The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1901-09-29
GAME SUPPER FOR The WIDOW
COL. JOE MCANN's HUNT FOR
GROtsE DEER AND BEAR.

.rvsry time the hunting season CONES
u,nd. particularly the deer hunting sea-
son.- said CO., Joe McCann. Il somehow
cant help calling TO mimi . most cmbar-
ra.sing situation I was placed In one fall.
vaa ,Iacsd In Il Just becAnss. thinking
that | had the instincts Of a genuine sports
man, ! went out To bag a rfYed grouse OF
two and getting on the track Of q desr
Thought I would bag that deer, and routing
out a boar while I was On tho trail Of the
deer concluded hat ths bcar voud Be Q
GOOD thing To work In ~ q side line. Tbat's
the way II came to happen. The main trou-
bic. though. waA that tbcre was too much
game In the woods up In Ttoga county.
Pa, then.
Il had a few DAYS Oh that fall, aud went
down into the State Run country not far
from the PIN Crcek Canon, which the sun
never has a chance TO shine into except
for about an hour each day At noon. some
friends OF mine were camping In the wilder
ness down there that fall, pretending they
we're hunting. They had their wtvss with
them. and also q sister Of the wife OF one
Of them. a charming young willow. 80 every
body said. Az to thai l am expressing no
opinion now What l thought then " OF
no consequence.
Il vent down there ~ q guest. and took
along a gun. Much To my surprise l found
Nutl n ~ Nv, t.aAR 81. ~ At.hAA =
been a bird. or q piece 81 ~venison. or a bite
Of bear meat IN the larder since the party
went into the woods. The young widow
was greatly disappointed over the fact. and
said she had made up her mind To go out
with a gun herself and knock over some
thing or other that would taste Of the woods
woody. i was q young man then. and
well. maybe you were q young man your
Don't you worry. How would . couple
Of nice, plump grouse suit you, broiled,
The charming-I mean. the young
widow clasped her hands and gave me a
look that needed no Interpretation In words.
~ right. said /. I win get them
And I went out | roamed the dim
ht aislee Of the forest until began TO get
tired. and not a bird was accommodating
enough to let me get within rlnshot Of IL.
Plenty Of them got up. but they got up
just far enough away To prevent me from
making good my promise 70 the young
widow Il actually seemed a. Il they did
II on purpose. IL some one bad come
along just then with a pair Of grouse and
said ] could have them for % apiece ! would
have paid the price and called him blessed.
But no one came. and ] was on the point
Of shooting the dog and going back TO
me and spoiled the hunt. when up got q
deer. a big buck. and went Looping away
through the brush. wasn't out after
deer, and. an-how. the uneIpectedness
W WV JUN = tNDA ~ INV ~
for a moment that ! forgot about shooting
him. and when ! thought OF Il he was out
Of sight,
+ follow him up and get him, said I.
The .idow will enjoy a mice venison steak
just as much as she would a broiled grouse.
$50 | followed the deer. but somehow
idn't come up with II. ! followed in
the direction II had gone for a mile or more,
both barrels loaded with buckshot. and IL
vas simply enough TO make a man swear
out loud 70 see the way the grouse rose
on all sides Of me as | went along. and - clo~e
that II l had fired with my buckshot I'd
have blown the birds 10 fine that ] couldn't
nave found even a feather. Then made
up my mind TO let the deer 60, draw the
buckshot. load with birdshot again, and
bag birds. The Old Boy seemed TO be In
bag Bird than Sirds quit risins. and there
was no more sign Of a bird than II there
had never been one In those woods.
Guess III have TO shoot The dog, .aid.
after n while, and 20 10 camp with the story
OF his running AWAY and spelling the hunt
THE dog waa a pace or two In front Of
me, and as | was looking AZ him and feeling
sorry for him he turned like a lash. and
with his tail between his legs, went tearing
away through the brush. He was out OF
sight In a second.
smart dog said Overheard what
! said, and has gone back to camp 60 hear
h kind Of a lie I've got To tell now TO
sauare myself with the widow
But | gave the dog too much credit.
He hadn't gone away because he heard me
cay | was going TO shoot him. Out ~ the
brush. abOut two rods ahead Of me. saun-
tered a hear. a hig hear and as black AZ
, coal. This accounted for the dogs de-
parturc. I don't know whether I was
rash or desperate. Anyhow, ! remember
that ! said TO myself
cant take that hear into camp all nv
myself, and IL will a time tn go and
~, .one one Ia help me, hut when ! &c, IL
In, and ait down with the widow and eat
juicy bear meat, cooked just right. | don't
think there will he anything the matter
with me-
And forgetting that there was nothing
hut birdshot In my gun. l blazed away at
the bear. The bear didn't fall. II simply
stood there a moment and looked surprised.
Then II seemed TO get mad. and u ZANE at
me with its mouth open. j didn't wait. /
let my gun fall. turned. | ran. came
I oatree-a small tree began To climb IL.
was getting along hrrt rate. when the
The boots came Oh / hurried up,
MY haste was Insufficient The bear
reached farther. II closed a determined
paw on each leg Of my Trousers. There
wouldn't give. Unless something might
be done ! must qui, climbing and return
20 earth and the custody Of the bear. l
unbut,oned my -usp.nders The trousers
was skinned Of 'em as nicely a. any one
ever skinned an eel. And l went on up into
the refuge % the tree.
-Pausing on a safe branch ! looked back.
Tho bear sa' on its launches. looking first
ut the trousers and then up al me. The
weather was a little brisk. October
weather. My legs were cold and getting
cosder. A big hemlock tree waved lie
branches opposite INV perch, not ffty feet
away and into that ! saw grouse after grouse
coming in until | counted seventy mine and
they sat there and gard at me,
"A gentle knoll ross "a to my left. The
tre,- had been cut from IL and Il had only
q low growth Of scrub oak. glanced IA
that direction. A tug buck. three does and
q couple Of half-gruwn fawns stood on
thai knoll. 1t wasn't three rods away and
I could 500 thai tho-e deer were simply
there enjoying me.
got chillier and chillier and by and
by the bear gathered up my Trousers, gave
me a parting hook and slouched away.
taking the TROUSERS with him. Then the
deer stamped and friskcd AROUND In the
scrub oaks and IN" grou~e went thunder
isy ".i 81 the hemlock and came bouncing
back into IL again. a. II they we're glad
Then | got mad. A. soon A. ] saw the boar
disappear over the hill | dropped down
out ut that tree and ran for NV gun nv
tho fnU.n 81 a. tk.Va .R.anfI a Hs.aF a N