The Coconino sun., 1901-01-12


 ward him.
 "'No, you don't, old smoothly he says. turnin' away.
 "'Come in and have a bite of supper, anyhow says. The waters bilin' and I'il make some coffee in jiffy.'
 He grumbled something and went off and camped under an oak tree ht- tie ways off. That's the very tree down there by the barn.
 'l'd done my best to be sociable, so I made my coffee and fried some bacon. Some way twas kinder pleasant to see the other feller's fire, but he looked mighty crusty and didn't have a word more to say.
 After supper lit a piece of candle and read a newspaper that I'd brought from town. but I got sleepy pretty quick and spread my blankets in the bunk. I shut the door and put prop agin it-not that l was afraid but l jest happened to think that l didn't really know anything about the other feller.
 ''I was oil to sleep in . minute. and the next thing knew was seein' a big glare of light and feelin' things gettin' pesky hot. I jumped up. and, Lord! if the whole end of the cabin want in a blaze!
 "'Gosh all hemlock!" says Fe's a bad man, and is tryin' to burn me up. sure as the devils an Injun.'
 But just then heard an awful ham, merlin at the door and the other feller holierin':
 "'Git up, you blarsted fool! Do you want to be cooked alive? Turn out, and be darned to you.''
 ''Then I jedged that the fire had caught in the old dry chimney. bounced up and grabbed the coffee pot and threw the grounds on the conf1a- grafton, but it didn't do a mite O good, co I kicked away the prop and ran out, kinder singea pickec ? a long stick and began to knock off the boards that was afire. but the idiot that built the cabin had nailed 'em from the inside, and when 1 knocked 'em off they all .' )led inside, of course. and had to run in and drag 'em out, and I burnt my hands pretty bad. The other feller had been standin' off, laughin' kinder sarcastic.
 "'Much obleeged to you for wakin' me- I says. as he started back to his camp.
 "'Sich blamed carelessness I never see,' he growis. You've got to repair my cabin or pay for it.
 q cut few saplin's and set 'em up agin the open end of the cabin. It was moonlight and could see pretty vel. Then l crawled into the bunk again. didn't prop the door this time, but I wished had afterward. My hands hurt me so bad that couldn't sleep and l turned and twisted for an hour.
 All at once I heard something. My blood all turned to ice and my hair bristied like shoe brush. It was a soft but heavy tread and loud. hoarse breathin' jesh outside the cabin close to my head. And then smelt something like pig-siy. Iknew we'll enough what it was. There was only the thickness of a split c'apboard between me and a big grizzly bear!
 "I began to think like chain lightning. The shotgun-'twa'n't loaded. and if it had been-charged to the muzzie 'twould only sting him and make him as mad as hornet. might climb upon the cross beams. Pshaw! They want seven feet from the ground and one scoop of his paw would bring me down like ripe plum.
 Not thinkin' of anything sensible to do. l didn't do nothin', but kep' as still as I ever kep' in my life. fairly shrunk up like withered potato.
 ''rhe bear walked slowly around the cabin. breathin' as if he had the asth- ma. Pretty soon l saw him through