The Coconino sun., 1903-02-21
A TOLERABLY| SMART BEAR 4

M uiuh nave any gun, or ned a felt all his life as if the mark of Cain was branded onto his brow. So he told me-" said the man from the lnob country to a New York Sun man. "The way it came about, Gil had been talkin' considerable for quite a spell, and up and says, after while:
 "'Gil,' says, 'ain't there quite pas sil O lyin' done about bears up your way" says.
 "'Cause Gil lives nigh the headwa- ters, and us folks don't git to go that part O the Knob country very often. Consequence is that the things we hear from there every now and then, per- tick'ly when Gil comes down and drops in on us over to the Eddy, pears to me runs pretty nigh 10 bein' amazin'. So I says to Gil:
 "'Ain't there quite a paseil O lyin' done about bears up your way 9 says
 "T guess mebbe you'd think so.' says Gil. if you'd ever hear Jehiel or old Jorum, or even Els Sam git to goin' about 'em some fine day. says Gil. 'Lyin'! I should say 50! And it's a shame, too! There ain't no sort O need O lyin' about bears says he.
 "'Bears is toler'ble smart some times. though. up your way, ain't they? says I.
 "'A trife.' says Gil, sort O careless like. Jest irifle. take it. says he.
 "Then I didn't say no more. but turned to Reuben and says that things was a leetle backward this spring wasn't they? Just as if I'didn't care anything more about Gil or his head waters bears. and was goin' to argue things more substantial. knowin' that Gil wasn't never goin' to let me of that way. thouph ie'~t as well as I knowed he was settin' there on the shoe box chawin' borried tobacco.
 "Reuben was git'in' all ready to say somethin' about things bein' back warden this spring than he had knowed 'em to be in 40 year. and then mention a few springs that come toler'ble nigh bein' as backward as this un. when Gil he shoves his hat to the back of his head and says:
 'Smart!' he says. 'Headwaters bears smart? Why!' he says, don't you mind that un that played it so smart on me last spring? Don't you mind that un. Dan'lv says he.
 "Reuben wigoled so over bein' sot back in his backward springin' that take Gil by the neck and shet him and his bear of right on the start. but he didn't. He only jest snarled a little. and settled back onto his cheer and tilt ed it agin the counter.
 "'Don't you mind that un, DanI?' says Gil.
 CT thunk a minute. and then I asked Gil if it was the one that had stole the nine cords O bark from him and run it over and piled 1t up onto Gideon's slideway.
 "'Was that un the one, Gil?' I says, and. by cats, Gil never winked or blinked or looked surprised.
 "'No,' he says. as unmitigated as could be. No. Dan'l that un ain't the one,' he says. I sarcumvented that un, don't you mind, and made him run the hull nine cord O bark back and put it where he found it. says Gil; and Reu- ben then did everlasin'ly snort, and thought sure he was boun' to choke Gil and his bear right off hand, but he didn't.
 "Last spring. says Gil, not waitin' to ask or to be asked any more ques- tions, T rolled bari O pork into my cabin, up along the headwaters, git tin ready for bark-peelin' The bar'l was chuck full O nice hunks O pork, clear to the chimes. and when I opened it to git out some O the pork, week or so afterward. dingbusted if as much as quarter of it wasn't gone.
 "'Some consarned thief or other had sneaked into the cabin. opened the bar'l, took out the pork and lugged it away. after headin' the barr up ag'in
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