The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1907-07-23

too, that he sat with eyes popping,
mouth wide open, and tongue hanging
out.
| You don't seem to have much to say
for yourself, Mr. Averitt." continued
the bear, crossing his legs. and set
Ting his back comfortably against
the trunk of a tall gum tree. "The
fact is. you are in a hole I'm going
to plug you full of holes. with your
VI buckshot from your OWE SPUR
rel killer, but first l want to show
you what s. NEAR 'cuss' you are"
1t riled Jim to have q bear to call
him a mean cuss," but there he was.
"in a hole" for true. with 'sQuirI Ell
killer in the hands Of the enemy.
81 ate two of your pigs last night.
jim the bear Went ona smacking his
lips in a most exasperating way.
II know you did" said Jim. now as
INA as a hornet, and forgetting that
he was going to be plugged full of
holes" directly.
"How many hogs and pigs do you
own, James Averitt?" asked the bear
sternly after seeming to study a bit.
Il did have GA until you came along
row I've got two less"
Sixty four hogs and pigs; and yet
you begrudge Il poor, hungry bear a
slice or two of barbecue. But / sup
pose you call me a robber?"
Looks mighty like it," said jim,
looking furtively around for a coed
line of retreat if the gun came into
play.
you know | am very fond OF wild
honey, JIM" grumbled the bear, and
yet you've gone and cleared out about
every bee gum in this whole swamp.
You are not a robber but you are
worse than a rObber; YOU are a muir
derer. Whose bear skin is that down
in front of YOUR fire place."
| Its minei" cried jim. for lie was
very proud of it. "and | am the only
man in all this section that's killed d
bar in over two years" -.
Its the hide of my beloved wife,"
roared the giant in a terrible vO1 +
at he same time lingering the gun with
his hairy paw in a dangerously sug-
gestiye way. But that's not all you
caught my cub and sold it to an Ital-
ian organ grinder. to put a ring
through it's tender little nose You've
made me a fatherless orphan-that is
Ell mean-fOr, not being used to
talking, the bear was getting mixed up
on English composition.
But jim Averitt had no time to
laugh ever if he understood English
composition. Just then the bear rOse
up, standing about 10 feet high and
pointing the gun straight at Jim, who
jumped to his feet and bounded Off
like q jack rabbit, the keen report Of
the squirrel killer" FLOWING him, and
the buckshot raining around lliI. A
little further on he stepped right into
the bear trap and with howl # III
guish came to himself to find that
he had stuck his leg through a iCoSe
plank on the porch, and on the bench
before him sat Elviny and a neighbOrs'
wife, Cynthia Brown, gazing at him
with wide eyes, and hands uplifted in
establishment. 1t was still early in
the afternoon.
"Whar's the bar" yelled Jim, look
ing about him like a crazy man. Then
the women sized up the situation, and
such laughing.
ooh, yes, Jim AVeritt," said Elviny;
you thought l wasn't noticing when
you went off down to the store, and
didn't see you hide the bottle Of Whis-
key behind the chist in the bedroom,
and didn't smell the corn liquor on
your breath at dinner. You've had
whiskey nightmare on the bed in there,
and you amt eve been nearer the
bar than the dream about him"
"Whatll you give us jim" said
the bar story on you at camp meetin'
next T~uesday?'
mot to tell on me! If you jest
dare
ooh, yes, you'll run from a bar, but
you are brave to treat two poor little
women, amt you? What'll you
give?"
well" sad Jim slowly and grinning
for he was a good fellow at heart,
"Whatll you take?"
That's the way to talk" Elviny
spoke up, land I'll tell you what We
will take, Mr.. Melvin, down at 1he
store has a caliker dress with pink
flowers for a dollar, and another for
the same price with blue flowers; and
they'll suit Cynthia and me, for she's