St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1901-04-27

it'd be leetle hard, take it, to make
folks believe some O the things bears
up an does. Uncle Marcus used to
say-an' Uncle Marcus, you movt
say, groWed up with bears-thaf If
you wanted folks to believe you when
you talked about bears you must lie
about EN-, fer # you told the truth
about EN- they never would believe
you. An that comes as nigh bein
Gospel as you kin git toit oIdonI
s'pose folks'H believe this here what
I'm goin ter tell cause it's trae.
s3bIirandy she KEEP along the main
road till she got to where the other
road forked off, an then, about SO
yards beyond the forks, in the middle
O the main road, what should raise
up before her but a rousin' big bear,
an wave his paws, an wag his head,
an loll his tongue.
GMirandy knowedssomethin' about
bears, an though she want born in
the woods to be skeert by things, she
considered that she wouldn't disturb
this bear by marchin' forward on to It.
BY rights, says Jane, that pesky
bear ought to be holed up in a holler
log some'rs asleep, an suckin' its
paws says she, but as long as he
hain't I got somethin' else to dc be-
sides goin' up an arguin with him as
to the why an wherefor Of his not be-
in holed up an suckin' his paws,
says she, an she turned into the fork
in road an took the long way to
James.
@Mrandy had gone mebbe half
a miled in on the forkin' road, when
she stopped suddenf, an had a notion
to git mad. Somethin' like four rod
ahead Of her in the road stood a bear,
an he growled an showed his teeth,
an acted somethin' Like that she bear,
4 shouldn't wonder, that come outen
the woods that time an, snatched
them 40 youngsters baldheaded that
had sassed old Father 'Lijah Mi
randy she stood still minute, looked
the bear over, an backed out.
sAccordin' to the signs, says she,
Sth woods is a leetle too fullo bear
to-day fer me to do thet errand at
James, says she, an 7 pose I'll have
to go back an chop that wood, after
all. I wouldn't mind that SO much,
says she, but Tn jist spilin' to know
what Artemesy was sayin' to Jane
t'other day.
$50 Mirandy she faced about fer
home, tremendous disappointed. She
come out into the main road an
turned to walk back to the clearin'
when there, right in the road. an not
morne that 50 foot ahead of her, stood
another bear, an it was aetu'ly pranc-
in an tryin, to cut pigeon wings, like
a tipsy fiddler shown off.
ssNoW, Jim's wife Mirandy can't
stand everything, am when she see
that bear in front Of her headin' her
off in that direction, she jest opened
her lungs an, turned 'em loose. At
the first yoop from Mirandy the bear
quit prancin', his eyes flew open an
he stood still. When MirandY opened
up the second time the bear dropped
on all fours an p'inted for the woods.
Mirandy give another yelp an the
bear sprung 1nore'n ten foot, an Mi
randy could hear him slashin' away
through the brush like a hurricane
for a quarter Of a mile.
when the bear had made itself /
sca'ce, Mirandy hurried on home, an
slammed inter the house so that jim
most jumped outen his cheer.
" I ben surrounded by bearsY says
Mirandy. 7 hain't only got to traipse
my legs off runnin' errands fer you
through the snow, says she, but I've
got to be surrounded by bears a doin'
of it, an then come back here an
chop the Wood' says she.
When Mirandy mentioned bears
Jim riz up an painted. The minute
she had finished tellin' him how an |
where she had been surrounded by |
the bears he sprung fer his hat an
the pegs where his gun hung, spry as a
colt.
" Hoorayn he hollers. & hain't /
had a crack at bear fer a eoon's agei
he hollers. Here's fer follerin' thei
trail an gatherin' of them critters in!p
he hollers.
An away Jim went, fyin outen|
the door an down the road. Mi
randy she looked after him with star
in eyes till he was out o sight, an
then she riz her hands an says:
:. Welt swan to man.