The Cairo bulletin., 1909-08-03
BEARS GET MAPLE JAG.
spoil "susaring OF" Festivities by
Their Prematurcly Sweet Orgies.


That sugar sap and black bears
made their appearance unusual,
early this spring is all the fault OF
tie weather man; but that the bears
are more Internally mischieyous and
destructive than ever before is at
tF!outed to the fact that they have
come 10 know that they are now pro
tected by law. But this fact, In the
eyes or Joel Henderson, Of Block
house, will cut no ice" il he ever
sets eyes on the pair OF BLACK day-
lis that ruined a whole "sugaring
on Tor him, entailing a loss of over
$500 and disappointing IA CT toner in
New YORK. City who annually sends a
consignment OF maple sugar and sir
up to the White House at Washing
ton
Never before had the sap conditions
been so favorable, nor had the work
OF gathering and boiling it proceeded
with more alacrity than this spring
The warm early March, tie frosty
nights and the clear DAYS all com
bined 10 make work In the Hender.
son sugar bush a delight. and the
annual asugaring OF, in which The
bellies and beaux OF that community
assist. was fixed for last Tuesday
night
Monday was devoted To boiling
-Four immense cauldrons Of sirup
dubbed their songs of saccharine
sweetness over great hardwood
fires, and when evening came there
wasn't finer lot of boiled sugar in
all the Tioga or Lycoming sugar
bushes than just that White House
brand OF Henderson's. Following the
usual custom OF permitting it to sea
son in the kettle, the four lots were
poured from the boilers into a great
copper kettle that stood in the camp
house..
But where Farmer Henderson made
the mistake was in forgetting TO lock
the door of the shed Next morning
when he Went TO his sugar bush, he
found the door OF the she'd open. and
every smiteh of the strip gone Even
the kettle had been carried of. and
OF course he concluded that the place
had been pillaged by men at night.
But glance around the corner of |
the Shed told the story, for there on |
the ground lay the overturned and |
empty kettle. There was a lake o. |
maple strip in little gulley and |
the half-cooled sugar was strewn |
among the leaves for a rod around
These evidences told Mr. Hender. |
son that the vandalism was the work |
Of bears. About that time his dog /
set up terrific "tOnguing' Just a, |
the edge Of the sugar bush, and bur |
rying over that way Mr.. Henderson
was just in time to see two old bears
sauntenug into the thicket and out |
of sight. Their feet were encased IN
lunches of dried leaves as big as a
peck measure, the leaves clinging to-
sethnr with maple sirun. and giving |
he bears the appearance of having |
On some new tangled sort Of snow |
shoes. They walked as IL they were
Ia misery. though whether this may |
have been occasioned by their i'll
fitting footgear or their overdose of
warm maple sugar Mr.. Henderson
lad no way OF telling.
He was half mile away from home
md by the time he had his rife and
vas back on the trail the bears had !
'kedaddled over the brow OF the hill |
md were safe in the depths of a lau-
el swamp. into the recesses of which
ven the dog would not venture But
henderson declares that law or no
aw, he is bound to kill those two
ugar strip topers.
The bushes and grass around the |
amphouse gave all the evidences OF
n orgie. There was sugar on every 4,
hing Henderson is sure that the |
ears must have been indulging in |
he dance that was calculated TO have
cen held by the young folks the
ext evening at the 'sugaring of.
nd be isn't sure but the bear crowd
onsisted of more members than just |
be- two that were within sight in the {
forming. There were splashes of
lgar on the side OF the camphouse }
nat made 1t look as though there had
cen cubs in the party and that the Z
oungsters had INDUCED in a regular
celebration at his ex- :
ense.-Liberty pa Cor. Philadel. y
hia Record