The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1907-02-15

was slight hiss as lttOucnou ner wet nan,
| and with wrathful roar and arms wildly
flying, the bear tumbled backward, smash
ing down through the telephone-wires and
scraping her babies off the pole on her way
to the ground. The downfall of the bear
family was complete. Up above on the
cross arm, the lineman laughed uproar-
iously.
"Well! we'll! well!' he shouted. "Di-
vided they stand, united they fall.
For a moment the old bear lay feebly
paving the air. Then she struggled to a
sitting position, facing the world and her
offspring with an invalid's "Good morning,
childrenr' air that set the lineman off in
another roar of laughter.
The little bears, on rushing forward fol
nourishment and comfort, were brushed aside
SO roughly that they propped themselves
up on their launches at safe distance,
and cooking their heads to one side, re-
garded their mother quizzically, as if in
wonder at her unwonted severity. Then
the bear began overhauling herself, and
Dan laughed again at her seeming surprise
in not finding her skin torn to bloody rib
bons.
'sNow, old lady," he called down, "the
laugh is on you, and you better take
those babies of yours and hit the trailr'
The bear seemed to be much of this
mind herself for while; but the sight Of
Dan Maloy astride the cross-arm seemed to
recall the indignity he had heaped upon
her. Followed at respectful distance by
her ''bairns, " she began to shuttle uneas
lily about, soon assuming, however, a war
like stride that finally terminated in anothe,
charge upon the lineman.
But the charge of big bear up small
pole is necessarily laborious affair, and
long before she neared the top Dan was
ready to receive her. This time, as she
approached the coveted legs, she struck al
the proffered live wire with her wet paw,
and fell Imply to the ground, loose,
quivering heap.
Dan did not laugh now, for the baby
bears rushed forward, and with soft. low
sounds sough to rouse the fallen mother.
Silently Dan descended the pole.
''Perhaps she'll come out of it, he
soliloquized, gazing at the PROSTATE anima
and remembering hopefully how he him
self had been struck down once at noon,
and had s'come out of it when the moon
was shining.
'In case she does" he continued,
'we'll arrange to avoid any more of these
shocking occurrences.
Procuring coil of wire from his sack,
he gently removed the angry little bears
and bound the mother legs firmly togeth
er. Then for an hour or more he worked
abstractedly at the wrecked telephone line
When this was repaired to his satisfaction
he sat down on rock, gazed helplessly a
the now querulous baby bruins and thei
limp mother, until with a sudden desperate
burst, he exclaimed:
"What'll I do with these blooming
bears?''
The utilitarian mind would have bee1
estimating with great satisfaction thei
market price as circus exhibits; but Dan
who was no financier at all, dismissed thi
thought with curt
''Let EN- live; they seldom fight i
they re let alone, and never do any harm
beyond pulling down strayed sheep oc
casionally, one that has got to die, any
way
1.-The trouble is, though he added
after long pause eff 1 turn her loose sh
might think she owns the line, and CLAW
me to ribbons some dark night when Tn
out here looking up short. -
But presently, as he pondered, his mer
ry smile came back. He rose hastily, an,
closely examined the old bear. She wa
still warm, and with more signs of life thai
she had shown before.
Bursting into laugh that threw th'
little bears into defensive bristle, he hur
ried to his lunch basket, took out the screw
topped can that had held his coffee, pu
into it five or six pebbles, and fastened
stout twine to the ring which served as
handle.
Then turning to the PROSTATE bear ant
searching for her stub OF tail, he re
marked, with comic gravity:
''Old lady, I've got all kinds of respec
for bear who has the nerve to raise
family in these days of electricity and re
peating firearms; and I'm going to Civ
you a start back into high ranges, wher
the air will be better for you and your ba
bies."
He knotted the free end of the strin.
tightly round her tail, cut the wires tina
bound her legs, and hastily departed.
Dan has lived to need the money h
might have obtained for the sale of tn
bear family's freedom; but up to this dat
he has only one regret, and that is tha
the pressure of business did not allow hin
to remain and view from a safe distance
the start ''for the high ranges" Fo
merely through viewing the extraordinar..
tracks that marked her flight, he ha
had many dollar S worth of laughter owe
| tho family of hears and their exodus