Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1902-03-19

other night should happen to stumble
when he was full of nitroglycerin ant
whisky he would go in little bits tt
the place provided for bad bears. Anc
I wouldn't wonder if this evening
when you return you could find botl
the glycerin and booze in the barn.
"Tom always insists that the snake
! understood all he said. Maybe it did
and maybe it was only an accident
i Maybe, as the deacon says, it was fate
anyhow, that evening the deacon
happened to feel thirsty. There was
nothing unusual in this, but the
worthy old man, being tired, decided
to send the bear down to Tom Will.
sons tavern for bottle of liquid JOY
instead of going himself. The bear
had made similar trips, so there was
no reason why the deacon should
blame himself for the tragedy which
followed.
'The bear was on his way back from
the tavern, carrying the bottle in his
mouth, when right in the pathway he
met the snake. At first the good bear
was going to crush the snake. Then
he noticed that in front of the snake
! was big cup of whisky.
''The snake looked at the bear in
a friendly way as if inviting him ia
have a drink. The good bear loved
booze. Of course, it was his duty to
go right home with the bottle to the
suffering deacon. But he couldn't
withstand the temptation.
$50 he pushed the snake away and
drank up all there was in the cup.
Then he picked up the bottle in his
teeth and was on the point of start
ing home.
But the treacherous snake got in
front of the bear and began waving
his head and reckoning in manner
that showed plainly enough he was
inviting the bear to come with him
and have some more. The bear hest
tated. Then he turned his back on
duty and the thirsty deacon and sham
bled after the snake into the barn.
I'm the rear of the barn, right out
on the floor. stood an open pail full of
the BEARS favorite beverage. The bear
applied himself to it in his hearty,
earnest fashion.
1.-THE bear had the capacity of four
good men, but the pailful was consid-
cradle Of a contract at that. In the
end he finished it. But by that time
he was far from being a bear that
would have won blue ribbons at tenn
perance meeting.
"As soon as the treacherous snake
saw that the bear was in a condition
of blissful inebriety, he beckoned him
over to another corner in which stood
a small can of nitroglycerin. The bear
swayed about over the can in a man
ner which made the snake far from
comfortable, but in the end the bear
lowered his head and tasted the glyc-
erin. Then he tapped up every drop
of the sweetish stuff, the snake look.
ing on in an anxious but satisfied man
ner.
"When the bear was properly loaded
the snake led the way out of the barn
to the road. The bear followed, but
wabbly. When they reached place
where steep, rocky bank sloped down
from the side of the road, the snake
turned off. He gave another wavy
reckoning motion of his head. Then
he darted off.
''The bear, trusting in the wicked
treacherous snake and filled with
blissful visions of more drinks and
sweet things, tried to break into a
run so as to keep up with the snake
But the best of bears cannot run after
drinking pailful Of stuff that cheers
and stimulates. The bear lost his foot.
ing, fell and went with a crash to the
bottom of the rocky slope.
"For the next few seconds it rained
good bear. The snake, too, was only
a few feet from the bear when he ex
ploded and he had to enjoy his re-
venge in small fragments.
Deacon Todgers waited thirstily ali
night for the return of the bear and
the bottle. In the morning he went
out to search for both. He saw the
hole in the ground and the little frae.
ments of bear on the trees near by
The good deacon was puzzled.
1--WE heard of explosive tempers,
he said in Borrowing tones, but this is
the first time I ever heard of an ex
plosive bear. To think that creature
that I've taught and cherished should
leave me in such an abrupt manney
and take the bottle with him. ~.
ut wasn't until Tom Wilson con.
fessed, that people understood what
had happened. Tom was grieved and
sort of vexed, too. "a. -.
"'To think that any snake that I've
trained he exclaimed, Indignantly
wouldn't know better than to b1
traipsing over the country only few
feet away from a bear loaded with
whisky and nitroglycerin.' IN. 7,
Sun. i , -. " IN s%%f ..
/ No Breath to Waste. -.
"There is something about the at
mosphere in the Klondike that makes
men very quiet said a man from ur
in the frozen region the other day
.'The habit is acquired, I suppose. ii
tramping, when the altitude makes il
necessary to use all your breath fol
breathing and leaves you none 1o1
talking. The result is that the me1
tai very little. They become almos,
CHESS, and will sit about st night
each thinking his own thoughts AMI
g lowing bis fellows g az the sams.