Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1901-07-17

with horse or gun. Say, I'm goin to
bring your boys a pet bear some day."
And so, cooking his little hat down
over his right eye and thrusting his big
hands into his deep pockets almost to
the elbows, he slowly and lazily whis-
tied himself down the gradual slope OF
the foothills, waist deep in the waving
grass and delicious wild flowers, and
soon was lost to sight in the great wav-
ing sea.
Two things may be here written
down. He wouldn't ride horse, be-
cause he couldn't, and for the same
reason he wouldn't use a gun. Again,
let it be written down also that the rea-
son he was going away that warm ali-
tumn afternoon was that there was
some work to do. These facts were
clear to my kind and indulgent father.
but Of course we boys never thought Of
it and laid our little shoulders to the
hard work of helping father lift up the
long, heavy poles that were to complete
the corral around our pioneer log cabin.
and we really hoped and half believed
that he might bring home little pet
bear.
This stout log corral had become an
absolute necessity. 1t was high and
strong and made of poles or small logs
stood on end in trench after the fash
ion Of primitive one in front Of the
cabin door. Here it was proposed to
put up gate. We also had talked
about portfolios in the corners of the
corral, but neither gate nor portfolios
were yet made. In fact, as said before,
the serene and INDECENT man of the sea
always slowly walked away down
through the grass toward his untracked
claim whenever there was anything
said about portfolios, posts or gates.
Father and we three little boys had
only got the last post set and solidly
''tamped" in the ground as the sun was
going down.
Suddenly we heard yell, then yell
ing, then believing. This yelling was
heard in the high grass in the Camas
valley below. and the believing of cat
tie came from the woody river banks
far beyond.
Then up on the brown hills of the Or
egon sierras above us came the wild
answer of the wild black cattle of the
hills. and moment later, right and
left. the long black lines began to
widen out; then down they came, like
q whirlwind, toward the black and
surging line in the grass below. We
were now almost in the center of what
would in little time be complete cir
Gle and cyclone of furious Spanish cat
tie
And now here Is something curious
to relate. Our own cows, poor. weary,
immigrant cows of only a year before,
tossed their tails in the air, paved the
ground, beloved and fairly went wild
in the splendid excitement and tumult.
One touch Of nature made the whole
COW world kim
Father clambered up on a "buck
horse" and looked out over the stock
ade, and then he shouted and shook his
hat and laughed as had never heard
him laugh before. For there, breathless,
coatless, hatless, came William Cross,
Esq, two small wolves and a very
small black bear! They We're all max
ing good time. anywhere. any way to
escape the frantic cattle. Father used
to say afterward that sit was nip and
tuck between the four and hard to say
which was ahead" The cattle had
made quite round up
They all four struggled in at the mar
row little gate at about the same time,
the great big, lazy sailor in a hurry for
the first time in his life
But think of the GOODNESS of the man
as he turned to us children with his
first gasp of breath and said, "Bo-bo-
boys, I've bro-bro-brought you lit
tie bear!'
The wolves were the little chicken
thieves known as coyotes, quite harm
less, as rule. so far as man Is concern
ed, but the cattle hated them, and they
were terrified nearly to death.
The cattle stopped few rods from
the stockade. We let the coyotes go,
but we kept the little bear and named
him Bill Cross. Yet he was never bit
cross, despite his name.