Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1905-05-30

INC hoHd o. tao doctor Stcept the b0td peas
OF beneuo'encc ut the top Of his head.
I'd enjoy it all the more when l did
hev it. One day went off cuttin' tim
Der an stayed till mos night. Comm
home l got t. thinkin' O. thet ham, an
made up my mind I'd hev some fer
supper. The more thou hit NV it
the faster / hurried. an Wen l got
hum l was hungrier n I'd been fer
year. When see the OF bears tracks
an the empty peg where the ham had
hung went t. work an got mad.
Then I started after tibet bear Track.
ed I'm over yender up Cat mount'in."
Here Alb paused. He had way of
stopping always at the most interest
Ing point to puff at his pipe. 1t looked
as II he were getting up steam for an
other sentence, and these delays had
the effect Of continued in our next
XIII 'im!" Uncle Eb asked.
Licked him." he said.
Huh we remarked incredulously.
clicked 'im," he repeated, chuckling
Went into his cave with sled stake
an whaled i'm whaled i'm till he run
fer his life"
Whether it was true or not have
never been sure even to this day, but
Abs manner was at once modest and
convincing.
Should "a thought he'd "a rassled
with ye," Uncle Eb remarked
Didn't give i'm time," said Alb as he
took out his knife and began slowly
to sharpen stick.
Don't never wan t. rassle with no
BEAR" he added, "but hams is too
source here n the woods t. hev 'em
TUX away fore We know the taste Nv
'em. amt never been hard on bears.
Don't seldom ever set no traps, an l
amt shot bear fer more'n ten year.
But they've got t. be decent If any
bear steals my vittles he's goin' t. sit
cuffed hard"
Abs tongue had llmbered up at last.
His pipe was well a-going. and he SEEM
ed to have struck an easy grade. There
was tone Of injury and aggrievement
In his talk Of the bears lngratitude.
He smiled over his whiting as we
laughed heartily at the droll effect of it
all.
Dye ever hear o the wild man at
roams round n these woods?' lie asked
- ssNexon did said Uncle Eb
i've seen i'm more times N soioouid-
shake stick at" said Alb, crossing his
legs comfortably and splitting into the
fire. kind O. think he's, the same man
folks tells wv down n Paradise valley
there-'at goes round n the clearin' aft
er bedtime"
1.-THE night man" l exclaimed.
Guess thet's what they call i'm"
said Alb. "Curus man! Sometimes I've
he'd good squint at i'm Off n the
woods. He's wilder n a deer, an I've
seen i'm jump over logs half as high
as this shanty jest as easy as ye'd hop
a twig. Tried t. foller i'm once er twice,
but tain no use. He's quicker n wiz
cat"
"What kind of lookin' man is he?"
Tip Taylor asked.
"Great, big, broad shouldered feller,"
said Alb six feet tall if he's an inch.
He'd kind Of deersllin jacket on
when l seen i'm an brooches an mecca
sins made O. some kind O. hide. recol-
lee one day was over on the ridge
two mile er more from the Saltwater,
goin' south 1 seen i'm gittin' drink
at the spring there in the burnt timber
An If amt mistaken there was real
live panther playin' round i'm. If
'twan't a panther twas pesky nigh it,
can tell ye. The critter see me fust and
drew up is back. Then the man got
up quicker N flash. Soon IS he see
me, Jeemimey, didn't they move! New
er see no human critter run as he did!
A big tree he'd fell cross lot O. brush
right n his path. I'll be gol dummed if
'twan't higher n my head! But he
cleared it jest as easy as grasshopper
d go over straw. I'd like t know
where he comes from, gol dummed if I
est animal N these woods"
Alb emphasized this lucid view of the
night man by an animated movement
Of his fist that held the big hunting
knife with which he Whitfield. Then he
emptied his pipe and began cutting
more tobacco
''Some says g IS a ghost" said Tip
Taylor, splitting his sentence with a
yawn, as he lay on buffalo robe in the
shanty.
"Shucks an shoestrings" said Alb.
HE looks too nat'ral. Don't believe no
ghost ever wore whiskers an long hair
like his'n. Thet don't hol' t. reason"
silence. Tip seemed to lack both cour-
age and information with which to pro
long the argument.
Gerald had long been asleep, and we
were all worn out with uphill travelling
and the lack Of rest. Uncle Eb went
out to look after the horses that were
tethered near us. Alb rose, looked up
through the tree tops, ventured guess
about the. weather and strobe off into
the darkness.
We We're five days in camp, hunting
tshine, lighting flies and picking blue
berries. Gerald's cough had not i'm
proved at all; 1t was, If anything, 9
bit worse than 1t had been, and the
worry of that had olouded our holiday
We were not in high spirit when finally
we decided to break camp the mex
afternoon.
Tip had everything ready for oul
Journey home. Each day Gerald hat
grown paler and thinner. AS W,
wrapped him In q shawl and tenderl!
helped him Jansg the. wagon ! read hi