Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1905-04-21


Cant never break a bears neck by
shutin' i'm in the him quarters" he
remarked.
/ made no answer.
might Jest es well spit n is face"
he added presently; "jest eggzac'ly."
This apt and forceful advice Gained
a lingering sense of duty, and he rode
on awhile in silence. The woods were
glooming in the early dusk when he
spoke again. Something revived his
contempt of my education. He had
been trailing after me, and suddenly
felt his knee.
Tell We this, Ray" said he, in
kindly tone. "Ef ye wan t. git a bear,
got t. mux i'm up a leetle for'ard-
right up n the neigh borhood NV is
fo'c's'le. Don't dew no good t shute
is hams. Might es well try t choke
i'm t. death by pinchin' is tall
We were out in the open. Roofs
and smoking chimneys were silhouet-
ted on the sky, and, halfway up hill,
we could see the candle-lights of the
red tavern. There, in the bar, before
the evening had come chilly, table
was laid for us, and we sat down with
hearty happiness to tankards of old
ale and a smoking haunch. 1 have
never drunk or eaten with a better
relish. There were half a dozen or so
sitting about the bar, and all ears were
for news of the army and all hands
FL hal acly Cd lnrn
potatoes or ale, half of them rose to
proclaim it, Between pipes of Vir-
ginia tobacco, and old sledge, and
songs of love and daring, we had
memorable night. When we went to
our room, near II o'clock, told Dri
Of our dear friends. who, all day, had
been much in my thought.
"Wus the letter writ by herr" he in
CURED
mot a doubt of it"
"Then it s all right" said he. "a
likely pair O. gals them air-no mis-
take"
But think they made me miss the
bear" I answered.
Ray" said D'ri, soberly, when yer
shutin' a bear, eff we want i'm, don't
never think o. nuthin' but the bear"
Then, after moments pause, he add
ed: won't never hev no luck KILN
bear eff ye don quit dwellin' so on
them air gals"
I thanked him, with a smile, and
asked If he knew Eagle island
Ben all over it half a dozen times"
said he. ct ain no more n 20 rod
from the Yankee shore, tibet air island
amt We c'u'd paddle there in day
from our cove"
And that was the way we planned
to go-by canoe from our landing
and wait for the hour at Paleyville, a
Yankee village opposite the island.
We would hire a team there, and con-
vey the party by wagon to Leraysville
We We're off at daybreak, and going
over the hills at lively gallop. Cross
ing to Caraway pike, in the Cedar
meadows, an hour later, we stampeded
a lot of moose. One of them. great
bull, ran ahead of us roaring with
fright his antlors rafting upon bush
and bough, his black bell hanging to
the fern-tOps.
Don never wan t. hev no argument
with one o them air chaps less we
know purity nigh how t s comm out"
said D'ri. "Alwus want a gun es well
es purity middlin' ca-a-areful aim on
your side. Then We re apt { need q
tree, tew, fore We git through with it,
After a moments pause he added:
Got f be a joemishtyful stout tree, er
he II shake We out NV it LUX a ripe APP
pie"
"They always have the negative side
| Of the question" | said. Don't be-
lieve they d over chase a man if he d
let 'em alone"
"Yis stree, they would" was D'ri's
answer. Il We he'd EN- come right
efter me fore ever l c'u'd lift a gun.
Ye see, they re jest es Gurus bout a
man es a man is bout them. Eff they
can't smell i'm they re terrible Gurus
Jes' wan t see what s inside NV i'm
an what kind NV a smellin' critter he
is. Dunno es they wan t dew i'm any
pertic'lar harm. Jes' wan t muX i'm
over a leetle; but they dew it awful
careless, an he amt never fit t. be
seen no more"
He snickered family as he spoke.
"An' they don't nobody see much uy
i'm efter tibet, nuther," he added, with
a smile.
81 member once a big bull tried t
find out the kind O works I he'd in me
1T wan no moose-jest a common or
d'nary three-year-op bull"
"Hurt you?" queried
mo; It hurt i'm" said he, soberly
Split i'm es We might say. Could n
never bear the sight Nv a man efte
tibet Seem so he did MT think he WI
fit t. be seen. Nobody c'u'd ever git !
mild O. tn poor cuss. He'd t. b.
shot"
What happened"
He'd a stout club n my hand" sail