Waterbury evening Democrat., 1903-03-19
xxxassk1StaSat1s1xs Stk1tAas A Good Deal of ] a Bear Hunt .ss ]
The Man From the Knob Country
 Tells What Happened.

Twas considerable of a bear hunt, :"
 said the man from the Knob country, "but I've an idea that Uncle Si didn't iedge Pete so consarned hasty, after all
 "We hadn't gone two mile up the creek when Joe met Pete comin' down along it like a hurricane. He hadn't no hat on, and he was lookin' wild. We had all we could do to head him off and stop him, so as we could find out what was the matter.
 "tThe woods is full and runnin' over with em,' Pete hollers, as soon as he could git some wind. T stood and counted II old seekers passin' a given pint, and then natur' give way. I couldn't stand it no longer. I broke and run. How many more than Il there was I couldn't stop to git the fggers on!' he hollers.
 "Pete was feller that tarried con- side'ble at the applejack, and he had been tarryin' consid'bler than usual at it O late, and Uncle Si knowed it. So when Pete got through hollerin' about the sight he had seen in thewoods Uncle Si fishes his pint bottle out O his pocket and hands it over to Pete, and Pete takes swig that was amaz- in'
 Now, Peter says Uncle Si, do you see 'em now?' Cause Uncle Si had his idee about the state O Peters nerves.
 "ssee 'em now?' says Pete, and there was water runnin' out O his eyes yit from the bite O Uncle Sis recuperator No he says. It was a mile up the creek, wonder, that I see 'em, he says.
 "sDid they seem like they was rat tlers,' says Uncle Si, tor did they look like only jest ordinary everyday sar- pents?' says he.
 'Sarpents!' says Pete. Great Hick- ory Jackson he says, T hain't been seein' sarpents. It's bear I been see in! Eleven old seekers passin' given pint, and I don't know how many more follerin' 'em,' he says.
 Worse and worse!' says Uncle Si. When a feller gifts to seein' bears rum min in droves, Peter, it's gettin' along to'rd time that he took an all-pervadin' swear-off, andr-'
 Uncle Si didn't say no more, cause jest then there come snort from up the bank on one side O the creek, and a snort from up the bank on t'other side O the creek, and the shorts came from two slammin' big bears that was stickin' their heads through the 1aure1s, where they had been listenin' to the hull confab betwixt Uncle Si and Pete.
 "Pete he give one yell and tore on down the creek jest like he was tearin' when we headed him off, and before me or Uncle Si or any of us could whang away at either O the bears they was gone. I looked at Uncle Si, and Uncle Si looked at me.
 "s'Pears like as if I mowt "a been jedgin' Peter a leetle hasty,' says he.
 "sYes,' says. Tt looks that way. I guess he seen 'em,' says.
 s'Then Simon's Abe got afeared that his azmy,was goin' to give him spell and he started back toler'ble, fast, so as to git there before the spell ketched him. That left only me and Uncle Si and Joe and Sam and Eli and young Nose and Evander and Patsy's Bob, and we marched on.
 "Uncle Si sent young Nose and Eli up in the laurels, one on one side O the creek and one on t'other, while, the rest of us follered along below. We hadn't marched fur before young Nose heerd a rustlin' in the thick brush, and he whangs away at it. Kerthumpy-te- thump down the bank, out O the brush, rolls Ellis bear dog Socky, that Eli wouldn't "a took no fifty dollars fur, and he lands in the creek, deader than # had benn pizaned week
 Nose says Eli, most a-cryin', sthere'l be mournin' to my house to- night, worse'n when the daughters O Bab'lon hung their harps on the will lers! says he.
 "'Cause the dog Socky was as good at runnin' the churnin' machine as he was at runnin' bear, and Ellis ol' wom- an was always peppery when Eli took him huntin'.
 'sT don't know what young Nose was goin' to answer back, for before he had a chance to answer anything, two bears came tearin' out O the brush jest be- yond Eli and pitched and rolled down the bank. Eli banged away after 'em, but the bears got away in the laurels at the bottom. A bunch O fur and a 1 few spatterin's O blood showed that Eli had hit one of 'em.
 'sThen Sam he remembered that he | was goin' to have company for dinner, and he had to hurry back home. We all got in to sort O console Eli for the 1ostn' Q his dog socky, and while we l was doin' of it Uncle Si suddenly hauled up and banged away up the creek at i somethin'.
 We heard howl, and then some thin went smashin' and dashin' on up the creek, though we couldn't see what 1t was for the thick laurels. Uncle Si had just begun to tell us that it was a l bear, and that he only see one of it's ] eyes as the bear was peepin' out O the brush, when some one from up that way hollered:
 1 Hi, down there! What in Sam Hill l you doin'? That was my bear, and I've been followin' it more'n ten miles! What you jumpin' in and skeerin' il away for?'
 "Close onto that holerin' the man that made it came breakin' out O the I 1anrelS If wac 0I5 Iake and ha was