Hopkinsville Kentuckian., 1905-11-21
WISE BRUIN PUTS
MEAT In STORAGE.

CullloNueUt W. ht NieetN~'
segregation gathered at the general
store last night after a day in 1ne
woods spotting deer runways along
which city sports" will be placed iater
to slaughter BUCKS. if their aim be true
enough. aud several INDUCED IN reml-
niscepces. Several pretty fair sporting
Varns had been spun when the subject
rot around 10 bears Then Sim White,
who lives in NOrtham when he isn't
hunting or fishing or digging ginseng
roots stretched his neck and launched
forth into a bear monologue.
"It heats all tarnation how KNOWN
some of them critters be, he declared,
while the rest shucked around In their
hard rd-bottomed chairs and settled down
10 hear a good one. Yes, sir, 1t does
heat all tarnation. Between bears,
trout and ginseng and the hand OF
Providence, I've been able to make
auite a Twin out o these ere hills
Tor a considerable spell.
ELDER Burbank's yarn touchin on
the varmint f Spruce Holler puts me
In mind of the time Providence and an
D. he bear helped me out + middltn'
tight fix the middle o. last winter 1t
was the fust f January, as | reclect
It, and was chopin for Deacon Hem
minway up to the top o Killlngton
peak. It's turriOle mean work, chop
pin, but We do halter do it onct in
4 while. and | was cussing my luck
and wishin' the fshin' season void
open and things green up when a
snortin snowstorm hit the peak and
made me as blue as a parbiled owl.
I had my dinner pail uster go home
nights--and was middlin comfort
afternoon, when seen it wasn't goin'
TO let up and figgered I'd halter stay
put all night.
80 | built me a lean-to out o soma
spruce boughs, started a fire and
cooked what victuals | had left from
noonin' They want over much, and
as it was too pesky cold to think o.
sleepin | sot up till mornin', with my
stomerck a-hollerin for grub some
thing turrible. Ii got so bad | melted
some snow and tried to fill up on wa
ter. When it come daylight the storm
was ragin' harder'n ever. and | was
so hungry | could have eat rabbits,
which is worsen eatin' cat, and | says
to myself, this ere storm is liable to
keep up three days an I'll starye to
death if | don't do somethin' mighty
quick
But there didn't seem to be no him
| cold do. for | was penned in and
dassan't so moren thutty foot from
the shack for fear o. gettn' lost. | ad-
init was some discouraged when the
wind shifted and l had to move the
lean-to over against a pile of rocks to
keep the thing from collapsin'. | was
tussin round 'mongst the stones when
] discovered the mouth o. cave, and,
thinkin it would be better inside than
out. / lighted a spruce knot torch and
scraped my way in.
wal, I swan to man, If didn't get
the biggest surprise O. my life when |
got to the end o the passageway 40
foot from the mouth! For, lyin' on
a ledge was six pigs with Deacon Hem
min'ways brand on EN-, two rabbits
and a eve lamb. They was frozen
stiff and as hard as brickbats. The
thruts of every one on 'em had been
slit by somethin' sharp, and the in
nards had been taken out as snck as
butcher cold do it. Tney was piled
reg'lar, too-lyin' head and tails-and
was as fresh as ough they had been
killed the day before.
81 was wonderin' how in Sam Hill
they got in the cave dead, when
heard a heavy breathin' little beyond
and raised the torch: seen the pass
ageway bellied out into sorter half
round cave. and that over at one side
an oil he bear was curled up on a lot
o leaves takin' his winters snooze. He
was lyin' peaceful and onsuspectin'.
and it came to me in a minute how
them caTcasses got on the ledge. You
see. he was one O. them KNOWN crit
ters and he'd laid in a supply o. Dea-
con Hemmin'way's pigs and a eve
lamb belonging 10 Squire Remsen to
make a meal .on when he woke up in
the spring. He knew he'd rouse long
before 1t thawed out, cause the cave
faced south and got the fust sun, so
he jest flggered he'd be provident for
onct. BY contrivin' as he did he cold
git several SQUARE, meals and take on
some fat before he' sot out huntin' his
llvin'. +" 49,
Them pigs was a mighty big god
send TO me, now can tell ye. | Jest
tiptoed out with two and In ten min
utes / was broilin' pork tenderlin.
When I'D filled up got two more, and
when the storm stopped next day I
pinted for home with enough meat over
my shoulders to pay for the time | had
to lay on.
"The next. day the deacon and me
sot out after the bear. The deacon al.
lowed he'd Orter die, seein' as he'd
been raidLn his barnyard for three
years and had make on with three
traps and a pound o. lead fired from