The Washington weekly post., 1900-03-20

~s-raE.ng of bees" said Deacon Tod
r. -.u.H.sceHJIy 10 the crowd at the
cr.- grocery store, did any of you
sr.- a..- at Uncle Jabez and his adyen-
r.-. r..a ,1e bear or rather with the
s-..e. bees and the old 5ear?'
s-- %. 'by boys had. 50 the deacon be-
,- .U.e.s Jlbcz came over 20 my house
... ago. and blamed II he wasn't more
g.-.- .. s o-ngel-up man than any had
...r-..r before. His neck was scratched,
... .rr VAS In a sling, and all over his
s.. ..E hands weTv marks Ike bee or
E-. rires.
.WFr particular form OF attempted
.... a.yc you taken Up Tor your latest
.." inquired.
IT'S. been trying 70 catch bear
grow -urIe JaboZ. Ike a maa out Of
r.r,r win the world
AID. l.. you trap a nest of hornets in
s....r ur have you been in 4 wrestling
a.t.a with a buzz-sawT
-. ala.t any laughing matter sEarled
T... IaH,z Wildcats, bears, and drunken
BIS .r. re.puusil.e for this wreck
-N.- ] VAS mighty curious 70 know
ara un. little o}d man could get mixed
LID n.tu shat combination, and after d
a... D.. opened up his heart.
Don't tell me that "a bear, especially /.
~ I'D Pike County bear can't reason out I
Hae- and plan how to get out Of
srape' says Uncle Jabez, sOrrowfully. /
You know mat old bear which has been
troubling people heroab0uts for months? ;
Wsu. that particular animal is cut out for
% bank burglar and "a good one at that. I,
It's my belief that a mistake was made /
RL,u ho Was born a bear
Out on a Bear Hunt.
"'Ta- fall after had lost three valued |
re- and some honey. ! started out 10 /
make q business Of hunting that bear. l
caught a.- trail one morning and started /.
Ill au rnr unOccTCe OF my heart thinking (
would uowc back at night with the skin |
OF tra slaNingest old bear that ever lift /
yI Cd U.r.
" lLg log followed the tTail all right I
unr. $50 came to one of those little oil 1
runs and There We lost il. The dog nosed I
about fYr "a long time, but it was no good /
! WIS clean puzzled. The ground was
hard. there wasn't a hole or scarcely /
bush u,ar. and how an old bear dog like |
mine could lose a plain trail was more |
Than J could understand At last We gave |
up and came home, a saddened and wiser !
dog and man That evening, while l was |
IolGorlug over the problem, all of sud |
cen iu Idea came 10 me.
II amt the dogs fault. l says TO my |
self That dogB been trained TO chase |
bears not oil barrels. That old bear just !
,rliI,d along the oil run and after a few |
yards Of that he would smell like a re- /
lrery. not Ike the sly, marauding, old, !
pig stealing bear he really is. He may be /
q mighty cunning bear, but after he has !
CUorimented a couple of times with your !
Uncle JabeZ's intellect he'll repent Of /
stealing them pigs.
SO the next day I started out with |
two Of my well trained dogs, instead OF |
one The first dog / let take up the trail |
20 the oil run. Then ! started dog number /
two on the trail after II left the run. /
After the dog got on to the fact that it |
was a willy old bear and not an oil barrel |
he was expected to run down, he went |
along at a fast clip. In my ignorance l !
was actually sorry for the bear
Petroleum bears may fool the ordi-
nary run OF hunters. ! says to myself but
this benighted bear will soon realize Uncle
Jabez is on his track. An easy death is
the best that poor old bear can hope for.
Wildcat, Aided the Bear.
But didn't need 10 be wasting SYM
pathy on that bear ! needed it all for my
self That bear understood wildcat nature
as we'll as he did the use Of oil runs. The
minute Mr.. Bear realized those dogs had
caught his trail again he made tracks |
right for \ hole where mother wildcat |
and a couple Of her kittens lived The !
bear ran right up TO the mouth of the |
hole and then swerved to one side This
routed out the mother wildcat, and when |
my dogs reached the hCle she was right |
ou hand ard looking for trouble in big
lunches.
wildcat with litter of young onas |
amt the sweetest-tempered pet in the |
world. My dogs were after bear, but Mrs |
Wildcat thought Il was her precious kit |
tens the dogs were looking for and the |
second the dogs got near out she rsuhed |
4 mother wildcat is the fighting limit for !
anything near her weight | didn't want /
TO Sc. my two valued bear dogs all torn |
ur. ana not daring to shoot at the mixed !
Gp bundle, ] sailed in with a club That's |
why ! am wearing the top Of my head /
decorated with bdndaEcs and CARRYING nv 1
right arm III a sling. The dogs and / killed /
.f" wildcat, but when We got through II /
eas hospital and tender nursing, not a |
/
O. longing manner
When ! got home I kept a-thinking
% myself about the way that old bear
2i played II on me. It's by using his
rains when I've been hungling ahead
with dog and gun that enabled him 10
bra. me Il ! bring my own t0ppiece into
"'uon ought 10 get ahead of a bear
even II he Is the slyest old codcer thai
ever mtandercd around the hills of pike
County
Tried otiet the Bear Drunk.
so I kept thinking over the re,t,-
nc@sr- Of bears and men and all Of a spd-
Cen II CccIrred 10 me how fond hear i
of honey, just like some men with Ituuor
f-f hat gave me an idea Supposfng
'-.l Eet that bear good and drunk 7
"".aht 10 myself: there wouldn't be- anv
.t.1ly in catching him and avenpinr
"F numerous injuries.
:" J took a big lump OF honey and
soaked il in applejack. When l got tn
.A Nr.Shed there was enough Iouor in !
...' lump Of honey 20 get a family Of
.-.r- drunk And The delicious taste Of
. Na- such that ! certainly hated 10 feed
.t 'a~ hear. BUt th@ memory Of nv
wrongs and the way that big bear had
cooked mr and my faithful dogs sort If
..I me 10 the waste. / know the
'. bear had had his eye on my hives. so
.' nigh, J left the door open in the
81 where ] kept them. ! put nv apple
..E honey on the floor near The hives
..t @.-r 90 bed a happy and COnteEced
man. thinking that all | would have TO
al a 'ar morning would be TO 20 out and
CORA. one large intoxicated bear That
Dear won't NEEDLE with the hives con-
.s.H1r Ty bees He's too knowing an an
ma. 'a 10 that He'll be attracted by
ne delicious smell Of the honey on the
.''- which combines the advantages Of
honey, a jag and no stings But he'll
-. temperance lesson which VIII last
h.h '1e remainder Of his short life
o., jus. about daybreak / heard a noise
ne s1mr,amg tumbling about In the
S-'| where J kept my honey. Mr. Bea-
--- '"arI that applejack and Is making
merry over il. l says 20 my wife but
acres 10 hurry. ! know the power OF
..'. aIr-eIaek. I'll just wait a couple OF
.'-.. -h'I lr gets in its paralyZing ef- /
mat bear will be- dead TO the world |
And I'tle while later. after his
..- with Uncle Jabez. he'll be dead ;