The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1906-12-18


Well. that was what was left OF one
OF them automobiles after a good.
bright bar had a whack at H. Hap.
penei down here couple OF miles be.
low Passadunky. Twas an old she
bar that had two cubs. and one day
when the family OF them was a
crossin' the road TO get into a better
berry patch. what should come whit
zin' along but some sports in n big
steam waggin an run over one OF the
cubs an laid II out cold.
The old bar an t'other cub got
acrost all right an stood at the edge
OF the road a-lookin' kinder dazed. !
was close enuff TO drop the two OF
them. but I'd no gun with me. so
Just sot there an watched.
Pretty soon the old bar come out
an shifted at the carcass OF the dead
cub. rollln' II over with her paw and
grunting around as though she ex-
pected to wake II up. Seeing that the
cub laid there stitf an still. the old
one hustled OF into the bushes with
tother cub taggin' on behind.
s'posed that was the last OF II, but
that's where ! had something new to
larn bout bars.
"Jes; few rods up from where the
old bar went into the bushes. an
standin' clost TO the road. was a big
spruce. with an old stub dead
trunk. lodged ag'in II. That stub was
two feet through, n Il was an inch, an
Il was jest barely caught on the
spruce. SOS the least Jolt would bring
Il down. VOL sir. you can believe
me or not. but it's gospel tru,h-that
old bar she foundered up TO that
there stub an. putin her shoulder
ag'in It. brought Il down. slam bang.
right across the road.
well. sir. never see the like. an
for some time ] sot there, wonderin'
what the old bar was up to. Then.
grajerly. II began to leak through me
that she was after revenge on the
sports that killed her cub. She was
a-blockln OF the road agin the time
they'd come back.
well. says to myself. says ].
There's no tellin' when to- fellersll
come back: It may be a week An so
havin' other fish to fry. and IL bein'
none Of my mess, anyway. | kept on.
| was gone a couple of hours, an
when | come back along, cuss me if
that old bar an her cub wasn't asset
tin there in the edge of the bushes as
though they expected comp'ny. When
| went past they never budged an.
havin' no gun, come right along an
left them to tend to their own bis'ness
Il hadn't got more'n ten rods
further long toward the village when
/ heard the great tootin' an, looking
ahead | see the steam Vaughn a.
streakin 1t down the road. Now
says to myself; now, that there
masheen must a-cost a thousand dol
lars, an with all respec' to the bars
feelings, 'twould be a cussed shame
to see 1t go to smash ag'in an old stub
not with ten cents so hollered fer
the sports to hold up, but l guess they
didn't hear me, for they flew past in
a cloud OF dust.
Here says I, is where the old
bar gets square, an | hustled back
after them down the road. It's a
thick growth along there, an hard to
see anythin' 'cept in broad daylight,
so fore the sports knew 1t they were
right onto that big stub. was Jest
near enuff to see what happened with
out gettin' hit with any of the wreck.
First | heard yell, then a bump, an
then come a smashin an crashin' like
breakin a jam on the West Branch.
That macheen jest riz up like a bat
teau on a rock, an in minute the air
was full of 1t. The two sports, they
shot out ahead an landed face down
in the road. One wheel sailed off into
the brush, an one of them rubbered
hoops they have on the rim hoped
I'D an hung on the branch. 1t was the
rompletest wreck l ever seee OF any
thing, an you could smell benzine a
mile away.
"Jest as I come up I could hear a
crashin' away off in the berry patch.
It was the old bar an her cub, goin'
off satisfied, I s'pose, at havin' done
4 good job an got square. This fall,"
concluded the boss hunter. II am
igoin' after that bar. If get her I'll
know her, for she'll smell of benzine."