Smyrna times., 1901-08-07

with horse or gun. Say, I'm goIn to
bring your boys 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 way !
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 a gun. Again,
let it be written down also that the rea-
son he was going away that warm au-
| 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
| lntll AlC luiShI OlAAlS hOl1lC q AAbNAC PCT
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 a trench after the fash
ion of a primitive one in front of the
cabin door. Here it was proposed to
put up a gate. We also had talked
about portfolios in the corners of tho
corral, but neither gate nor portfolios
were yet made. In fact, as said before,
the serene and indolent 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 a 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 a moment later, right anC
- left. the long black lines began t.
widen out; then down they came, lik,
!, a whirlwind, toward the black ant
= surging line in the grass below. w
: were now almost in the center of wha
:, would in a little time be Il complete cir
- Gle and cyclone of furious Spanish cat
tie.
!, And now here is something curiou
- to relate. Our own cows, poor, weary
" immigrant cows of only a year before
tossed their tails in the air, paved til
- ground. beloved and fairly went will
- in the splendid excitement and tumul
- One touch of nature made the whol
- COW world kin!
Father clambered up on a "buc
- horse" and looked out over the stool
' y, ade. and then he shouted and shook h
- hat and laughed as | had never hear
~ him laugh before. For there, breathles
cOatless. hatless. came William CrOs
8, Esq. two small wolves and veI
~ small black bear! They were all ma
" ing good time. anywhere, any way
escape the frantic cattle. Father usC
no to say afterward that lit was nip al
oH tuck between the four and hard TO S;
iniy which was ahead" The cattle HI
iiu made quite ground up"
nj They all four struggled in at the ne
l , row little gate at about the same tin
iiu the great big, lazy sailor in hurry
in the first time in his life.
iiu But think of the coOlness of the m
" as he turned to us children with
ns' first gasp of breath and said, "Bo-b'
ere boys. I've bro-bro-brought you
Gin tie bear!'
re- The wolves were the little chick
ich thieves known as coyotes, quite har
NY less, as a. rule, so far as man is cOnce
Ter Ell, but the cattle hated them, and ii
were terrified nearly to death.
'le The cattle stopped few rods fr
at the stockade. We let the coyotes
iau iau but we kept the little bear and nan
~ him Bill Cross. Yet he was never
the cross, despite his name.
the
en- Use of NettIes.