The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1905-10-26
Began by Having Fun With the
Hunter, but Soon Lost
Its Temper.
U~NAcQuAINTeD WITH FIRE
After GxhsVstinO Every Other Means
81 osttiWS Alvey from InsSristsd
Brute. . Little oveWine Brush
oavsd HE Lie.

9th y0u, Bruner! nave noticed that
even ON our trout fishing expeditions
you carry II. You don't intend tn kill
any game out OF season. d. you-" the
visitor inquired Of John Bruner. the
guide In the Middle Mountain range of
West Virginia.
mo. I don't want To Nil any game"
Druner replied. The fact In. I was
scared about q year ago putty nearly To
death-made Q piaything Ut by a
damned panther for about An hour In
these very mouHtains. and ] o want
that sort OF 'spertcnce agin. and u WAS
Sust because ] didn't hev my U with
mo.
- was at Cherry Grove. on top Of the
Allegheny. intending to stay all season
with friends, when y day ] got q
Better xskin' me to come on a certain
day over 10 Addison to meet a nshin'
pArty AN guide 'em In to h h
Smountains on = trout ishin' trip. As ]
emily had time nun to meet EN- ON the
day set by takin' the shortest route. !
GUIDED to follsr the old Seneca path.
THE Seneca path II an old injIn
Grail which runs bout an near straight
N a surveyor could make right
Through the Dry fork Of Rich noun
tain across Laurel river. then over
Middle mountain and East F:rk. over
lUV09tNabb &n ~khNs "N ~
straight on drought the widest.
toughest part Of the woods to the rail-
road.
".Better take yer gum said Jim
Durk. the Teller ! was staytn' with.
They say them woods 10 full OF pan
ehers n bars. an them o tackle
I'm jes' 20 light N I kin. an I won't
hev any time to spare. A. fer the var
mints. I amt skeercd o. them ! says.
I'M OF I Hoped. carrying nothin' but a
piece o. meat an n ponc O cohn bread.
ITS a mighty long way cross an,
made good time. did Mt see nothin'
chat day but a ole she bar an a couple
o half grown cubs: and they wux right
On the trail. an all three stopped nj
Growicd an smiled when. they saw me.
but when ] waved my arms an started
NJ EN- with a whoop they III out like
race horses.
Them bars looked so comicai. an
they was skeered 90 bad that ! LATED
Hill I was sore. Tibet wux my time "a
Ian: the mex time the other critter did
she lanin' II any Was did.
Il slept under "A tree that night an
nothin' bothered me. nm the next
lnjun path-an' by the way. that ole
Seneca trail In jes' as plain today an u
Mas $50 years ago. It's bout eighteen
onches wide an a foot deep. an % hard
chat nothin' grows on it-Jes' nk u
bed been ieveled out with a shovel
Il was goin' long In q sort o q lope'
right long the top o Shaver mountain
with the woods CROWN thick an biz
right up to the trail. when right In
front a. me, not nifty feet away. a bis
painter jumped on a big limb plump
into the path. He was h biggest
painter I ever saw. an he M "a bin
1t least min feet long, from tip to tip
an how his yailer and brown body did
shin. when ne stretched himself out
full length. jest IN though no was
strctc him out for a big jump.
II tell you I was skeercd for one.
Freely aid M know what to do. To turn
an run away I knowed would bs
wc.ge'n f~oolishness. for he'd IA bin or
me In u couple o. jumps. an to stan
still would "a bin ekaily m foolish. Al
losi I GUIDED to keep on goin' though
was putty sure ! was goin' to be ut
tackled the next minute
.T..er was jes' room TO pass without
tcca.i of the painter he laid. fei
the path widened outtn passin' over Z
nat rock right there, an I'd made VI
my mind that I'd try II ef ! felt hi
claws the next mint. What would a
happened you AIN imagine yerself. bu
thc painter didn't walt fer me TO come
quite up. fer hen l was half q dosei
steps away. without seemin' to maxi
any ~pr-p'ashun. he give a might!
sprlnr. an I saw him COMM Jes' lik'
iitsh a. WALLER light. an before
could even, throw up my han's n
flashed by les over my shoulder; an
as looked rack thar he Was. laytn' Nm
on the ground with his short. strorI
lecs an his long. curved claws. stretch
ed OFT like a half growed kitten In play
an n aiu't necessary to say no NOR
tina, I WIS skeered half TO death.
II Was mighty feared that the mel
SECOND he'd be right atop o me. but
KEEP on goin.' lookin' right an LET fe
anything to ftc with: q big club o
ever = rick would n bin bettern moth
in.' bet I didn't see n durn thing. an
was :. nifty good thing ! didn't. a.
turned out. fer ] hadn't gone more
twenty steps further before q ycl!o'
streak went by rite clost to my face
there he was as before. nat IN front !
me. his great yaller eyes shtnin' rite
my fuce-not mad like. but like u goo
nsturcd. mischievous puppy.
Il. Was becomin' plain to me ~ thi
tiu,c shat the painter was havin' IN
with me. but how long u would las
wss > question. The mint he felt hun
gry. or got mad or s'ptcious he'd ten
,ne to pieces I was sartin. Then. agaii
H. SIGHT mebby he was only playii
wifi me like n cat with "a mouse. an .
could do Mas To- watch an o out IL
a chance fer somcthin.' ] didn't kno'
what.
Nov long II lasted I don't knox:
sec.:Cd TO me a week. but Ut course
wsS,'t. A ] walked along sometime
IN. vurminl would disappear and
wcLii hope he was gon fer good. whc
back he'd come. sometimes In from
soneIimcs ON one side or the other q
tchind: sometimes with a scream. an
at others purring like a cat. Jumpil
clear over me back and forth. a roiliI
an tumblin' an frollickin'. an once Oh
big ynller thing rolled over In front
me so ciost hat his hind claw. an bi
as my hand. teched my foot. an ! coul
See his white belly his full length.
He KEEP this up rite 1onS till ] mu,
hev sweat ~ gallon. expectin that ever
Jump d be the hast. All nj oncc't ! 81
JeS' ahead. and on n little to n std
q old deserted hunters log camp.
1T was about nifty yards away. an
seei:d Ia be sound an close. with
door n,ase Of split puneheons. abo,
tad foot wide and fcur foot high.
+. hooked like u had been built fer safet
an determined 10 git M eiost az
could and then make n dash fer IL.
'J"tsil yc ! TIT NIFTY skittish fer u
next mini, az two IN got rite In froi
Of the door: ,hen } gave . yell an ri
Ger that door. The yeh kind - startis
che Va: amt. "a ! sol 60 tbs caOda q