The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-06-17
The Fur Carriers Adventure
BY W. BERT FOSTER. ];


 Copyright, 1902, by Daily Story Pub. Co)
 This yere Maine. said the old man. who sat tipped back in crazy armchair on the shady side of the house, suokns the blackest of corncobs. This we're Maine ain't what it's cracked up to pc for game, nowadays. But you feilers rom taown come up here. git CT crack at CT Jim-buck CT two, an think you re haNin sport. Talk erbout huntin.
 He snorted. and Chevier. who likes 10 jolly the natives along, and could get more information out of wel-sweep than most men can from college pro- lessor, offered the old settler his bag or ''cut-plus'' and at once they two began to get chummy.
 ''0h, of coarse, twas poachin'." heard the old fellow say and he spat emphat- ically. You was askin erbout the Ale gash waters. Them useter be good hunt in an trappin' territory wen 1 was younger. How? Take it thirty year ergo even twenty year back. They re purty now, an good fishn' an there's some game; but I took seventy otter pelts out 'er that string of upper ponds m Tour weeks one winter, an otter skins was wuth fifteen dollars them days.
 No, 1 wasn't maxim business or poachin. l had shack up there an, as say. in four weeks l salted down them seventy skins. But 1 only set six traps and wouldn't have been there to teno them only we had a monstrous run Of 
 business. I was a fur carrier. faas, | smuggied the belts through for other fel- iers. as you say.
 That very winter-'twas long erbout February. and I knowed there was big storm due mighty duick--I hit the thins at reckoned was the closest call ever had. For few moments, Mister. rs ny thought old Gabriel had got his cornet tuned up for me, an no mistake! An wen ye come ter fgger on 1t, there ain : sech a great difrenee 'twiNt gettln' killed outright an bein' scare1 most ter death --an' that lasts what happened ter me that trip.
 This yere happened jest after | got that run of otter I was teilin' ye of-sev- enty skins. ev'ry one of 'em beauties. ! picked up a big sled load an when l started up Churchill Lake early in the mornin' an my shack was wiped out O sight by a bresh pint, the ola slso creaked along over the ice as though sne felt the weight. But there wasn't any snow to spea ak of on the river. so she run erlong kinder easv an l made good time up Churchill an erbo 1t dark reached. the thoroughfare into Eagle Lake.
 "I stopped here an got CT bite or sup. sup per an somethin' warm to drlhki bu' ;. cle round it an I knew it meant snow, an lots of 1t. So l fingered It would be a mighty good idea ter git to kineo do"n yere bout as quick as I'd De let. packed up ag'in. got through the narrers 'twjxt tn two lakes, an set out down Eagle pond
 "That ain't no slouch sheet of water mister. No, sir-ree, An wen she's froze over she looks bigger still. You been there? Then ye know all erbout it. an how Pilisbury's the only island in 1t, ] could jest see the island. like big patcf of shadow on the ice. wen l started down the lake. The wind was pehlnd me an if hJew strong an boosted me along nicely; but the heavy sled travelled faster Tn I did. an kep' rappin me in the heels I'd sailed Eagle Lake fore that time In a. canoe. Now I jest ran ashore; cu the tarpaulin cover of my sled for a sail
 ''rhere warn't nothin' for me, ter dc but steer clear of Pilsbury Island, n that warnt hard job; so burrowed uhdei inc furs an's sorter doZed off. .The wind kep' risin'. but didn't thinf no harm. for the sled kep' we'll ahead ol it an the ice was purity smooth. Mt skinned erlons in great shape. an tht