The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1907-04-03

lover the Zoo at Central Park, Ne"
York City's best known breathing
lspot, looked into the black bears
|cage a summer morning several years
Iago, he saw what looked for all the
world like a little bunch of brown
fur lying in one corner, close at the
side Of the big Bruin all the children
so greatly admired.
"Oh, papa said Hattie, the keep
ler's little girl, who knows the park
animals as well as her father, Il do
believe that there's a new cub"
And so it was, for, when the big
mother rose and ambled toward the
cages front, the bunch Of fur resolved
itself into her tiny counterpart, and
cried Justify.
Joe, as the new bear came to be
known, was not of the sort that scent
ed trouble. He seemed to think it a
gay and beautiful world into. which
he had come, and early in his career
plainly made up his mind to taste all
of life's joys that came within reach
ing distance. Often this idea of his
gave him bodily pain; once or twice
his tastes were such that they nearly
ended his life. He managed to sur
vive these experiences, however, and
grew with the months into as rollick-
ing a bear as the Zoo eve knew, a
great favorite with both the keepers
and the public. In the early morn
ing, before park visitors arrived in
numbers, Keeper Snyder would take
Joe out on the lawn that stretched in
all directions, and there taught him
many things that wild bears
even dream about. So Joe became
accomplished and withal kindly, for
he never was abused, and learned to
look upon humanity in general as
being friendly to him.
One day a man from Canada told
the Zoo superintendent that he had a
fine bear of a sort which the Zoo had
long coveted. 1t happened that the
Canadians first call was an early one,
and it also CHANGED that Keeper
Snyder vas putting Joe through his
PAGES at the time of the visitors ar
rival. The stranger, who was vastly
pleased with Joe, later told the Zoo
superintendent that he would ex-
change his bear for Joe, provided the
Zoo management would give him a
fair consideration besides.
The strangers offer found favor,
and it was not long before joe was
formally given into the possession of
a new owner, coaxed to enter a big
crate, and then to begin a journey
such as he had never imagined. Joe
stood the trip to the railroad station
fairly well. He had seen teams and
automobiles, and they had never hurt
him. But when he was taken down
into the great freight yard and a To-
connective came Kissing past, his calm
ness forsook him. His crate was
strong, but not sufficiently so to with
stand the mighty blows Joe gave it
in his terrified lunges. 1t gave way
on side, and there followed such
a flight of employees as the freight
sheds had never before witnessed.
Joe made his way into a dark cor
ner, and, for the first time in his life,
showed temper. But his new wner
knew all about bears, and, after long
effort, convinced Joe of his friend
y ship, managed to get him into an
other crate, and loaded into an ex-
press car.
It was a good deal like carrying
Goals to Newcastle to take a bear up
into the Muskoka country, but it so
happened that Mr.. Monteith, up at
Rosseau, who was Joe's new owner,
wanted a bear whose characteristics
yer different from the traits Of the
bears he had sometimes met and con-
quered. That is how Joe came to go
to Rosseau, where he was released
from his crate one morning and ush-
cred into a place that made him
think of the only home he had eve
known.
After awhile master and bear went
walking together, out toward the
great woods that stretched far and
away, woods that seemed dark and
mysterious to Joe, and not to be COM
pared to mis- own comfortable quar-
ters.
2 On one of these walks the two
friends ventured farther than usual,
into a wilder section Of the neighbour
hood. 1t was a long walk, and Mr..
Monteith grew tired. So it happened
! that he sat down under an inviting
tree and fell asleep, while Joe re-
manned on watch. Mr.. Mon.Gith's
slumbers were suddenly broken by a
}series of deep growls and then a fierce