The sun., 1909-02-21
HELPFUL BEARS OF PIKE
SOFTENED TIE HEART OF LUM-
BERMAN TO THEIR TRIBE.
Perhaps They Didn't Intend TO Do II. hut
in Any Event They Moved His Pile OF
Tanbark TO . Place Where Ito Could
Get It Moved to the Market Easily.


never was a time within the recollection
OF any memory in Pike county said
Warren X. Ridgway. j. p, ex-Sherifi,
ex-Treasurer, ex Clerk Of Pike county,
Pa. when bears in Pike county we're not
held up to be fierce, wicked, desperate,
prowling marauders and destroyers Of
the peace. four footed freebooters against
whom every man q hand should be raised
So. when the Pennsylvania Legislature
two years ago put bears on the protected
list, actually not only took the bounty
of OF their soalps but put price. 30 to
speak on the head OF the man. woman
or child who would. except at one brief
season Of the year, raise his or her hand
against bear save in the way of kind
ness or words to that effect. Pike county
folks listened for the crack Of doom.
''Protectin bearsl they said. Then
who in Sam Hill is goin to protect u.s.
we'd like TO know
They bore up under this amazn'
dispensation though. but now when the
Legislature is talking of taking the bear
still further under its protection by cut
ting right in two the already brief spell
during which bruin must look out for
himself they feel that then indeed all will
be gone and they are coming to me with
petitions for me 10 sign begging the
Legislature to take the protecting arm
Of the State away from hears in Pike
county When | shake my head and say
no they look at me with pain and sorrow
in their eyes; but when recite for them
the plain and simple annals Of bear
family they pause and ponder tear up
the petitions and go home.
Il lay a straw in the way of protecting
the Pike county bear? Why-and yet
there was a time when my heart was
steeled against the Pike county bear
and would have signed its death war
rant il | could; and that hate OF mine
for bears continued with me right up to
that day ] sat in the wintry woods and
saw what | saw. | was numbering and
getting out railroad ties and tanbark
in those days.
This particular winter the snow was
so deep back in the woods that lots OF
logs and railroad ties and cordwood and
tanbark had TO be left in the woods be-
cause the teamsters couldn't get in.
under with the rest.
Along in March things got so that
work could be resumed in those showed in
places, and | walk ed out one day to the
woods to look over the prospects Of some
of that delayed bark of mine | came TO
one big pile that the men had ranked up
on the top Of a ridge. the side of which
was SO steep that | saw at once that moth
ing could get in there TO haul it away and
| was madden than hornet at the men.
The bark couldn't be got 10 for hauling
There was only one way in which it could
be moved from there and brought within
reach OF teams, and the cost Of doing that
was bound To be as much as there was
margin of profit in the contract.
The side of the ridge ran down at an
angle Of IS degrees from top to bottom.
distance Of a hundred and fifty feet or
more. and was bare and smooth. From
the bottom of that steep pitch there was
a level stretch Of something like hundred
yards Of open which ended at a creek
that ran through the woods.
'There' said |, as TOOK in the posi-
biities OF that layout Great trees
a-crackin'v said |. If that bark was only
ranked up on the bank Of that creek.
me barrel Of money! As II il, itll take
barrel Of money TO get il there.
There had been a fall Of three or four
inches of snow during the night. followed
10y a cold s.eet storm. This had coated
the snow with surface AS hard and as
smooth as glass, had to wear sharp ice
creepers to walk on II. l was walking
away from that epot, mad and disguised.
and had got into the woods when heard
noise behind me, and looking back |
saw two old bears and two little cubs
standing on the brow OF the ridge. The
bears were evidently only recently out I
from their winter quarters and were /
bound for some place they had in mind, /
and the two old bears were intent on the
ICY hill in front Of them. They seemed TO
oe hO,ding u consultation.
After quite a spell OF evident consulta- /
ton the biggest of the two old bears .
souatted on his launches and inching
himself along toward the edge Of the hill
by and by struck the icy slope. Away he
went down the incline as II he had tumbled
from a balloon and on out across the /
level stretch Of glossy snow at the bottom .
clear 10 the bank Of the creek When he .
came shufiling back TO the hill and up. his /
long. sharp claws rafting against the hard .
snow like castinets, he was the most
pleased look ing critter ever saw.
After he got up the hill and rejoined .
his mate, and il was just as plain to me |
that he was trying 10 induce her TO take !
the trip; but old Mrs. Brun was timid .
and she held back a long time, At last.
though the boss bears persistence and .
assurances seemed to overcome her fears, .
and she sat down on the snow and let him .
push her over the edge. The trip settled .
IL. She came back up the hill just as .
tick led as her old man.
THE cubs, being very young yet. we're .
becoming uneasy by this time, SO that 4.
their mother had to sort o look after EN-
while the old bear took another toboggan /
down the hill. When he got back he took |
care of the baby bears while the mother
made trip. 1t was little the touchingest .
domestic light think i ever saw.
well this went on for a quarter of an .
hour, and / stayed to see the fun. Then .
could see that the repeated sliding on the .
crust had worn the fur OFF of the bears .
where they came in contact with the hard .
surface, and the actions OF the two bears .
showed that the bare places were getting
somew hat tender, They got so tender
after a while that the bears quit sliding, !
and could plainly see that 1t was "a great /
TO them as they turned to .
leave the spot.
AS the family was moving away the
old he bears eyes fell on my pile Of bark,
ranked near by. He stopped and could
see that he was struggling with an idea.
Only little while he struggled with it
and then getting the best Of II he grabbed
a length Of bark of Of the pile. placed it's
side on the snow. sat down on the
other side and away be went faster than
he had gone any time before. The exodus
from that spot was called of then and
there, and the sport Of riding the hill was
resumed As sOOD as one trim WAS made