The Grit-advocate., 1905-02-03

lHt start.
We went on till we got right close
to him, and he didn't pay any more at
tentiOn TO us than il we'd been a cou-
pie of jack rabbits out for morrin'
stroll. Pretty soon Tony pulled up
and started to unbucile his rope strap.
What in thunder you going to do
! now" l asks. l knew vel. enough,
but it seemed like a fool thing TO try.
I'm going to take a fall ont of that
coyote-faced son of Il reptile if it's the
last thing ! do on earth he snaps.
Are you game? A bear amt got nC
business prOwlin' around this country
50 bold, nohow. I'm going to tie onto
him for luck
You'll raise Cain with him-I don't
think,'.I says.
He looked at me like Id insulicd
him, so l didn't say no more. Only
t@ought TO myself, Old boy. therel!
be something doing around here when
you do get your rope on him..
You see, l hadn't figured on doing
any fancy work with Il rope when we
started out that mornn'. Id picked
me horse that could go out ana hit
the trail with the best of them, but he
wouldn't stand for any rope work.
guess he thought it was degradin' to
be made Il snubbin' post Of He was
a flea-bitten gray, with Roman nose
and big, bulgin' eyes. He had a way
OF humpin' his back and side steppin'
when things didn't go to suit him.
Once or twice he's used mis- influence
to try and remove me, and the motions
he made was such that all could do
was to pull leather and pray for the
end to come quickly. He was sure Il
cOrker, and his name was Pop-Eyc
''Tony was ridin' chunky little
chestnut-a mild-cycd little beggar
that paced along with his eyes half
shut-but he was there With the goods,
all right, all right, when it came 10 do
ing the tie-down act.
Tony got his rope fixed and says to
me: You ride around that way and
attract his attention. and when lie gets
to watchin' you, Ill run in and rope
him.
80 round l goes. Mr.. Bear didn't
take notice of me till got around so
that he was right between me and
Tony. Then l let's a ki-yi ont of me.
and he come alive. He looked up, and
when let another yell he started for
the river. smashin' through the sage
brush like one of the Great Northern
moguls buckin' a Snowdrift: but Red
swoOped down on him like a hawk af-
ter chicken. Tony got him first
thrOW-yOuve seen him rOpe-and
turned off sideways. The bear went
to the end of the forty foot rope on a
high run, and the jerk he got turned
him head over heels. He hit the ground
with a thump that should have
knocked the life out of him. but it
didn't, for he got to his feet little the
maddest bear YOU ever saw. and made
for Tony. Twice old Red went to the
end of the rope and put him down,
and both times Brownie bounced to his
feet lookin' for more.
TONY began to think he was up
against it, l guess. He'd throwed Il
little too big loop and the bear had
got front foot in it, so he couldn't
choke him like he aimed to do: he'd
likewise tied his rope hard and fast
ben' from Texas, where such is the
They was sure connected up in good
shape-red horse, white man, and
brown bear all Oh one string.
FINALLY Tony hollcrs to me: For
Gods sake, try and get your rope on
him. Jack. He'll jerk Red down if he
keeps up this lick, and it'll be all off
with me them
".All right says I. I'll try and
starts to take down my rope. Now
you know most all horses is scared to
death of bear You can't get any
ordinary horse near a bear if he's Oh
the windy side. where he can get the
scent. Red didn't seem to mind. but
then he was an old rope horse. used TO
goin' up against all kinds Of forlna-
tions. But old Pop-hc didn't have
no more sense than the law allowed
him. nOhow-was SIRE stirred up. As
l said before, he had constitutional
aversion to any monkey business with
Il rope. so when l took mine down. he
concluded he had business further up
the river. and started TO 90. I'd a big
spade bit on him. though, and managed
to persuade him that his business
wasn't so extremely prcSsin'.
Il spurred him up as close 10 the
bear as | could. Brownie was fchin'
the rope, yankin Tonys horse this
way and that. clawin up tho earth.
and raisin quite a disturbance. His
mouth was all bloody froth from BEN
jerl;ed down SO much, and he had
savage look in his eye After consid-
cradle dOdgin' about ! nm old cop
up pretty close to him. t-ownie raised