The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?, 1909-10-22
SAM HARDIAG'S TROPHY
BY DUKE cUYLER.

OI sam Harding.
Alone with his wife and child he
had threaded the forest that lay be
tween the settlements at Dover Point
and the lake, and once arrived upon
its banks, he built his cabin, and sci
about his work at once Of clearing uI
homestead.
4 For many years there had been sus
pended from smoke-stained beam
above the broad fireplace trophy OF
the early days he had spent on the
shore of the lake.
1t was an Indians scalp.
So long had it hung there that 1t
was as dried and smoke-begrimed as
the beam itself. -
/ Few there wefe Of his visitors who.
/ remarking it, failed to inquire why il
was thus preserved.
/ To these he did not fail to tell its
| history, as we shall do now.
We will give it in his own words.
so the reader may imagine that he Ia
sitting in the cabin of the old pio-
neer, with the strange trophy sus-
| pended before him.
| you ask me why it is that keep
that thing in the house? Well, will
| tell you.
when first came up here to set
| tie on the banks of the OsSipee, 1t was
a bowling wilderness for miles and
miles on every side.
Il hadn't but one white man for
neighbor, and he lived two miles away,
| down at the foot of the bay.
But / had plenty Of another kind.
There were wild beasts and savages
on all sides, and there were times
when they both gave me lots of
trouble.
with the beasts could get along
pretty well.
when they got too neighborly,
would spend few days in hunting.
and get them thinned out. so that for
a time could live in peace.
"But with the redskins 1t was diff
ferent. It want no use to try and thin
them out, although there was times
when l had to try my hand at 1t. My
plan was to keep on the right side of
IuOu IL i COulug Uut 4 COulQ AOL OIL
ways tell which side that was. They
were mighty uncertain. You never
could tell for certainty when they
were friendly to you or when they
were waiting for good chance to
take your scalp.
"a big bear, one which judged by
his track would weigh at least 500
pounds, had been into my corn, and
the way he had finished it was enough
to make anybody's temper rise. 1t
seemed as though the critter had
trampled down and destroyed good
five bushels of it.
''There was not any trouble in fol-
lowing the trail he had left behind.
for his feet were as big round as
peck measure, and you could see
where he had planted EN-, half dozen
rods ahead.
THE valley became narrower and
narrower as you went up, until at last
the rocks came so close together that
they shut out the sunshine, and kind
of twilight filled the place
Il had just made up my mind that
should find his bearship not far from
here when all at once l heard a deep
Erowl only little ways afore me.
1.-THE next minute | saw him--he
had seen me and was sitting up on
end, to give me a hugging when I
come near enough.
1t was good chance for shot, and
hriD DINO my riHQ tn hnor 7
aim for the spot right between his
Eore shoulders and fired The next
moment he was kicking among the
dry leaves, giving up the ghost.
Il knew that there would be no
need Of another shot, so l did not stop
to load my rife again, but rushed right
up to the spot.
Il wasn't long in getting there, and
when l did, l found that there was
somebody before me-
"a redskin, fellow l had had some
trouble with before, was standing over
the bear, who was jest gasping his
last, and the varmint had sent an
arrow into it, and knew in a moment
that he meant to claim the carcass
for his own. But had no intention
of being cheated out of my meat in
this way, so l walked up to the bear,
and whipping out my knife, cut its
throat.
The redskin looked as ugly as pizen,
and in broken English wanted to know
what / did that for; the bear was his,
and he was going to have it, he said.
Il showed him that it was my bull.
let, not his arrow, that had killed it, |
but that did not make the matter any
better.
White man let it alone, or Injun
have his scalp he cried, as he drew
his knife.
You'll have to take it first, you
thieving redskin, said l.
81 had not hardly got the words out |
of NV mouth hpfora ha onron0 ,noy,