The Van Buren press., 1903-10-03
SIMEON, THE BEAR
AND THE SHEEP 4
Case of a Man who Insisted on
Running Against Nature.
JASE sot a minute" said
| 1.-THE man from the Knob country.

"HNCLE JAsE sot minute" said
1.-THE man from the Knob country
~and then he says to the Squire, sort OF
as a clincher:
esquire says he, happens that ST
neon was an ancestor O. mine, he
says. and not so long back, either he
says, and it's a leetle queer seems tC
me- he says, that | never heerd of
bear maxim him out to be a sheep
thief he says.
First place, says to the Squire then,
and I'd say it to him now:
Squire. says, you hadn't ought TO
done it! S'pose you have got idees
about Uncle Jase?' says. 'Spose one
O. them idees is that no matter what
folks thinks as to the leetle statement
Paul made in his haste about mankind
in gineral they don't hesitate a minute
to say that If it don't hit Uncle Jase
plumb as a shot in the bullseye, then the
lightnin' never hit a barn. | says
There's such thing as goin lettle too
fur, Squire says, and you hadnt
ought to done it, | says.
But the Squire he jest only grinned.
Uncle Jase is from the Rocky Hill
deestrict, and he's a feller-citizen that
most folks has tolerble strong idees
about, particularly the Squire, and
Uncle Jase had come in this time and
told about Evander havin' snuck up
onto a bear that was asleep and got a
rope around 1t before 1t could wake up
and clutch him; and, more than that,
had yanked the critter, in spite OF it.
self. all the way into his clearin'
where he had II tied to pole safe and
sound, that very minute. Then the
Squire had said to Uncle Jase, jest as
If he didn't have no more doubt about
that bear than he did that he was set
tin there, that Evander had run his
head slam ag'in natur', and he'd better
keep his eye peeled.
"1f there's one thing that bear won't
never forgive nor fergit,' says the Squire
shakin' his head solemn at Uncle Jase
and lookin' fer all the world as II this
ioin's OF Evander was worryin' him
AXE all-possessed, its bein' ketched
and done fer while it's asleep, cause
then you're runnin slam ag'in natur'
he SAYS. 'Natur' is wonderful he says,
and you can't beat her. And there
amt nothin' she's so wonderful in as she
is In bears he says
1T you sneak on to a bear when it's
asleep and git the best Of it, says the
Squire, look out, You're tryin' TO beat
uatur'. and natur' won't have IT, he
says. If you ketch bear in that way,
lis bound TO have II in for you and cit
even. and TO make II sorry day for
you when you done It, There amt
aothin' natur' is so wonderful in as she
is In bears, and Eyander wants to keep
ais eye peeled, says the Squire,
Then Uncle Jase sticks up his nose
and says: 'Poof
"Jest e2acly what poor onfortunit
Simeon up and says to my granfather!
SAYS the Squire, holdin up his hands,
And rather calc late he lived TO see the
day he was sorry, poor feller!' says he,
simeon had snuck up onto slcepin'
tear Jest like Eyander has been doin'
and got a rope onto II and yanked It
home and tied It to pole,
my gran'fathcr says to Simeon,
says the squire, that he had run his
head slam agin natur', so he had and
that II he didn't put ball into the bear
and end lts future right there, he'd find
sorrow and tribulation ahead OF him
worse than rassain' with a sawmlll
but Simeon only Jest turned up his nose
and says: "poofl"
my gran father, says the Squire,