The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1902-10-14
"A TOLERABLYI
SMART BEAR q
"CIL said he was mighty glad he
u didn't have any gun, OF he'd

u didn't have any gun, OF he'd
felt all his life as if the mark of Cain
was branded onto his brow So he told
me- said the man from the mob
to a New York Sun man. The
way it came about. Gil had been taIkin'
considerable for quite spell, and up
and says, after while:
"'Gil,' says. amt thereq quite pas
sill o. lyin' done about bears up your
way?' says.
"'Cause Gil lives nigh the headwa-
tiers, and Us folks don't git to go that
part o. the Knob country very often.
Consequence is that the things we hear
from there every now and then, per-
tick'ly when Gil comes down and drops
in on US over to the Eddy. pears TO me
runs pretty nigh to bein' amazin'. So
/ SAYS TO Gil:
Amt there quite a passil o. lynn
done about bears up your way?' says
- guess mebbe you'd think So
saws Gil If you'd ever hear Jehiel OF old
Jorum. or even Els Sam git to goin'
about EN- some fine day says Gil.
'Lyin'. ! should say 80. And it's
shame too, There amt no sort o
need o lyin' about hears says he.
"'Bears is toler'ble smart some
times. though, up your way. amt
they saws 7.
"A trife.' SAYS Gil. sort O. careless
like. Jest trife. take it, says he.
Then I didn't say TO more. but
turned to Reuben a nd saws that things
was a IeetIe backward this spring.
wasn't they? Just as if I didn't care
anything more about Gil or his head
waters bears. ard was goin' TO argue
things more substantial KNOWN that
Gil wasn't never goin' to let me off that
way. though. jest as well as ! knowed
he was settin' there on the shoe box
chawin' borried tobacco.
Reuben was gittin' all ready to say
somethin' about things bein' back
warder this snriug than he had knowed
EN- to be in 40 wear. and then mention
a few springs that eoTe toIer'ble nigh
bein' as backward as this IN. when Gil
he shoves his hat to the back of his
head and says:
Smart he saws. Headwaters
bears smart? Why he says. don't
you mind that IN that played it 50
smart on me last spring? Don't you
mind that IN. DanT!' says he.
Reuben wiggled so over helm sot
back in his backward springin' that !
thought at first that he was aimin' 10
take Gil by the neck and shet him and
his bear of right on the start, but he
didn't. He only Jest snarled a little
and settled back onto his cheer and tilt.
ed it agin the counter.
Don't you mind that un, DanT?
says Gil.
II thunk a minute. and then asked
Gil if it was the one that had stole tbs
nine cords o bark from him and run
it over and piled it up onto Gideon:
slideway.
WAS that un the one, Clip says
and. by cats, Gil never winked oil
bliuked or looked surprised.
"'No.' he SAYS, as unmitigated a.
could be. No. DanT that uu amt the
one he saws. L sarcumvented that IN
don't YOU mind. and made him run tn,
hull nine cord o. bark back and put i
where he found it SAYS Gil; and Reu
ben then did everlasin'ly snort, and
thought sure he was boun' TO chOk
/ Gil and his bear right of hand, but b.
/ didn't.
last spring says Gil, not waitin
/ to ask or to be asked any more gues
tions, L rolled bar'l O. pork into m.
/ cabin. up along the headwaters. git
I tin ready for bark-peelin'. The bar
/ was chuck full o. nice hunks O. pork
clear to the chimes, and when opene,
/ it to git out some O. the pork, weel
/ or so afterward. dingbusted if as mucl
I as a quarter of it wasn't gone.
"'Some consumed thief or other hst
sneaked into the cabin. opened tn
bar'l, took ont the pork and lugged
away. after headin' the bar1 up ag'il
as tight and snug as it was when
rolled it in. Dan1. I was so 'tarna
mad that the way I ripped and tore
bet YOU could cut chunks o washiI
blue out o. the air around that cabin.
"sAfter while l sot down TO try I
think up who it could be that wa
stealin' my pork so sly and cunnin
And who do you s'poSe thunk of a
more'n likely bein' the one. Dan'I'
says Gil.
"'Not your pap. GIL says. was it
and Reuben snorted right out, 'caus
everybody knowed that folks said tina
= when things turned mp missin' alon
the headwaters the first thing folk
done was to so see if them thing
hadn't sort O follered Gil's old ma