Evening journal., 1905-04-03

one day n the woods-guess twas
more'n a hundred year ago-an' was
lost. Walked all over an fin1y got T.
goin' round an round n a big circle till
they was both on em tired out Come
night they lay down es hungry es tew
bears. The boy he was kind o. 'fraid
O. the dark so he got up clus G the
panther an lay tween his paws The
boy he thought the panther smelt funny,
an the panther he didn't jes like the
smell o. the boy. An the boy he he'd
the leg ache an kicked the panther n the
belly, so { he kin o. gagged an spit an
they want neither on 'em reel com
ftabe. The sof' paws O. the panther
was jes like pincushions. He'd great
hooks in 'em sharper'n the pint Nv
needle An when he was goin' t
sleep he'd run ,em out jes' like an or
cat-kind O. playful an pur an pull.
"All T. once the boy felt sumthin
like lot o needles prickin' his back;
made him jump an holler like Sam
Hill .The panther he spit sassy an
riz up an smelt o. the ground. Didn't
neither on 'em know what was the mat
ter. Bime by they lay down ag'in.
'Twan't only a little while fore the
boy felt sumthin' priclSin' NV him. He
hollered an kicked agin. The panther
he growled an spit an clumb tree an
sot on a limb an peelled over at thet
queer little critter Couldn't neither
on Sem understan' it, The boy cu'd
see the eyes O the panther in the dark;
shone like tew live Goals eggszac ly.
The paDther'd never sot n tree when
he was hungry an see a boy below
him. Sumthlh toll him T. jump. Tail
went swish in the leaves like thet. His
whlskers quivered; his tongue come
out. Cu'd think O nuthn' but his big
empty belly The boy was scairt He
up withhis gun quick es a flash, aimed
at his eyes an let 'er flicker. Blew a
lot o smoke an Bird shot an paper
waddin' right pp, int his face, The
panther he LOST his wblsSers an one
eye an got his hide full o shot an
fell off the tree like ripe apple an.
run fer his life. Thought he'd never
see nnthin' cu'd grow an spit s. pow
erful es-thet boy, Never ciu'd bear. the
sight Nv man after thet. Allwus
mede him gag an spit t. think O the
man critterss~- Went of teAg his own
folks an rtor-o,-tAe! boy at spit-hrsspu'
smoke am -gremlelA Aso, t -dipos'~ tore his
ears. OF. -ARi1nef2 whenever they hear
a gun so off they allwus think It's the
man crltter growlin'. An they gag an
spit an look es if it made 'em sick t.
the stomach. An the man folks they
didn't hev no good 'pinion O the pan
thers after thet. Hain't never been
frien's any more Fact is n man he
can be any kind NV beast, but pam
ther he can't be nuthin' hut jest a
panther"
Then, too, as we lay there in the
freight Uncle Eb told the remarkable
story OF the gingerbread bear. He told
it slowly as If his invention We're Sc
verely taxed And here is the story:
"Once they wuz a boy got lost Was
goin' cross lots { play with mother boy
an he'd t so through a strip o. woods,
Went. of the trail t chase a butterfly
an got lost He'd his kite an cross
gun, an he wandered all over till he
was Tired an hungry Then he lay
down T. cry on a bed o. moss Purity
quick they was big black bear come
along.
"'Whatssthe matter2' said the bear
"Hungry, says the boy, s st
"'Tell ye what III dew, says the
bear If yen scratch my back feI
me I'll let ye cut piece q my tail of
T. eat
Bears tail ye know, hes a lot o
meat on it--hearn tell il was gram good
fare. So the boy he scratched the
bears back. an the bear he grinned
an made his paw go patltty pat on the
ground--it did feel so splendid. Then
the boy TUX his jackknife an begun t
cut of the hears tail. The bear he
flew mad an growled an growled SO
the boy he stopped an didn't dast cut
no more.
"Hurts awful says the bear
Couldn't never stan It, Tell We what
III dew. Ye scratched my back, an
now I'll scratch xour'n'" lnH
"Gee whlzv' said !. l.it ~
YES, sir. that's what the bear said.
Uncle Eb went on. "The boy he up an
run like a miller The bear he laugh
ed hearty an scratched the ground Ike
Sam Hill an flung the dirt higher'n bis
head. r'.t
".:Look here, says he as the boy
stopped, Il jes swailered a piece o
mutton. Run yer hand int my throat
an I'll let ye hev it,
HThe bear he opened his mouth ain
Showed his big teeth
"Whew.'iI ! whistled
"Thets eggszac'ly what he done
said Uncle Eb "He showed 'em plain
The boy was scairter N weasel The
bear he jumped up an down on his
tHnd legs an laughed an hollered an
shook himself,
/ HtOnly jes' foolin',n says he when h'
see the boy was goin t run ag'in
'NYhatrye 'fraid uv2"
,"iCan't bear t stay here,' says tn
boy, less yen keep yer mouth shet
! AN the bear he shet his mouth an
/ p'inted 10 the big pocket n his fu
coat an winked an motioned t tn
boy.
/ "The bear he reely did hev a pocke
on the side Nv his big fur coat. TIL
boy slid his hand in up L the elbow
Wha' dye s'pose he found?"
/ Dunno" said l.
"Sumthin' { eat" he continued
"Boy liked it best Of all things"