Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1902-05-22
HIS BEAR CROP
A FAILURE
Bob Skies, Hunter, Laments
Bruins Insratitude.

have no confidence in bars lin, y
said Sabin Budd, who snares rattle
snakes with leather string and hunts
deer and bears with single-barreled
muzzle-loading shotgun. "And ii
sarves him right, so it does"
Bob Skies is famous in the neigh
borhoed of Kettle Creek, Pa, as a
bear hunter and one who pretends to
use philosophical forethought as an
aid to his hunting. Thus, one day last
spring he discovered a family of bears
in the woods along Polly's Run. 1t
consisted of big and savage mother
bear and three cubs. The cubs were
but few weeks old.
Skies first impulse was to put a
ball through the old bear as she
rushed toward him from her retreat
beneath the roots of fallen tree, and
to carry the cubs home alive, but on
second thought he resolved to spare
the family. He knew that the cubs
would pine for their mother and per
haps would not live under alien care
and treatment.
"Ill just let the hull caboodle Of 'em
alone" said Bob. "Six months from
now them cubsll be in fine shape to
give me some fun in the woods, and
the OF woman b'ar'n have a nice new
coat O. fur on to her. I'll let 'em live.
and reap the harvest O. my bein' kind
to 'em along when snow begins to fly
next fall"
So he did what no other hunter in all
| that spread of waters would have done.
He passed on and left the bear family
to itself.
About two week before Thanksgiv-
ing he had the satisfaction of knowing
that the cubs had grown to be more
than half as big as their mother, fat as
pigs ready for the killing, and with
coats of fur of the blacklist and
glossiest. The mother was also in
superb coat and finest condition. They
were snugly housed in Tamarack
swamp.
Guess I'll let 'em pick up for a
week or so more" said he. "Then
they'll be ready for me to have fun
with"
A couple of days later he saw the
bear family again. The old bear and
two of the cubs went into the swamp
and the other cub started away on his
own account, over toward an old wood
road, and down the road toward Bly's
clearing.
"That amt regular" said Bob. "That
bar amt actin squared"
So he followed the cub, which went
along at lively rate, and turned into
the woods, at the further edge, Of
which Bly, had few sheep in lot,
with a long fence around it. Bob
Silkes hurried on, and came out of the
woods into the lot just as the young
bear had cornered the sheep and had
killed one.
"That bein' the case" said Bob, "I'll
have to have my fun with this young
cub right now"
And he killed the cub and gave it to
BY because it killed Bly's sheep.
A day OF two afterward Bob had
an offer of a good price for a big
bearskin, and he went out to get the
mother of the family. He got on
her trail. The two young bears were
with her.
Bob followed her for an hour be-
fore he got a shot, and the old bear
turned on him so fercely that if it
had not been for his dog she might
have got him instead of his getting
her, but he got her. The two young
bears went up big tree.
"rll leave 'em," said Bob. ''Tll
have a Thanksgiyin' hunt with 'em,
and have a lot more fun. I'll get one
of 'em on that day and then I'll
keep t'other one for a Christmas
hunt. They'll wait for me-"
In less than a week after that,
though, some one from the county
seat sent word to Bob that if he
could send over a couple of bears,
young, fat and juicy, right away, he
could get his own price for them, so
Bob concluded that he wouldn't keep
the two remaining members of the
family waiting for him any longer,
and he started out bright and early
to get them for the man at the
county seat. Sabin Budd tells the
rest.
"'Tain't fer me to be the jedge O.
folks doin's," said Sabin, "but when
a Teller has nosed around in the
woods as much as Bob Skies has, an
then goes an puts his confidence in
bars, it sarves him right If he gifts
fooled. I was settin' on log over
this side o. the big cranberry mash,
waitin' fer deer that I thought
mebbe mowt come along to chew
some O. the wild grass on the edge
of it, and who. should see but Bob
with his gun on his shoulder, bound
for somewheres.
"'Hello, Bob!' I sung out. Where
do you think you're goin'?'
"'Goin' to git them two bars O.
mine that's over on the edge o. old
Tamarack, waitin' fer me-
"'So?, I says. Hope you'll git
'em,' I says.
""Course I'll git 'em!' says Bob.
81 didn't say nothin' more, an on
he went. I looked arter him till he
got out O. sight. Then L says to my
self:
Sometimes teller is leetle too
sure o. things. Specially if it's bar,
I says.
$50 1 got on the log and sort O.
pondered, an by an by long come a
; slammin' nice buck to chaw wild
grass at the edge O the cranberry
/ mash, an knocked him over, skinned
) him out an took him home An as
was goin' home I says to myself
ag'in:
Sometimes a Teller is a leett
700 sure O. things. Specially if it's
Bar says.
tho roocOT, UNIV / said thai