisse'f an glnst ev'ybody else,
-. - .u.a.. d. n ,.tr,-,on - kIa5aff an' ufYat
ev'ybody else. He JUS elects wimrnen like
some crazies wat comeo here elects bugs an
butterflies. ! knowed a man like that onst.
His name were Bill Peavy an he were a
shore axeman an logroller. We called him
Balsam Bill cause he wouldn't sleep on no bed
now ere lest II were made out'n balsam boughs.
ulster spend a good part o his time gatherin' tn
boughs an arrangin' EN- SOS all tn pints'd
stick up an make his lyin' sof'. He were six
foot two an a hart inches high an four foot
wide an he weighed 227 poun's II ounces o
bone an muscle an skin an ha'r. lie had a
arm on him like tn hind leg O. a Illinoy steer.
His skin were white as milk. he had yeller ourls
an a yeller mustash an blue eyes. lie didn'
have no sense. but he were a shore good-loOker
an tn wimmen took 10 him like they wasn't
nothin' else In trousers fr Atty mile aroun'.
Up at Tony Biossat's shack winter fore
las they was gals TO burn. They was some
hard men In that gang. but the hardes' an
se'lshes' were this Balsan Bill. Mongst 'em
we're willyum Jakes. a little pale Frenchmun,
with a grizzled mustash an or ow's feet 'roun'
his eyes. lie loved a gal name Ionette Vile
bOis like a houn' pup loves deer mea I an they
was TO be married in tn, spring. Balsam foun'.
IL out an shook his yeller curIs at Ionette an
She were his Il. NlIlyum he got palcr an paler
an took to drinkin' CanuCk high wines. lie
never had much TO say at no time an he went
rlunhg ilinI DnA night without SuytD' lOtbiD'
he heaved a bottle. at Balsam an a secon' arter
we're knocked coldern a wedge. W laid him
by tn fire an KEEP on danCin', He come TO a
leetle afore daylight an went out, an we never
Mex nish IT. bout time r. tn people to git
together an begin ralsin' the roof agin. we
heerd a scream like a horse havin' hi, th'ost
cut. We rushed out an tlity yards rom tn
s snST stlekin' to lis yeile&f curIs an' a biz k HIte
socked TO tn handle in his breast, lie were
stone daid with tn %funnies' look on his face
an s'prise an shame, That look seemed TO
say: 'Myl myi Here be |, bigger n a moose
ar, purifier e a speekied pug, an done up by
Course we knoyed Who done ii an course
woods Is that a man have got tn right on his
side, an Mllyum Jakes were right"
There was NO doubt OF Fersy,'s utter serious
Indeed. his oars had kept pace with his mem
oreS and the boat was lying along, ten feet
from the lake edge, with the i've frog at the
end Of the line skipping jerkily from wavelet
10 wavelet. lie slowed down quickly and at
the instant a covey Of rufied grouse rose from
the .umach thicket near by and whlrred AWAY
In mimic thunder. Fergy's set dark face re-
Taxed and he smiled g~enially, looking at his
companion in half-quinllcal fashion.
Il knowed q pheasant onst over by Mason
lake" he began. THE name Of the ruTed
grouse all through the middle northwest is
pheasantl Il called him Balsam Bill. Fus'
place, | f0un' him In a thtCket o balSam pine
saplln's an secOn' place, he were a good deal
like tn feller I been talkln' bout. II were tn
boss pheasant % all tn pheasants. shore. His
neck were stretched up an he were a yard
high rom tn feathers on his toes to tn leetle
topknot on his haid, Ills bill were harf open.
his lalgs wide apart an his eyes was red as
blood. Tn run roun' his neck stuck out like
a game ROSTERS Wen he = gittln' down 10 biz
ness an his wings was goin' so ias' they looked
like two blurs on his side. You never hcer
no such rackit as he made. Now an then
he'd stop drummin fr a secon' an let ont a
war cry that sounded like the bell Of a bull
moose an then he'd begin aEin TO cut III, mir
like a bu4h saw. | see plain 'nouRh wat he
were up 10: no were calm fr hens an any
cock-pheasants wat didn' like 1t could come
long an hep theyse'fs, .Bime-by heerd
a leetle sof', cluck-cluok, an, the p%rcttie5' hen
In tn woods come sidlin' long III aidge o.
tn glade. She'd go fOrrerd two foot. an
sOrter hang back an go furreTd IA yard, fr
she were jus drunk with that drummln' an
didn' have no command o herself a-tall. Tn
cock he beat his wings louder an give two