The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1900-06-14


thought you'd change your minds,
purity dearies!' But they want no an
swer, an begins to get kinder mad.
wps Jest startin' to look over the fence
an see what was the matter when
heard a growl behind me an turned
round quick Lands o. rattlesnalles,
boys, what a sight met my eyes! Thar
was big, ugly-lookin' cinnamon bar
standin' under an apple tree an a-look-
in right at me. Wall, I'll bet those
beautiful locks of mine stood on end
like porc'pine quilts. They want no
use feelin' for a gun, cause knowed !
didn't have any, not even jackknife or
weapon of no kind. 1t was leetle hot
ter proposition than l wanted to tackle
Jest then, so I babe Mr.. Bruin q hasty
farewell an made for the fence.
''But now, boys, come the trouble in
earnest. 1t was an easy enough matter
to get over that fence, but when it come
to gettin' back, why that was diff
ferent thing. 1 seen I couldn't do it
nohow, an so jest stood an turned my
back to the fence an waited. Bruin
| WAS Mllulll IllItt lttI VI Xix llltlls an llC
riz up onto his hind feet an stood thar
movin' his head about in a threatenin'
| manner an motionin' at me with his
big, ugly paws. The moon was shinin'
out bright an clear above us, an as he
stood, thar between me an it he was one
of the most skeery-lookin' sights l ever
seen. He didn't appear to be narvous
or disconnected in the least, an l made
up my mind l wouldn't be narvous
either. So, loollin' straight into his face
an reckonin' the distance, picked out
a spot on the big feller's under jaw an
give him such kick with my big cow
hide boot at he yelled with pain.
"You can bet 1 didn't wait to see the
result, but l Jest took it across that
ochard as if the devil was at my heels.
Lordy, how my feet did welt the
7 ground! At last l seen hole in the
| fence whar board was gone, and at it
I went; l reached it all right, an was
iest about half way through VIXEN
heard a shufflin an pantin' behind me
AT made my blood freeze up in knotty
leetle Jumps. Boys. did you ever know
a bar could bunt? Well, | have had the
fact drilled into me in purity forcible
way; for what knocked me through the
fence at such a lively gait that night
was nothin' more nor less than that
bars head. / was knocked into heap
on the outside of the fence, an thar
laid, huggin' the ground an shiverin'
an eXpectin' every second to find Bruin
on top of me.
'Wall, I was purity sore when I got
back to the camp, but didn't say noth-
in bout that an the gals put up nice
leetle story, tellin' me how when they
saw the bar they was so slleert they
couldn't say nothin' an jest ran back tc
the house | took in everything they
said, an the next night when they asst
me if I wanted to go long down with
'em an explore the old mine, l was jest
tickled to death to get the chance. We
took an old mimi lamp with US, an
when we got thar | started in ahead
carryin' the light. The old drift hadn't
been worked for years, an dirty water
was drippin' from the roof an coverin'
my best coat as | CROPPED my way in,
never doubtin' 'at the gals would fol-
Ter. l had only got dozen feet or So
an was Jest turnin' round to see if the
damsels was gettin' on all right when
I stumbled over somethin' an went
sprawlin'. The light went out in the
furry an the fust thing linowed they
was a deep growl at echoed through
the mine an somethin' had hold, of me
by the bootleg.
at was pitch dark in the hole, but a
flood of moonlight to one side told me
whar the openin' was. With an awful
effort I ierlled my leg free an scram-
bled to my feet with the intention of
maxim Il dash towards that flood of
| moonlight Wal, had only Jest nicely
got onto my feet an turned around
when l felt somethin' shoot between
my legs an tip me back. l clutched
wildly in front of me an got my both
hands imbedded in the shaggy hair of
Bruin-for / llnowed right well by this
time what it was. The bar shot out
of that drift at an almighty rapid gait,
an I didn't dare drop off for fear of
buttin' my brains out against the sides,
so I jest laid fiat an Rugged tight.
watchin' for a good chance to make a
| leap.
oval, I kin sit here now an laugh
with the rest of You, when look back
vt it; but you kin bet they want no
fun in it fer me jest then.
fright outside the mouth Of the drift
was little decline, an at the bottom
of it was pool of Yater that was made
by the leetle stream fowin' out of the
rs4ne. I was all ready, an as soon as l
seen 'at | was out in the open air again
I jest slid off, easy as you please, from
the bars back an struck right in that
pool of water. Wow! But 1 did get a
nice ducllin' an no mistake.
''The first thing / done was to cuss
myself for bein' such blamed fool as
to drop in that water, an then I pulled
myself up onto my feet an proceeded
to look myself over. Never lettin' up
on my cussin' for minute, I mean
dered back to the camp an jest sneaked
in an went to bed without sayin' moth
in to nobody. 1t was little late when
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