Barre evening telegram. (Barre, Vt.) 1898-19??, 1900-08-01

ter proposition 1nnn WAN 1t 10 luch"
Jest then. 50 | babe Mr.. Bruin hastN
farewell am made for the fence.
"But now. boys, come the trouble in
earnest II was an easy enough matter
TO get over hat fence. but when II come
10 gettin' back. why that was diff
fercnt thing. ! seen | couldn't do it
nohow. an so Jest stood an turned my
back to he fence an waited. Bruin
was within three feet of NE then. an he
riZ I'D onto his hind feet an stood thar
mo,in' his head about in threatenin
manner an motionin' al me with his
big. ugly paws. The moon was shinin'
out bright an clear above us, an as he
stood thar bet een me an if he was one
of the most skeery-looliin' sights ever
seen. He didn't appear to be narvous
or discont ented in the least, an made
up my mind | wouldn't be narvous
either. SO, looIin' straight into his face
an reckonin' the distance, picked out
Il spot ON he big feller's under jaw an
give him such kick with my big COW
hide boot AT he yelled with pain.
"\ou can bet I didn't wait to see the
result. but I jest took it across that
o'chard as if the devil was at my heels.
LorGv. how my feet did welt the
ground At last ] seen a hole in the
fence whar IL board was gone. and at it
] went: ! reached il all right. an was
lest about half way through when !
heard a shuf1iin' an pantin' behind me
AT made my blood freeze up in knottT
leetc Jumps. Boys, did YOU ever know
n bar could bunt? Wen, ] have had The
fact drilled into me in purity forcihle
way: for what knocked me through the
fence at such n lively gait that night
was nothin' more nor less than that
b'ar's head. | was knocked into II heap
on the out sde-of the fence. an thar !
lsid hugcin' the ground an shiverin'
an expectin' every second to find l'ruin
on top of me.
"Wall. I was purity sore when ! got
back to the camp. but'I didn't saynot H.
in bout that an the gals put up NICE
leetle story. tellin' me how when they
saw the bar they was so skeert they
couldn't say nothin' an Jest ran back TO
the house. took in everything they
said. an the next night when they asst
me if | wanted to go long down wit n
'em an explore the old mine, was jest
tickled to death to get the chance. We
took an old minin' lamp with us an
when we got thar started in ahcadt
carrvin' the light. The old drift hadn't
been worked for years, an dirty wafer
was drippin' from the roof an GOVERN
my best coat as ] CROPPED my way IN
never doubtin' at the gals would fol-
Ter. had only got a dozen feet or so
an was lest turnin' round to see II he
damscls was gettin' on all right when
7 stumbled over somethin' an went
sprawlin'. The light went out in the
| furry am the fust thing | knoWed they
was a deep growl at echoed through
the mine an somethin bad hold of nc
by the bootleg.
"It was pitch dark in the hole but
! flood Of moonlight TO one side TOLD me
vhar the .npenin' WAS With an nWIHI
effort elked my leg free AN srranl-
| hled to my feet With the intention OF
| mal,iu' n dash towards that flood OF
moonlight. Wal, had ouly jest nicely
got onto my feet an turned around
when felt somcthin' shoot between
my legs an tip me back. rlutched
| wildly in front Of ne an got my both
hands imbedded in the shaggy hair OF
| Bruin-for knowed right well by his
| time what it was. The Bar shot out
| of that drift at an almighty rapid gait
an | didn't dare drop off for fear OF
buttin' my brains out against the sides
50 les, laid fiat an Rugged tight,
| wutchin' for good chance to make a
| leap
"Wul. kin sit here now an laugh
| with the rest of you. when look back
at it; hut you kin bet they want no
| fun in it fer me jest then.
FRIGHT outside the mouth of the drift
| was a little decline. an at the bottom
| IF il was pool of water that was made
b,' the lcetle stream hown' out of the
mine. WAS all ready, an as soon as |
seen IL, | was out N the open air again
| Jest slid Off. easy as you please. from
the bars back an struck right in that
| pool OF wafer Wow. But | did get a
| nice duckin' an no mistake.
! "The first thing | done was to cuss
myself for bein such blamed fool rs
to drop in that water an then ! pulled
myself up onto my feet an proceeded
to look myself over. Never lettin' up
| cs,,s fpp min | "
dercd back to the camp an Jest sncaked
in an went to bed without sayin' moth
in to nobody. It was little late when
got around the next morniIl', an jedEe
| my surprise. fellers, when [ went he
hind the fence an seen one of them
blamed gals feedin' an old bar outen
a tin pan!
81 seen how the whole thing was in a
second. Them gals had been maxim
! game of me all the time an the bar at
had been maxim me so much trouble
was nothin' but Il tame one AT wouldn t
hurt nobody. Fust bad a notion to 60
in an get my shooter an put an end to
the 'tarnal thing for spite, but l con-
cluded it was best to curb my tempcr
an let it go. The tclcrs had all gone
to work, an knowod if waited until
they got back they'd he onto the thing
an have an awful leg on me, so ! Jest
got my togs together an scratched ont
as quietly as could.
"Ies. this is lonesome. peskv hole
an no mistake. hui hey amt no dudes
here nor gals 10 play hde-an' go-sceli
with a feller's heaI an' he payin'. I'm
durn glad of it."
tn Cuva A cole, In One Oav