Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1900-08-18
Bill Blake and the Bear
= Also " Girls Who Seemed TO Need \
" No Protection.


~ NO Protection. 4
SA1A1A1A0AHA4A1A1n
4 QUARTER OF a century ago, wher
n the valleys and bottom-lands o.
Pennsylvania were decked in the album.
dant growth of timber which was ma.
lures heritage, any self-respecting log
jobber, If his attention had been di.
rected to the desolate Kettle Greek
region, would have turned up his nose
disdainfully and passed on to greener
fields, says a Williamsport (Pa.) cor.
respondent of the N. Y. Sun. But the
days when a contractor could choose
his place of residence are practically
past, and so it was that Hank" Bell
mar was reduced to the extremity
last fall Of erecting his shanty and
starting operations in the heart Of the
jsngle-like forest overlooking Kettle
Creek. The camp is fitted into a lit
tie 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 ak 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
the 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
panthers and catamounts climb up
into the tall timber and wake the
slumbering echoes of the forest, as
well as the boys in the camp, with
their wild and dismal howlings.
One of those nights came about q
month ago. The panthers and wild
cats yelled more furiously, it seemed,
than they had done before during the
winter, and added to their woeful wall
ings was the voice of the north wind
as it tossed the snow against the
weather-beaten 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-
in the big lobby" which is
home, club, society and Sunday school
to them, and prepared to make the
best Of a night indoors. Now these
are not the sort of men who
spend an evening over a book or
themselves at any tame diver
sion, and on this night even jack
poker had no charm for them. The
act is that they were just in the mood
% listen to one of Bill Blake's stories.
"Say, Bill" said one Of the woods
men, what tarnal cussedness ever
possessed you to leave the good job
rou had in the Slate Run camp last
and come up to this pesky hole?"
Bill Blake pulled contemplatively at
lis pipe for q moment, after which he
aid:
SWELL, mebby I had a purity good
eason, if I wanted to tell"
Then he laughed quietly. Nobody
poke, and when Bill had finally gone
'ver the details in his own mind, he
ontinued:
"You see I'd never have gone to the (
late Run job in the first place, but
or n thing. Down at the city,
7here I had a lovely suit as coach
ian for a rich lady, I got knocked out
, a love affair. You needn't grin,
I kept myself purity spick-
OF that job, an, If I do say
J, they want many han'somer rib
on singers drivin' down the pike.
Vail, who the gal was don't matter,
n it hain't no ones business who
dude was at cut me out. I only
lention the incident for the sake of
xplainin' why it was at I ever went
ack to the lumber business at all.
"You see, everything went sort O.
,ntrary with me in town after that.
got sick Of the whole business, an
l the time while I was drivin' them
bosses through the streets
y mind would keep a-runnin' back
the old camp life, where 1 knowed
ley want like to be no dudes nor
gals to play hide-an'-seek with a
ller's heart. So back l goes to the
d Slate Run job, where I was well
nown an only had to whistle to get
ork.
"Wall, the very first night I spent
the camp I made up my mind 1t
nc use for me to try to get
way from the gals. Right in that
mp they was two as purity gals az
,u'd care to see-nieces of the boss
ifs, I guess, a-visitin' thar, they told
for their health. I found out afore
was in the camp very long at they
Is q little too healthy for that place
It was, an you'll see purity 500
hat made me think so.
1.-THE damsels started right in BY f,
rim with me, an they was so win
me at I forgot all about the city gal ;
.ht away. I met 'em half way in =
. firtin' game an 1t seemed to me ,
was in clover. The other fellows .
ls all gettin' Jealous of the way :
Q gals was shinin' round me; but .
want exactly my fault if they -.
INT in it, so I didn't bother about !,
at: Wall, things went on lovely for ;
out q week. an one night the gals
70 to me, they says: Let's 60 along +,
wn an get some apples ,
Now the o'chard WA quite . ways ,
low the camp an It was closed in by ;
big board fence about six feet high. :
course, I went. We had q jolly time
in toward the o'chard an the gals
,med more lovin' to me than ever.
hen we got thar an I seed the high Q
ice I wanted to help the gals over, g
t they says: No, you 60 fust, an r