Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1902-12-03

boys went to the stack to kick it and
scare the rabbit out. The other two
stood ready with their guns to shoot
it when it jumped out.
The boy kicked. The rabbit jumped
out on one side, but neither boy shot
1t, for on the other side of the stack
big bear tumblcd out and surveyed
the youthful hunters in astonishment
The rabbit got away; so did the boys.
They came across Farmer Weaver
In the course OF their flight, and paused
long enough to tell him about the bear
they had disturbed in the farmers
) fodder stack. Farmer Weaver hurried
away to find jim Wagner, the bear
hunter Jim lived just beyond the
field where the lear had come out of
- the stack and scared the three boys,
but Farmer Weaver took wide cir
cult around the field and came to
Wagners house from the far side.
When he got there he found that Wag-
ner was out hunting.
Farmer Weaver left Wagner's great
ly disappointed, and had not got as far
W
him tearing back and into the house
and slamming the door behind him.
'The bear is comin'r' he cried.
Mrs. Wagner looked out of the win
dow, and, sure oaough, the bear was
slouchng leisurc:y across the door
yard, headed tow; ID the garden. Wag-
ner's wife seized her clothes-pounder,
4
upright handle f9 9stened in it, used for
pounding clothes the wash. Armed
with this she rus led from the house,
took short cut GROUND and came out
ahead of the lr. Bruin stopped
when he saw her and put up a savage
front. showing h; teeth and snarling
and swapping his avs. Mrs. Wagner
was not turned rom her course by
the fierce demons 'ation made by the
bear, and she adv" 0ced rapidly toward
him, her formid 5le weapon raised
above her head, ready to fall upon the
bear when she got within reach.
The bear, seeing that he had not
frightened his enemy, and evidently
not liking the appearance of the up
lifted cloihes-pounder, turned and
shuflled quickly back toward the house
Mrs. Wagner had not stopped to shut
the door when she rushed from the
house to intercept the bear, and the
latter, seeing it open, and perhaps i'm
agining that it promised him refuge
within, made straight for it.
Farmer Weaver, in his excitement
Snld astonishment at the sudden move
6 ment OF Wagner's wife against the
y bear, had stood still by the window
watching the proceedings outside, and
had not thought of the open door
When he saw the bear approaching the
house he moved and started for the
bear. The bear was so close then,
though, that Weaver did not venture
to go out of the door, and, not even
stopping long enough to shut 1t, he
rushed for door at the other side,
made his escape from the house and
in his haste left that door open behind
him. The bear entered at the one
door, but Mrs. Wagner was close on
his trail, and he hurried right on
through and out of the door Mt the
other side of the house, Wagner's
wife, with her weapon still aloft, close
behind him. Farmer Weaver had run
toward the barn and had nearly
reached it when the bear went hurry
y-ing out OF the house. Weaver looked
over his shoulder, saw the bear headed
' straight in his direction and only three
rods away; got the barn door open
and rushed inside closing the door be-
. hind him. There was no fastening to
the door and it would not stay shut,
and Farmer Weaver made double-quicll
time up the ladder leading to the hay
NOW.
There was high fence to be climbed
whichever way the bear turned, un-
less he turned toward his pursuer, and
that did not seem to be the thing he
wanted to do. He would not have
time, either to scale the fence before
his enemy would be upon him with
that ponderous weapon. Whether the
bear reasoned that way or not, he
chose to take the chances of entering
the barn and he did. Mrs. Wagner fol-
only little way up the ladder leading
TO the NOW, and with one sweep of
! her clothes-pounder she knocked him
Nsprawling back to the floor. At the
same moment Farmer Weaver got the
NOW window open, dropped from it
to the ground and hurried homeward
Before the bear could gather himself
from the blow Mrs. Wagner had given
him she followed it with another which
crushed his skull, and when Jim Wag-
ner came nome from his hunt, an hour
or so later, he found a nice, fat bear
lying dead in the barn.
Mrs. Wagner had only laughter for
the manner in which Farmer Weaver
had acted as she related how she had
managed to chase the bear down and
kill him, but when the farmer sent
word over the next day that as the
bear was started out of his field he