The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1902-08-22

Work" was filed with yaca-
tion seekers picked up all the
way from Boston 10 Denver, most OF
them on their way 10 California,
though one hunter of big game with
whom We talked had come up from
New Orleans 10 go into the Idaho
Mountains from MissOula, ambitious
10 Kill a grizzly. a whole party were
exultingly going back TO their last
years camp.
Finest spot In the world" said one
which was not quite true. because that
spot we found later many miles from
Meeker. whittier he was headed. He
went on:
mo mosquitoes; airs too thin for
'em' Plenty Of elbow room! There's
a million camps In these mountains,
near the railroad; ladies, kids an all
that. Nice enough; they have a bully
tine But we like room! Trout! An
deer! An'-say, Billy tell EN- about
the bear"
billy" wouldn't. He blushed.
Amid the unchecked laughter that rang
through the smoking room, he could
not save his face. We were mounting
the Continental Divide TO the Tennes-
see Pass. Outside the Arkansas boiled
over it's Jagged bed, and all the won
ders Of red and orange and purple
cliffs made foreground for vistas,
dissolving as we rounded curves, OF
mountain behind mountain slOping
gently skyward or soaring in sheer
perpendicular lines 10 the clouds. East
10 the Atlantic the Arkansas hurried;
beyond the watershed ten thousand
feet high, toward which we climbed.
we should burst from the long tunnel
TO run beside the Eagle and the Grand,
whose waters reach the Pacific
Billy found an Indians trail
didn't you Billy'?" good naturedly
ieercd the one they called "Perk."
"You see, he thought il was an In
dams, barefooted Indians" said he
cXpansiycly 10 the room I'm general,
but it was a bear's"-he said il
"bearr's,' being n native Of Wiscon-
sin. Billy was death on bears. lie
used 10 tell us how his uncle killed
grizzly oue Oregon way with a lead
pencil-eh. Billy? So Billy took n
Winchester an went bear hunting.
Fore he got us to help he chased his
invisible, but trembling, quarry-let
me soe-six weeks. think, IT was"
Three days" said Billy"
AT last" went on the story. Eve
went out together and beat up a neck
OF woods where Billy said the bear
had its nest; he said it was "A grizzly
with fourteen rattles. Billy himself
sat waiting At the upper end. And we
did start the beast. We caught n
glimpse of him now and then-like a
black pig scattering through the brush.
He shot out of the bushes into
Billy's' open like a waddling sky
rocket and, not seeing Billy he sat
up 10 look back But Billy His eyes
bulged out like marbles. I tell YOU.
gentlemen, his hair rose so fast his hat
went up like clay pigeon from a trap.
He dropped his gun, and i'm two strides
hc waded into that bear dead bent for
Kaiser. Excited? He kicked. he
punched: he kicked again. His uncle.
with the lead pencil and the grizzly.
was nothing to Billy bare handed.
mauling that scared, black, half f-grown
cub. 1t wasn't ten seconds before the
bear found the mill too hot-he was
no prize hghtcr-and while Billy
chased him INTO the woods. rocking
him with everything he could reach.
we rolled on the ground ana laughed
when we came mp to Billy he was
sitting on the grass with his legs stuck
out in front, looking at the riae-he
had picked it up Aid crying"
Most of that's lie," said Billy"
but | guess | did forget the gun"
and, Frightening little. II landed him
a couple OF good ones. though" And
we all joined the mighty laugh that
went up.