The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-03-18
HELD UP BY MAINE BEAR.
NEW YORK. WOMIN REALLY saw
ONE ~ THE ROID.


y couutered in one way or another most # the four
footed inhabitants IT the woods" said a New York
woman, but not until last June did | come upon
a bear Al large on his native heath. The en-.
pcrience we'll, I have been quite certain since
that for hears | prefer the tame variety in cages.
And here let me say one thing. You need never
exp-ct any sympathy IN Maine If you re- frightened
TO death by a BEAR for nobody believes you've
seen one. They're good people in all o6sr Ssls
but the Maine folks are Gallons scep,ics about
hears | haven't n grain Of doubt that II this one
had eaten Grace Caldwell and me the people
would have said Well, now. dye really 'sposs
twas n bear that did IT. More'n likely twas Q
calf that took EN- for green's
We had started from Monson IN the morning.
Grace and !, in . ,~osea,sd wagon, to drive 70
Grrrnyile AT 1.-THE foot Of Moosehead Lake, to bring
back my husband from a fishing Trip Our
bnrse WAS n s..la,n beast. with notions of his own
-, r., .rd ,.ar v.r.
n,,,,n," ,,an nsn. lucty thin,
for ms that he wasn't one Of the Eighty kind. as
yss r,oyrd hc,orc wc rot 10 Gre.nyille We had
was p'"''u "'u'' w '" "N
made the first hall OF the way seven miles, 70
Shirley Corner. and beyond came a long, level
a,.a,.L ,hx,n,h sv,m,, .oo3s ,uo m;,o. a,
s"e'n un'ouE" '"'"r' "uoIo' W
more The road was n good one, thouRh mar
row. Tor II had been the old stage route TO the lake
ho,o,. N. ,,,l,o,d VAS b,il, The las, human
beng that We saw pio" eh"rpg 'e "oous
WAS "A man hoelng potatoes in a field by ihe way.
S"', VIM" '"' :" -.
We hhd got 'hfee quarters "' a nhie 'h'o az ~ooos
and were going on, talking and laughing, think
,,. -, .r,,hi,, Ian, ,,,uh,e ahead wh.n as va
turned a sharp bend In the road something Dig
and shaggy loomed up before us IN the road,
IN. hors, s,ouu.d short and began 10 rear and
,N r' 49,, ho,, .h,iol.t ,o,o,h.,
BACK ana 'ia'' anu ! oo'h S"''"'' "s'''e'
"A bar
"He seemed to have been crossing the road
= ,,, =, IT, ., ~.
when we came upon him bn' AZ sisht Oh US ne
sat down on his Launches and laced us,
suinyinr his he,d frnm side TO side and show
.- .a, nua ,h,,n .,,u.l ma nth s,r.
ing MS oe''h' one 'h'hs sHu'A NV '" u.
prise in all my fright, md this was that his coas
of hair, which was rough and bIistling, was brown
l.. 81, tn,,o.J ., ~ ,I.cL ,hi,b 7 b.d heen
III INV '"N""u w w" ,I"'h ""'" :
told was the color Of all Maine bears ms =!
found out altrrward was because he had NOS
shed his winter halr, which had iaded " Drown
in the warmer weather In spite on hrs COLOR
viewed IN proper Prospective thfougna spy glass,
he would have been a very satisfactory sort OF
bear but grnning al us IN the road, 50 near thai
a crack fisherman from thr Wagon eouin nave
my teSh creep now 10 tllnk %, H.
In Il quarter OF a minute the horse, in spite
OF all that Grace could dc, To hold him steady.
had hacked the nina whoeis oi me wagon lnto
the ditch. he road was too narrow TO turn IN
and We had the prospect Of bring upset 70 add
~ NV IfSl - 'I NouUlF ~ Nhsh Nv w "nV
~ brave 81 me To leave Grace, DnI ulohgh' OF lhe
potato Held We, had passed, ana suppose ~ was
nih hoh't NilI lura W Suiin,nm,"Y imr nan M w.
me wagon ana ran back me way we han come
But traces Stat~of Maine good sense ana cool
ness were equal 10 the occasion, and her voice
brought me- to my senses,
&c ONE back, qllch, she called 10 me You
may meet his mate
This was enough 10 bring me back and ian
for III" wagon faster ,han ! had gone. Win
the bear ieerlng AT Us IN iT'n' ana me morse dong
circus acts on his hind '";s, trying hi best 10
upset The wagon, Grace gave her INST attention
to me-.
"Ge, into the wagon and SIT sill and behave
yourself she commanded, ami climbed onrdienuv
of v" live We live, and II We don't We don l.
We can turn round and we've got To- go ahead
with a strong hand she pulled The horses
head round in the way he should go, screamed
IGidap.' and struck him smartly with 'lr whip.
The surprise of lhe hing seemed 10 overcome
the horses fear Of the bear and he fairly Jumped
ahead, Did We scream Screaming doesn't be.
gin 10 describe The ou'cry We both set up, and
that, and the swish 81 the Whip ana the slgh' ,"f
The horS. and wagon coming S'ralght ioI nun
was to much for the t"ar and he turned and
boiled back into The bushes But in my fright felt
perfectly sure lhat he waSs sun waiting by me foad-
side 10 Iump on us as We passed, and was on Tho
side nearest him
IN, TRACE shneken, ana 'luhg Ito, nef.
Hell get me- first, and ! almost crowded her
of the seat irving 10 get aS far away from Tho
The horse was running away, but for that
We IflN Ihll'E NuUhlUl ll w WV 'hhN'uk VI
nothing bat Ia put distance between US ana the
bear. Grace, letting herself get scared, nov that
the worst danger Wa passed, kept whipping
The horS', and the wagon wheels seemed to touch
the ground only at intervals all the rest n the
way through the woods. luckily the road was
smooth so "" didn't break down or Tip over.
and there was q long hill where II came out OF
the woods, " hiCh gave us a chance 10 slow down
without accident. Near the top Of the hill was
a farmhouse, and four or five men were in tho
yard saving wood with a pair Of horses in a tread
mill, We stopped in the roai opposi'" them.
Come here COM here! screamed, Tbs
men looked w from 'heir work and stared al U.S.
bu, no one moved.
Come here cried again, and they saun-
tered out 10 the roadside.
IT'S a bear. a bear ! shrieked, back there
In the woods. want yon To go and kill him
lou re sure usilt a dog" one OF the men
said, IN a matter of fact way, not meaning any
offence.
! his was too much, Grhce touched the honS
with the whip and, without another word 10 tho
men, We drove as las, as We could Ia the next
house. The man was al home and We called
him out TO the rpad and told lam our story, lie
wHs not quite 50 bad NJ the others had been, and
heard us through without Offering any imperu
nent Suggestion.
IN gu down the road and take a took at the