West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1903-11-05
lEB WHITES STORY.
He Tells How a Humiliated Bear Com.
mitted Suicide.

said the old possum hunter of Ten
nessee, as we sat smoking one eve-
ning, ''but that's whar they are mis-
taken. Thar are bars and bars,
same as thar are men and men.
One bar may have proper pride
about him, and another may have
none at ALL"
Being asked il he had ever seen
one with "proper pride. he though,
for moment then answered.
81 shorely have, and I'll tell you
about it. A feller down at Growers
Co'ners was OWN me 81 and
couldn't pay. He had a lot Of barb
ed wire to fence his patch, and he
give me right smart roll Of it TO
squar' the debt. / brung it home
and strung il out behind the shed
fur the mewl and hawgs to scratch
on, and il jest tickled them to death.
One cvenin', three or four weeks
later, | was out yere smokin' my
pipe when the old woman comes
out and Whispers:
'Zeb White, have yo' got a
nose on yo', or have yo' dun lost i,1"
"Reckon I've got a nose" says T.,
''and what of.it1"
Then don't yo' smell a bar
around9"
=" Not smell OF bar, and |
know the SMELL"
Then yo'vc lost yo'r grip and
better hunt rabbits. II thar amt a
bar within 10 rods of this yere
cabin at this very mint then I'll
never ak for another par o. shoes.
Git yo'rself up and look around.
~ got up" said the old man,
"and about the first thing saw was
big bar out thar by the mewl-
shed. He'd come down off the
mountain and threw the laurels arter
hawg meat. 1t was powerful bold
of him, bein' as he must have
knowed was home at the time, but
thar he was. and he didn't seem to
mind me tall. The old woman,
she seen him. too, and she whisper
ed to me:
Il told you smelt bar, an
thar he is. Is the rifle loaded2'
{" NO.
Then we don't git no bar, fur
il yo' go to move he'll turn tail.
Zeb, yo' amt no mo- Of hunter
than our ole cat.
"The bar stood thar and looked
at US fur a mint" said Zeb, "and
then that wire fence caught his eye.
He hadn't never seen barbed wire
befo', and purity soon he walks up
and gives a hit with his paw. He
got iab from barb, and it made
him mad. What does he do then
but give that fence hug, and it was
the funniest sight yo' ever seen.
The harder he hugged the mo- he
hurt hisself, Of co'se, but it was
good while befo' he would let 60.
He growlcd with madness and whim-
pered with pain, and men the old
woman fell to laughin' fit to kill.
II was 10 minits befo' that bar
would give up. lie Bit and cIawed
and hugged, and when he finally let
60 nc was all over blood.
Reckon he'll make off now
says the old woman, as he sot up on
end and growled with madness.
"But be didn't. lie felt he'd
been worsted, and he wanted to git
even. Thar was heap of loose
wire on the ground, and bimeby he
goes fur il and was ali tangled up
and fghiin' fur his life in mint.
! never heard sich growlin' in all my
life, and when he biz at that wire il
made the cold chills run up our
backs. ] could have got the rife
and loaded it, but / didn't want to
miss any of the fun. The row went
on fur I5 minits, and then the bar
was all tuckercd out and discour.
aged He'd got hold Of suthin' to
beat him, and he had to own up to
il hisself.
Cane be sec that he hadn't IL.
temp asked the old woman, as he be-
gun to back of.
" lie kim says 7, but he's sot
in his ways, and hates to give in.
lie is all chawed to pieces by them
barbs, but he will shorely try II
agin.
"And he did. Five minits later
he made rush fur that fence and
begun to hug and bite and wrastle,
and he vas 50 powerful mad this
time that he pushed down snrcc or
four rods Of it. Il wasn't no use,
however. lie was a licked bar, and
the more he Rugged and bit the
more be knowed he was licked.
NIL. l.. -. L. ~ -