The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1909-01-27
When the Fog was Really Thick.
Weather Bound Traveller Hears
About Mart Klmble and the
SpOok Bear on the Log.
lBY ED. MOTIF

man, land was held captive one day at
little wayback tavern by dense fog
that had settled down in that vicinity
and made travelling the roads impossible
for the time.
"'This is the thickest fog we've had,
said the landlord, since the one that
was lowering the time Matt Mogridge
started in t. shingle his barn and the
fog shut things in SO solid that he had
shingled one side of the roof and ten
foot out on to the fog hefore he seen
what he was doing
81 had been using quite some Ian
guage against the weather conditions
that had housed me up in that out of
the way bailiwick, but now began to
be sorry had done it.
"'But this fog is considerable heftier,
continued the landlord, than the one
that set Mart Kimble, down Dyberry
way, to thinking one time that spook
bear was playing it on to him, way low
down and aggravating.
"The fog bank was looking to me
now like bright stretch of sunlight on
the hill and in the hollows.
"'The fog dropped down that time,
said the landlord, and caught Mart on
the ridge while he was out looking for
deer. 1t came down so fast that in less
than ten seconds or so Mart couldn't see
more than twenty feet ahead of him,
and he sat down to wait until it took a
notion to lift.
Suddenly out of the fog what should
loom up, dim and hazy, but not to be
mistaken, but the form of big bear.
The bear had his fore feet planted on a
log that lay on the edge of that twenty
foot line of vision and was peering
through the thick mist. Mart looked
twice to make sure his eyes wasn't de-
ceiving him and, seeing that they wasn't,
he paused long enough to say:
"''Tain't exactly fair to take advan'
tage of that bear, sort O. blinded by the
fog as he is, but he ought to stay tt
home till things get clear. So I'll have
to get him."
"'Then Mart socked a rifle bullet ir
the bear. The smoke from his CUR
deepened the fog SO that for a spell the
place where the bear had loomed uT
was shut out of sight, and when it clear
ed away Mart was near knocked out
with surprise to see the bear still peer
ing out into the fog. Mart came to him
self pretty quick, though, and sent an
other couple ounces o'lead into Bruin.
"'Now Mart hadn't never been in the
habit o. shooting more than once at {
bear or anything else to bring it down
so when the stirred up fog and the
smoke from his gun cleared up agar
and he seen the bear looming there OF
that log just the same as before and al
if nothing had happened in them woods
to make it any different, Mart certainl,
was flabbergasteG, and he could feel hi
hair beginning to stand up toward thu
crown of his hat, for he couldn't thinl
anything else but what he had beer
wasting powder and lead on a spool
bear. But skeery as he was the idet
made him mad.
"'Gosh almighty, says he. IN risl
another whang at it, anyhow says he
''and if that don't tumble it, scoot ou
% these woods as if the old boy himsel
was kicking me on end
So he socked the third charge o
powder and lead into that startly bear
and when things cleared up and tn,
critter wasn't on the log this time Mar
felt good and concluded that the bea
wasn't spook, but only tough. But
s'pose he was about the most astoundeC
man that ever shot bear when he walk
ed up to that log and looking over
seen three big bears laying there deaC
instead of jest one.
"'Yes sir. Them three bears, a
Mart figured it out, had been coming
through the woods in Injun file and a
the first bear that stepped on the lol
fell dead, the one behind stepped int
his place on the log, and when this on
went down the third bear stepped up
But if there had been another bear Il
get up on that log after he had fired tn
third time, Mart would have scooted TO
home on the jump and would have be
lieved to his dying day that he'd beer
shooting at a spook bear
81 regretted to notice that the fo
outside was lifting, for it was eviden
that would be able to go on my wa
before long and the way back taver
was getting interesting as the landlor
thought of more and proceeded to tell il
"'But that fog o. Mart Kimble's, sal
he, was a good deal thinner than tn
fogs that drop down onto us in thes
parts. Now s'pose that one had bee
as hefty as the fog Fin Teeple run u
against up Star Lake way once.