Rogue River courier. (Grants Pass, Or.) 1886-1927, 1903-08-27
A TOLERABLY|
SMART BEAR q

IT didn't have any gun, or he'd a
felt all HIS life as II the mark Of Cain
was branded onto his brow. SO he told
me-" said the man from the l.not
country to New York Sun man 'The
way il came about, Gil had been talkin'
considerable for quite spell, and j up
and says, after while;
"'Gil.' says, amt there quite pas
sill o. lyin' done about bears up your
wayY says.
"Canse Gil lives nigh the headwn-
ters, and Us folks don't git to go that
part o. the Knob country very often.
Consequence ia that the things we hear
from there every now and then, per
tickTy when Gil comes down and drops
in on us over to the Eddy. pears TO me
runs pretty nigh N bein' amazin'. So
says to Gil;
"'Ain't there quite a passil o lyin'
done about bears up your wayT says.
"T guess mebbc you'd think co.
says Gil, IL you'd ever hear Jehiel or old
Jorum, or even Els Sam git TO goin'
about 'em some fine day says Gil
'Lyin'l should say no! And it's a
shame. tool There amt no sort o.
need o. lyin' about bears, says he.
"'Bears Is toler'ble smart some
times, though, up your way, aint
theyr saysI I.
"a triAe. says Gil, sort o. careless
like. Jest trife, I take IT, snys he.
"Then ] didn't say no more, but
turned TO Reuben and says that things
was leetle backward this spring,
wasn't they2 just as II didn't care
anything more about GIL or his head
waters bears, and was goin' TO argue
things more substantial, KNOWN that
Gil wasn't never goin' 10 let me of that
way, though. jest "a well ns knowed
he was settin' there on the shoe box
chawin' borried tobacco.
Reuben was gittin' all ready 10 say
somethin' about things bein back
warder this spring than he had knowed
en- 90 be in 40 year, and then mention
few springs that come tolerble nigh
bein' as backward as this un, when Gil
he shoyes his hat 10 the back Of his
head and says;
bears smart7 Why he says, don't
you mind that un that played Il 90
smart on me last spring. Don't you
mind that un. Dan'l!' says he.
Reuben wiggled so over bein' sot
back In his backward springin' that
thought at first that he was amin 20
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 II agin the counter.
"Don't you mind that. un, Dnnl?'
says Gil.
81 thunk a minute, and then asked
Gil II IL was the one that had stole the
nine cords o. bark from him and run
II over and piled II up onto Gidoon's
slideway.
WAS that un the one, Gil?' says.
and, by cats, Gil never winked or
blinked or looked surprised
NO he says, NJ unmitigated as
could be. No, Dan'l, that un amt the
one he says Isarcumvented that un,
don't you mind, and made him run the
hull nine cord o. bark back and put II
where he found IT, says ell; and Reu-
ben then did evcrlnsinly snort and I
thought sure he was boun' to choke
Gil and his bear right of hand, but he
didn't.
last spring says Gil, not waitin'
TO AJAX or 60 be asked any more ques-
tons, Il rolled a barl o pork into my
cabin, up along the headwaters, git
Tin ready for bark peclin' The bNr'l
was chuck full a. nice hunks o. pork,
clear 20 the chimes, and when opened
IL TO git ont some o. the pork, week
or so afterwurd, dingbusted II as much
as q quarter OF It wasn't gone.
Some conSarned thief or other had
Eneaked into the cabin, opened the
barl, took out the pork and ugged II
away. after headin' the harI up ag'in
as tight and snug as II was when I
rolled IL In, nanl, was so tarnal
mad that the way | ripped and tore /
bet you could a cut chunks % washin
blue out o the air around that cabin.
"'Atter while Sot down to try Ia
think up who Il could be that was
Etealin' my pork so sly and cunnin'
And who do you s'pose | thunk ~ a.
more'n likely bein' the one, nanI?
says Gil
"'Not your pap, Gil,' says, was IT,
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