Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1900-02-22

butted up against the biggest and
most comfortablest hemlock OF the lot
when I'd begin to look for Fransway.
You'll hear plenty of noises in the
woods SO long as the sun is shining.
bnt take it at night and L can't think
of any place so still. Maybe I'd have
an owl for company perched up OH
some tree opposite, starin' at me, and
mad clean through at the sight of my
fire. l never noticed owls before, but
L began to get lonesome, and, well,
that Indian got on my nerves.
"Nell, one day, toward sundown ]
happened to see big doe up with her
flag not dozen yards off, and heard
shot, and there was Fransway fol-
lowin' her into the brush. He'd been
right on to me, and he didn't mind
letting me know, or else he wanted
that meat pretty bad. / swore some
then. l made it a practice not to
bring gun into the woods with me-
There was enough stuff to tote with
ont that. But L wished then l could
try little bird shot, fired off ut ran
dom, you know, Just to show / wasn't
wantin' company.
"Well, about two hours after that.
when l hadn't half got over bein' mad
but was foolin' with my grub appara-
tus in slam bang sort of way over a
smoking fire of half green stuff.
Fransway came out of the dark and
walked straight up to me pointing his
gun.
Now, Charley Snow, he said,
me shoot you.
He'd picked up my name in some
loggin camp, suppose, and / thought
he meant business. The fire was Ee-
tween us, and / stood up and look ed
at him and his dirty gun, which was
no kind Of a weapon God ever made
| suppose, though / knew it could do
for me. looked him straight in the
eye, and / talked fast. What was he
going to kill me for, | said.
'You come here and spoil nv
game. Me shoot you.'
Il told him 1 didn't want his game,
and l asked him what he'd been fol-
lowin' me round for if he couldn't see
that.
8 No, but you bring men here and
cut down all my trees and spoil my
game. Now, me shoot YOU
"That Indian had it in for me; his
face was just loaded down with spite;
he'd been savin' it up all these weeks.
] kept talking, and Fransway said:
My game, my game, and meanwhile
| tried edging round the fire little.
| mistrusted his eyesigbt wasn't good.
Then the smoke from my fire whirled
round the way it will in the woods
where there's never any steady place
for the wind to blow, but Just sort
of corkscrew current, and the smoke
took him right in the face, and |
jumped for him. We both went down,
and Fransway's snowshoes held him
so that l got away and grabbed up his
gun. I was tickled, you bet, and said:
Now, Fransway, me shoot you.
Fransway worked himself to his
feet sulkily, and then stood still, with
out saying anything.
'S'pose we let you go, Fransway,'
L said, will yon promise not to bother
me again; keep away from me-under-
stand%
''Fransway thought long time.
Then he said:
Me not shoot you now. You
come back next year and me shoot
you. And that was all l could get
out of him, and as there wasn't any-
thing else l could do without going TO
an everlasting heap of trouble, I gave
him his gun and let him go, and fol-
lowed HIM, quartering down the ridge
to see him steering for cedar bog
he'd have to cross to get out of my
neighborhood.
"Well, before winter they'd run
tole road all through that country
'tole roads used for haulin' supplies
to loggin' camps, and it has to be a
little better than the ordinary kind in
those woods-and my parties had be-
gun to log all over tie place where
Fransway said the game was his. 1
thought he must have taken a fit and
kicked the bucket, but it wasn't long
before 1 saw him right after me, ap.
parently not a bit discouraged. There
was pond between us, and ] made
for the new road house, where / struck
up with crowd, and we waited to
see what he'd do. Pretty soon he
came right i'll and squinted round the
room. trying to pick me out He was
a bigger man than any of us, but all
drawn down with old age, and his
heart was broken. Quick as a wink
the boss had him good hot supper
ready. don't think there was IL maa
in the place-and they were haru
lot, too-bnt was sorry for Fransway.
l slapped him on the back and led him
up to his treat. Fransway never made
a sign; he saw that the crowd was too
much for him. The next month a
party of sports found him dead in a
cedar swamp.
"Now, l never forget that business
with Fransway. There's nothin' in
the world so jealous as an Indian
when he thinks you're gettin' deer.
Every old trapper will tell YOU SO -