Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1904-08-17
4 YOUNG BLACK BEAR
THE ANTICS OF JOHNNY WERE
VERY INTERESTING.
Ernest Harold Baynes Tells Of Mis-,
chievous Little Present He Re
ceived-It Envinced Won
derful intelligence

About ten days ago | received by ex-
press fair-sized box, from which issued
a series of strange noises.
''Wowi" said something inside the
box. Wow! Wow! Wow.- Scratch,
scratch, Uh.-Uh!-Wow!--W ow!-
Wowi'
Naturally, was interested, and has
tened to read the inscription written
upon a large card, which had been tackled
to the top of the box 1t ran as fol-
lows:
Please water ME and give me some
hing to eat. But do not give me fruit
or sweets, as it makes me sick like
milk. | am for Ernest Harold Baynes
The Haven Cottage), Newport, N. H.
All this only heightened my curiosity,
and, Selling hammer and an old chisel,
[ quickly pried open corner of the box
In an instant there was poked through
the opening little black head, with
taWny muZZle, thick, furry ears and
small, dark eyes, and realized that my
guest was baby black bear. The ex-
preston on his face was decidedly surly;
the little chap was evidently greatly dis
pleased at having been kept in such
small quarters for more than 4S hours,
and he grunted peevishly as he drew his
sturdy little body out onto the lawn.
The housekeeper appeared with
large bowl of crackers and milk, and as
soon as the little bear saw her coming
he ran to meet her. and, without walt
ing for the food to be set down, he stood
II ho nj Of ho
bowl with his fore paws, and hoistei
himself into it. Then he was set on the
ground, with the food before him, and
| don't believe that anything would
have induced him to leave it. He lay
flat OF the grass, with his fore paws
round the bowl, that it, might not get
away from him. and with his muzzle
buried almost to the eyes in the crack
ers and milk
A door closed simply with spring
he could open as well as l could He
would first pull it ajar with one of his
fore paws, and then insert his muzzle
In the kitchen there is a screen door
which closes with a spring in this
way, and whether he had done the trick
before or not, don't know, but he knew
how to open this door at once
At the front door there is another screen
door, and it SO happened that. while the
kitchen door opens at the right, the front
door opens at the left
Here was a chance to test the little
bears knowledge of doors, so, when I
saw that he was very anxious to enter
the house, l latched the kitchen door
and let him go around ITO the front II
was at once evident that he had had nc
experience with doors that opened al
the left, for he devoted al his energies
to the right-hand side, and for many
minutes worked hard at the crack close
to the springs and hinges After he had
given it up as bad job. brought him
back and opened the door just an inch
or two. In a moment he inserted his
nose, and ever since he has been able tc
open that door as easily as the other
one.
The morning after his arrival l tool
him out for walk, and he followed me
like a dog, making frequent excursions
into the woods and the long grass which
bordered the road. Every now and then
surprising agility. Where there were nc
branches he advanced up the trunk by
leaps. with fore paws wide apart and
with hind paws near together. He al
ways came down backwards, and with
considerable caution, often looking be-
low, either to see where he was going, OF
to find out how far he was from the
ground. He was most inauiSitive, ex.
aiming everything we came to. from
flowers and stones to old farmhouses.
which he would enter with an air which
suggested condescension
BY and by we came to a large stone
watering trough, into which clear water
bubbles from spring. OF course the
little bear had to examine that. so uu
the side he went, and, after taking lar
or two of the water he deliberately slid
right into it. and swan from end to enc
of the trough and back again. Then he
descended to the road and galloped alons
as before. Presently q countryman driy.
ing to work, turned his horse toward
the trough that it might drink. But the
horse, although very thirsty, would moi
come near. So the trough had to be
emptied and cleaned and filled again
after which the horse cane up and drank
as usual Several horses have. at diff.
erent times evinced marked dislike e
either the sight or odor of the little
bear, though other horses will let him
play around their feet without SO much
as raising their heads
ERNEST HAROLD BAYNES
One Way to Get It.