The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1900-09-14
kinder singled I picked up long stick

was afire. but the idiot that built the
cabin had nailed 'em from the inside.
and when knocked 'em off they all
tumbled inside, of course, and had to
run in and drag 'em out, and burnt
my hands pretty bad. The other teller
had been standin' off, laughin' kinder
sarcastic.
"'Much obleeged to you for wakin'
me- l says, as he started back to his
camp.
"'Sich blamed car.lessness never
see,' he growls. You've got to repair
my cabin or pay for IT,
Il cut few saplin's and set 'em up
agin the open end of the cabin. 1t was
moonlight and could see pretty well.
Then crawled into the bunk again. I
didn't prop the door this time, but
wished had afterward. My hands hurt
me so bad that I couldn't sleep and 1
turned and twisted for an hour.
''Au at once heard something. NY
blood all turned to ice and my hair
bristled like shoe brush. 1t was
soft but heavy tread and loud, hoarse
breathin' jest outside the cabin close to
my head. And then 1 smelt something
like a pigsty. knew well enough what
it was. There was only the thickness
of a split clapboard between me and a
big grizzly bear!
81 began to think like chain Egh thing.
The shotgun-'twa'n't loaded, and if it
had been charged TO the muZzle 'twould
only sting him and make him as mad as
pa4 r .o-b+ nj; h.
cross beams. Pshaw. They want
seven feet from the ground and one
scoop of his paw would bring me down
like ripe plum.
''Not thinkin' of anything sensible
to do, didn't do nothin', but KEEP as
still as 1 ever KEEP in my life. 1 fairly
shrunk up like withered potato.
THE bear walked slowly around the
cabin, brea thin as if he had the asth-
ma. Pretty soon I saw him through
the saphn's. and knew he could brush
'em away like smoke. He lifted up his
| big head and looked toward me- and I'll
take my solemn oath that he wasbig-
ger than any bull that ever paved the
earth. He stuck out his nose and
shifted with dreadful noise. 1 tried to
think of the Lords Prayer.
But pretty soon he moved on and I
heard him chompin' the bacon rinds
outside. He walked around the cabin
! four times and every time he stepped
and shifted closer to the saplin's. Twas
only the smell of the fire that KEEP him
from comm in, that's sure. Then he
moved off, for 1 didn't smell hira any
more.
'All Of sudden I made one jump to
the door, cussin' myself for Garneu
coward. There I'd been thinkin' bout
myself all the time when the other fell
ler was sleepin' in the open. and the
bear would be sure to visit him after
finishin' with me! And he'd been kind
enough to save me from burnin' up,
| too. run out hollerin' to him:
Look out, pardner, there's grizzly
around!',
"sTeH me some news, will your came
grouty voice. out of the air, it seemed
to me. looked up and saw something
dark up the oak tree, about as high as
man could well go.
You're roostin' high says. Did
he take after your
st seen i'm a-comin' and I didn't
stop for lunch says he. Me blankets is
the ak and fryin' PAN
"'Well. slide down and make break
for the cabin. He amt in sight now
"'Thank We, I'm comfortabl says
| he
However. / talked him into comm
down, and he made pretty run for the
cabin. I couldn't have beat it myself,
and 1 was pretty spry in those days.
We slipped in and propped the door,
and he began to cuss fool who would
come away and forgit his ammunition.
Daylight was an awful long time
a-comin' but it showed up at last. We
/ built a fire and made some coffee. but
we didn't fry no bacon.
1.-The other teller seemed kinder blue.
1 felt sorry for him. so I says:
my friend, you can have this ranch.
don't like to interfere with anybody's
plans. and my business in town is press
in anyway. You can have my blan-
kets and what grub is left, and I'll bid
you good-by.'
"'No, you DON'T he hollered, jump
in up. This ere ranch is yourn. Twas
only jokin' last night. The climate ere
DON'T agree wi me. 1 must be off,
I couldn't think of it, saysI. You
can make a nice home out of it. Good
luck to you
i means what says he growls,
| real huffy. This ere ranch is yourn.
and don't try to insult me by insinivat-
ing that I'm tryin to git it away from
you
''Well, the upshot of it was that we
had a bigger quarrel than we had the
night before"
Ezra Tucker laughed and slapped his
knee.
But how did it come out?'' asked the
deputy assessor.
''Oh, the other fener is Rose. my part
ner. We got over our scare and we
both stayed. There's Rose comm now,
and guess dinners ready."-St. Louis
Globe-Democrat.
An AmiabIe Examiner.
r.