The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1902-11-14
UNCLE SANS BEAR.
BY EDITH v. CoRsE.

wiz ana lovely snore-llne, unsupported by
most of the white mans world. and the
Indians still hunt in the wilderness about
it and move over its waters in their birch
bark canoes-still, too, indulge sometimes
in their old pastime of killing off their white
nelghbors; and that is why, as the train
brings you up to the tiny village which
marks the reservation agency, you catch
a glimpse of Uncle Sans little white tents
among the trees by the lakeside, and meet
his boys in blue along the street as you go
up to the hotel.
W has not been a military post very
long, and is but a small one, so the bar
racks are just nothing but a big wooden
house, standing like huge yellow bonnet
box on the edge of the lake. 1t is ap-
preached by sandy road through the low
scrub of young oak and blackened stumps,
and along this we were proceeding Jack,
Hester and 1, with mother following at less
enthusiastic but equally cheerful pace-when
we saw on the grassy open before the bar
racks what seemed to our startled eyes
to be a soldier in mortal combat with a
large black bear. The grinning faces of the
sentry and the men about the door of the
guard-tent, however, soon treasured us, and
with mixed feelings of delight and awe we
drew nearer.
1t was a soldier, and it was bear; but
as we approached he-the man, not the bear
-disentangled himself sufficiently to make
us a friendly signal to come on, and you
may be sure we were soon-at a respectful
distance-making their acquaintance.
Hes the company's mascot, miss" ex-
planned the private, with smile that was
else about him. eve trapped him when he
but he's big. On, no; he wouldn't never
hurt anyone"-as the bear, who did not
care for the interruption to his scufling-
match, rose on his hind legs and with teeth
and claws set about devouring an arm in
! friendly fashion. HE most bit the cook S
finger off the other day." The soldier
''You see, he amt used to havin' no one
manage him but me, an l was up in the
town, an when l come back, there he'd
got loose, an they had him cornered in the
cellar with pitchforks an brooms an every
thing, awaitin' fer me to get back n chain
him up"
Tricks? Oh, yes, he knows few stunts
-nothin' much. Where's yer bottle, Bug !
Here"-he picked up an old beer-bottle from
the ground and handed it to Bug Tor
Bugamegeshig, to give him his full dignity
and the Indian leader his full indignity)
The bear gravely raised it to his mouth
and tipped back his head as though en-
joying long draught eff it was full he
would be better pleased" said the soldier.
HE likes his beer along with the rest of
us" said his guardian, laughing.
Bug here threw down his bottle, and the
soldier startled us by calling out: Ten
toni"
The bear at once Strengthened up to his
full height, and turned his sharp nose to
the right with comical solemnity~as his
commanding officer shouted:
fright dress!"
'FRONT.'"
Bug obeyed, standing quite steady and
looking very military as he did his best to
follow the manuel as well as any other of
Uncle Sans well-drilled subjects could.
The bear went through few more ma
neuvers, much to our delight, and then the
soldier said
''Want to see him take his bath? He has
his bath in the lake every slay. Now I'll
jes' show you another funny thing he does,
too. This amt no trick, neither, 'cept jes'
his own-the little cuss." He dropped the
chain from his hand, and instantly, before
we had time to be horriefed, the bear made
a dash for the barracks and disappeared
round the corner of the building, lumber
ing at full speed. Away went the soldier
too, and in at door like flash, and short
ly reappeared at the corner round which
Bug had so precipitately vanished, leading
him again by the chain, and laughing.
''The sly little fellow! He always makes
Decline upstairs to get into the beds"
he said, fondly; can if we don't get there
he has 'em all tore up in no time"
He now led the bear down to the waters
edge, and flung the chain over a stump, and
then for some time we watched our friends
enjoyment of the cool water, where he sat,
with his usual gravity, fishing up from the
bottom, one by one, some unspeakable old
playing cards, and eating them adroitly from
the back of his paw.
At last we babe him lingering adieu, and
took our way back through the sunshine to
the town, where the noble savage was to be
seen, in all his dirt and dignity-for he has
dignity still, if you look at him with the
right eyes to see it. We were soon lost in
admiration of an old Indian who had so
many wrinkles in his face that you would
not have been able to tell which of them
was really his mouth except for the fact that
a pipe was protruding from it; and we had
almost forgotten Bugamegeshig's existence,
when wild chorus of yelling voices burst
upon our ears, to the accompaniment of
jingling sound. Of course we hardly need
ed to look round to know that our new
acquaintance had broken loose. But hope
you don't imagine that on this account we
didn't look round, for we did, and exc
cuted several other very hasty moves at
the same time The brute = one always calls
them brutes when they are INDUCING their
native instinct for freedom-rounded the
corner close to us, and came pounding, full
trot, down the plank sidewalk, his big red
mouth wide open, while behind him came
the full hue and cry of the barracks; and
before him stood-we four and the old In
dian. The latter, as. l remembered after
ward, did not rise from his seat nor alter
the arrangement of one wrinkle during this
encounter. 1 thought of the cooks finger
What the thoughts Of. mother, Jack and
the Indian were 1 won't pretend to say.
But Hester, | can assert, thought of some
thing more to the purpose than did any of
us. She raised above her head the big hick-
DRY bough she had just bought, and shouted