The Cairo bulletin., 1906-12-21
MAINE BEARS ARE
WISE SURE ENOUGH

IN IN passadumkeag, Maine
whore black bears once owned the
| land ana an upon 1t, and whore 10 ih's
daF ihcE iGndness for mutton and
hone, rs ably realized. there sai upon
the boaeh Ia front Of the post Office a
bunch u Villagers, They were just
from The grocery. the wise man, the
historian and the boss hunter Of the
village They had settled some points
when the talk drfted to tho question
Of courage In a man aud beast and
they had 10 sit down on the post office
bench and have 1t out
Uncle Penny the wise man, said
that beasts Of the forest had no real
courage-that they fought against
desperate odds merely through ig+
norance. Sim Belts, the historian,
rondered deeply to rake up some in
stance that would contradict this the
ory but before he could recall or tn
vent anything Peletiah Jones, the
boss hunter, declared that. while no
bigger fool than the bull moose ever
stalked The earth, bears had, on the
average, more brains than men And
he proceeded to prove It,
Now said Jones. YOU don't never
hear OF bar buelting mines on the
railroad DO ye2 Sartinly not. Moose
does, an alters gifts th wust Of #.
Naturally Iniines is iron an can
make hash oaten any critter that
walks. Moose amt got brains enuff to
know IT, bars has.
IS pose all YOU fellers recollect thar
mess Of old junk that / helped haul
up to the station here last summer2
Well that was what was left Of one
OF them autymobiles after a good.
bright bar had a whack at IT, Hap.
pened down here couple of miles be-
low passadunky Twas an old she
bar that had Two cubs. aud one day
when the family Of them was d
crossin the road to get into a better
berry patch what should come whiz
Tin along but some sports in bls
steam Vaughn an run over one OF the |
cubs an laid II ont cold
THE old bar an t'other cub got
acrost all right an stood at the edge |
IF the road a-lookin' kinder dazed |
was close enun to drop The two Of |
hem, bat I'd no gun with me- so |
Just sot there an watched
Pretty soon the old bar come out |
an shifted at tho carcass of the dead
rub, rollin' It over with her paw and |
around as though she eN |
oected 10 wake it up Seeing that the /
cub laid there stiff an still, the oil
ono hustled Off into the bushes with |
.'other cub taegiu' on behind. III
;'posed that was the last of IT, but
hats where | had something new to
arm 'boutlb'ars,
Jest aifew rods np from where the
Id bar went into the bushes. an
randin' clost to the road was a big
pruce. with an old stub dead
runkl lodged ae'in &C. That stub was
wo feet through, # Il was an inch, an
t was jest barely caught on the
pruce, SOS the least jolt would bring
down Well sir, you can believe
nc or not but IT'S gospel truth that
ID bar she ioundercd up ia that
here stub an putin her shoulder
gin it. brought it down, slam bang.
light across the road
Wei SIT, never see the like. an
or some time ! sot there. wonderin'
hat he old bar was Mp 10. Then.
raierly, it began TO leak through me
nat she was after revenge ON tho
ports that KILLED her cub She was
blockin' Of tho road ag'in the time /
lcy'd come back
Well, I says to myself. says /.
here's no tollin whom The fcucrsu
)mc back; st may be week An So j
avin' other fish 20 fry. and It bcn !
one OF my mess anyway. kept on. 2
was gone a couple Of hours. an /.
hen come hack along. cuss me II 7
lat old bar an her cub wasn't asset. ;
n there in the edge Of the bushes as E
ough they expected comp'ny. When !