Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1901-07-19

With hose ~ . SD.,. S~y. I'm goin 70
bring your boys a pc, bear some day"
And SO. cooking his little hat down
over his right eye aod 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 10 sight in the great wav-
ing sea.
Two things may be here written
down. He wouldn't ride a horse be-
cause he couldn't. and for the same
reason he wouldn't use gun. Again.
let il be written down also that the rea-
son he was going away that warm au-
tomn afternoon was that there was
some work 70 do. These facts were
clear to my kind and indulgent father.
but OF course we boys never thought OF
II 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 II was high and
strong and made OF poles or small logs
stood on end in n trench after the fash
ion OF a primitive one In front of the
cabin door. Here II was proposed TO
put up gate. We also had talked
about portfolios In the corners of the
corral. but neither gate nor portfolios
ffood0 Tn 60 of Il ~
the serene and incident 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 n yell, tasn yell
ing. then believing. This yelling was
heard In the high grass I'm 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
bills. and moment later, right and
left. the long black lines began TO
widen out; then down they came. like
n whiriwind. toward the black and
surging line In the grass below. We
were now almost In the center of what
would In little time be n 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 n year before.
tossed their tails In the air, paved tho
ground. beloved and fairly went wild
In the splendid excitement and tumult
One touch of nature made the whoIs
COW world kin.
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 l had never heard
him laugh before. For there, breathless.
coatless, hauess. came William Cross,
ESQ. two small wolves and a very
small black beari They were all MAX
ing good time, anywhere, any way to
escape the frantic cattle. Father ussd
to say afterward that 1T 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 n 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 a lit
tie bearv'
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 lie was never bit
cross, despite his name