Newport weekly independent., 1903-10-02

ketched. It'd be states prison, sure aS cats, he says.
 The bear that Simeon had ketched asleep was layin' there by its pole, pre- tendin' to be snoozin, but when my grandfather spoke them words it opened its eyes and looked up student and queer. Then it got up and took to th1nkln' like, and kep' turnin' it's eyes on Simeon, and gran father says to Simeon ag'in to beware O that bear; but Sim con jest says: 'Poof!'
 Next day. says the Squire, gran father went away on three weeks raftin' trip, and the day after that young Steve, who lived next farm to Sim con, got. up early and found three of his sheep gone. But the thief had left such a trail that Steve follered it till 1t stopped, and then he almost4 kerr dummixed, he was so astounded.
 But he went right off, says the Squire, and woke up the justice of the peace, and told him he wanted war rant for the sheep thief; and when yeun g Steve told him who. it was he most fell in fit. Then Steve routed out the con stable, and where do you think he led him? Straight to Simeon's!
 :" First says the Squire, they went to the milk house. There hung young Steve's three sheep And they were skinned! Then they went to the barn. There laid the pelts off O them sheep, on the barn floor.
 That was all they wanted. They got Simeon up, served the warrant and marched him off in spite of all he could say. Young Steve said afterward,' says the Squire, that he see the bear dancin' around the pole, and huggin' itself as if it was jest about bustin' with joy or somethin, but Steve didn't think nothin' about it, bears bein' queer
 "The Squire went on and told Uncle Jase how the upshot of it all was that the day his grandfather got back from his three weeks raftin' trip he went over to Simons to see how him and the bear was gittin' along, the Squires grandfa- ther, of course, not havin' heerd any thing about Simeon bein' took up for sheep stealin', and there was the bear layin' down by the pole, ponderin' like, when along comes young Steve with the news from the county seat, and he hol- lers out:
 |" Hooray! Simeon gifts three years in jail! Hooray!'
 With that says the Squire, the bear jumped up and danced and hugged itself, and almost hollered hooray, too.
 When the Squires grandfather heerd all about it, he up and says:
 I warned himi I warned him ag'in the bear, but he pooled at me! The bear stole them sheep and put it on to Simeon, sure as guns!
 Then says the Squire, the bear quit huggin' itself, and laid down and looked skeert and sneakin'. But there wouldn t nobody else believe that the bear had done it, and the unfortunate man that pooled at my ancestor, who knowed bears from A to lizard, and that scoffed at Natur', not knowin' she was so won derful in bears that a bear ketched asleep was bound to git even with it's fletcher, even if it had to make him out a sheep thief-that unfortunate man had to serve his time. Uncle Jase,' says the Squire, the best thing you can do is to send Eyander warnin'.'
 Uncle Jase he sot spell, and then he says to the Squire, sort O as clincher:
 Squire he says, happens that Simeon was an ancestor O mine, he says, and not so long back, neither he says, and it's little queer, seems to me, he says, that never heerd of bear maxim of him out to be sheep thief! says he.
 What!' says the Squire, jest as if he was s'prised more than he could say. Simeon an ancestor O your'n?' he says. 'Well-well-well!' he says. Kin it be then says he, that the bear didn't steal them sheep after all?' says he.
 And I says to the Squire then, and I'd say it to him now:
 Squire says, you hadn't ought to done it!'
 But the Squire he jest only grinned." IN. Y. Sun.