Waterbury evening Democrat., 1905-03-16

the faster I hurried, an when 60,
 hum was hungrier n I'd been fer {
 year. When see the op bears tracks
 an the empty peg where the ham had
 hung went t work an got mad
 Then started after thet bear. Track
 ed i'm over yender up Cat mount'in." | Here Alb paused. He had . way oi
 stopping always at the most interest
 ing point to pun at his pipe. It looked
 as if he were getting up steam for an
 other sentence, and these delays had
 the effect of continued in our next" Kill 'im?" Uncle Eb asked.
 ''Licked him." he said. "Huh!' we remarked incredulously. Clicked 'lm." he repeated. chuckling
 "Went into his cave with a sled stake an whaled 'im-whaled i'm till he run | fer his life." Whether it was true or not I 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 a stiaia
 Don't never wan t rassle with no bear.' he added, "but hams is too source here n the woods t hev lem tux away fore ye know the taste uv 'em. I ain't never been hard on bears. Don't seldom ever set no traps, an ] ain't shot bear fer moren ten year But they've got t be decent. If any bear steals my vittles he's goin' t git cuffed hard''
 Abs tongue had limbered up at last. His pipe was we'll 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 ingratitude. He smiled over his whittling as we laughed heartily at the droll effect of 1t afl.
 "D'ye ever hear O the wild man at roams round n these woods" he asked.
 "Never did" said Uncle Eb.
 "I've seen i'm more times n ye could shake stick at,' said Alb, crossing his legs comfortably and splitting into the fire. Kind O think he's the same man folks tells uv down n Paradise valley there-'at goes round n the clearin' aft CT bedtime"
 ''The night man. exclaimed.
 "Guess thet's what they call 'im," said Alb. Gurus 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 Tim once CT twice, but tain no use. He's quicker n a wil' 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 a deerskin jacket on when seen i'm an brooches an mocca- sins made O some kind O hide. I recol- lee one day I was over on the ridge two mile CT more from the Saltwater, goin' south. I seen i'm gittin' a drink at the spring there in the burnt timber. An if ain't mistaken there was a real live panther playin' pund i'm. If 'twan't 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 a flash. Soon g he see me. Jeemimey. didn't they move! Nev- CT 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 wouldn't. He's the consarndest queer 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 whittled. Then he eaptied his pipe and began cutting more tobacco.
 "Some says e 6 a ghost" said Tip Taylor. splitting his sentence with a yawn, as he lay on buffalo robe in the shanty.
 "Shucks an shoestrings" said Ab He looks too nat'ral. Don't believe no ghost ever wore whiskers an long hair like bis'n. Thet don't hor t reason" This remark was followed by dead 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 ED went out tc look after the horses that were tethered near us. Alb rose. looked up through the tree tops. ventured a guess about the weather and strode off into the darkness.
 We were five days in camp. hunting. fishing. fighting flies and picking blue berries. Gerald's cough had not i'm proved at all: it was. if anything. a bit worse than it had been. and the worry of that had clouded our holiday. We were not in high spirit when finally we decided to break camp the next afternoon.
 Tip had everything ready for our journey home. Each day Gerald had grown paler and thinner As we wrapped him in shawl and tenderly helped him into tine wagon I read his doom in his face. We saw 30 much of that kind of thing in our stern climate we knew what it meant. Our fun was over. We sat in silence. speeding down