Barton County democrat., 1903-03-27

was doin' Of it Uncle ST suddenly hauled
up and banged away up the creek at
,somethin'.
g "We heard a howl, and then some
thin went smashin' and dashin' on up.
the creek, though we couldn' t see what
it was for the thick laurels. Uncle 81
had just begun to. tell us that it was
bear. and that he. only see one of its
eyes as the bear was peepin' out o the
brush, when some one from up, that
way hoflered:
Hi, down there! What in Sam Hill
you doin'? That was my bear, and I've
been followin' it more'n ten miles!
What you jumpin' in and skeerin' it
away for?'
that made it came breakin' out O. the
laurels. It was Old Jake, and he was
madder than wildcats. guess mebbe
there'd a been quite some hot squab-
blin' betwixt him and Uncle 81 if jest
then we hadn't heerd two shots beyend
the laurels, and we all hurried On to see
what was up; all bnt Joe, who diskiv-
cred that he had g,ne lame, and SO he
had to turn and go back hcme.
Beyond the laurels who should We
come out on to- but Gabe and Josh,
holdin' their guns in their hands and
lookin' skeert.
"'Bears come a-tumbl out o them
laurels like bees out of a hivei' says
Gabe. They went over the hill and
down into the holler yonder skitin'.
D don't know how many me and Josh
filed with lead, but seen one of 'em
hump himself and sort o fall behind
the rest and look tired
'"Then Evander spoke up and said
that he'd be darned If he was goin' to
tag on behind lot o. bears without
gittin' chance to have shot at 'em.
and so he'd go back home.
"'More'n likely thatll be good idea
for you. Evander,' says Uncle 81. for
the chances is that the bears have cir
eled round and gone back to the creek
ag'in,' he says, and you can't help but
run ag'in two or three of 'em on your
way in he says.
$50 Evander said he didn't want to
take no setch advantage as that OF q
party like our'n, and he stayed with us.
eve went down in the hol1cr and
s'arched and secuted and s'ar.hed, but
we couldn't git track O. that drove o
bears, nowhow. By and by we heerd
some one hollerin' and yellin' for help,
off in little swamp. He wa nted help
cause he was treed by bear. he hol-
Tered, and all of US but Paisy's Bob hur-
ried over there to help him.
"Paley's Bob saidhe'd be conearned
if he hadn't lost his pocRetbook COM
in down to the holler, and he must go
back and look for it. I guess he must
t-~f 50cy1
he hadn't got back yet when we left.
'The feller in the tree was young
Ike. A big bear was at the foot of the
tree. sure enough, but see to once
that he was deader'n a. milestone.
"'Him and another one came tearin'
in here says young Ike comm down
on to- the tree, Fookin' sh eepish. and [
skinned up this tree. T'other bear
went on, but this un squatted right at
the foot o the tree, and l thought be
was treein' me, and waitin' fer me to
tumble OUT says young Ike.
old Jake swore up and down that
the dead bear was the one he had
chased ten mile. Uncle ST declared 1t
didn't make no difference whether
Jake had chased the bear ten mile or
twenty, it was the bear he had sent his
rifle bullet into up in the laurels along
the creek. or it wouldn't be YIN there
dead likeit was.
ELI reckoned. that the bear was one
that would be alive and we'll yet if
he hadn't. sent that charge of lead into
it just after young Nose had shot the
bear dog Socky, and Gabe and Josh
wanted to bet all they was worth that
the bear was one that had bumped it,
self and got tired after Gabe and Josh
had banged away into the drove of
bears up on the hilf-
"No tellin' what mawt a happened
by and by if Big Jim, from Ball Hill,
hadn't come along with gun on his
shoulder.
"'Youll find load O. buckshot in
that bears liver says he, and not an
other ounce O. Lead he says. The
buckshot slid out o this here gun o.
mine about half an hour ago, over
yender in the swamp he says.
That's what they found in the bear
"a big load o. buckshot in its liver,
and nothin' else. Big Jim took the
bear. and we came home. It was con-
sider'ble O. bear hunt. but I've got an
idea that Uncle 81 didn't jedge Pete so
consarned hasty that mornin' after
all."-N. 7. Sun.