The Van Buren press., 1903-10-03

'knowed bears from A 10 lizard. and
how wonderful natur' was into EN-. and
he went away sorrowin'. cause he
knowed there was day o reckonin' for
Simeon II he didn't kill that bear he
had snuck up and ketched when ii was
sleepin' And natur' is natur' now
and bears is bears jest the same as they
was then. says the Squire. 1 feel sorry
for Eyander.' he says.
Then Uncle Jase he says 'Poof!'
ag'in as scornful as Sam Hill and the
Squire he shook his head and says:
Too bad! Too bad!'
AS fer Simeon, says the Squire, he
want psrtic'lar poplar in the deestric',
that's so, but he hadn't never done
nothin' wrong as anybody knowed on.
Yit he had ways. and folks didn't care
much fer him. Then along about that
time some one took to stealth sheep
around there most tremendous. Who
was dom OF It nobody couldn't git no
idee.
lone day says the Squire. my
gran father was talkin' to Simeon, and
he says to Simeon that it'd go hard with
the sheep stealers If they was ever
ketched. It'd be states prison, sure as
cats. he says.
The bear that Simeon had ketched
asleep was layin' there by IFS pole, pre-
tendin' TO be snooZin,' but vixen my
gran father spoke them words it opened
its eyes and looked up student and
queer. Then it got up and took to
thinkin' like, and KEEP urnin' itseyes on
Simeon, and gran father says to Simeon
ag'in to beware O that bear; Eut 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
it stopped, and then he almost ker-
fiummixed, he was so astounded.
But he went right on says the
Squire, and woke up the justice of the
peace, and told him he wanted a war
rant for the sheep thief; and when young
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 Simeons!
First, says the Squire, they went
to the milk house. There hung young
Steye'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
1t was jest about Dustin with JOY or
somethin' but Steve didn't think nothin
about ii, bears bein' queer
The Squire went on and told Uncle
Jase how the upshot Of ii 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 Squire's GRANDPA
ther, N 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
leEs out;
Hooray! Simeon gifts three years in
jail! Hooray!
With that says the Squire, the
bear jumped up and danced and huggsd
itself, and almost hollered hooray, too
When the Squire's grandfather heerd
all about II, he up and says
I warned him! warned him ag'in
the bear, but he poofed at me! The bear
stole them sheep and put 1t 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 II, and the unfortunate man that
poofed at my ancestor, who knowed
bears from A to lizard, and that scoffed
at Natur', not KNOWN she was so won
derful in bears that bear ketched
asleep was bound to git even with its
ketcher, even II 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 Evander warnln,
Uncle Jase he sot a spell, and then he
says TO the Squire, sort o as a 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 20 me- he
says, that never heerd OF a bear maxim
OF him out to be sheep thief says he
What says the Squire, Jest as II
he was s'prised more than he could say
Simeon an ancestor o your'n?' he says
'Well-wel-well!' he says. Kin It be,
then, says he, that the bear didn't steal
them sheep after ALP says he
and 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 grlnned,"
N Y, Sun