The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1909-09-04
We doubled up ana thrust into tae
soft mass, fighting wildly.

I
Bear and COW were buried in a
storm of clover and flying hay. They
twisted about Then the bear got
his back braced against a stall and
his hind feet against the COW, and
he bowled her into the middle OF the
barn
! With huge grunt she alighted on
her side and rolled clean over AS
she scrambled to her feet, full of
pluck and snorting fiercely, Solomon
issued from the midst of the alfalfa
heap, and again the two faced each
other, filling the barn with loud
mouthed threats.
1t was splendid and exciting bat
tle,, but Rufe and Perry, certain that
the bear would kill the cow unless
| prevented, felt that they must do
| something. They had heard their
Uncle Joe say that, since Solomon
was getting crosser, he would give
him away if anybody could be found
to come and get him.
Since nobody else was within reach.
| they cast about for some means of
distracting Solomon from his fell pur-
| pose. Better kill the bear, if possible,
| than let him destroy valuable farm
animal. Suddenly, as the bear came
| directly beneath, Perry bethought
him Of the fish-spears
In twinkling he had one in hand,
and was standing over the wide
aperture.
That's it, That's it," shouted
Eufe. Stab him, Stick it clear into
him. That'n keep him busy for
while.'
Solomon was again weaving back
and forth before the threatening
horns, and as ne came within easy
reach, Perry gave him fierce thrust
between the shoulders. AS the tines
pierced his muscles, the bear reared
to his hind legs with whining roar
Of pain. Perry, still clinging to the
handle OF the spear, was suddenly
thrown off his perch and tumbled
head foremost upon the grizzly!
Thus the. peril of breaking bones
in falling was avoided in the peril of
rolling on the barn floor in the
clutches of mad grizzly! The bear
had twisted his neck to seize the
spear-handle, and when Perry hit |
him, was bowled over on mis- side.
The spear-handle snapped in his |
teeth, and as he wrenched frantically !,
at the fragment, its tines were twist |
ed, cutting deeper into is.fesh.
This wound, the first he had ever
received, set Solomon crazy.
He paid rot the slightest heed to
boy or COW, but rolled and threshed,
biting at the fragment OF spear
handle, giving vent to his rage and
pain in noarse, distressful roar.
Perry might easily have scrambled !
to his feet and escaped, but he also
was flung at full length on the floor,
and instantly Solomon, in distress,
rolled over him, crushing the breath
from his lungs.
The terrified Rufe, looking Gown
on his brothers blackened face and
the bears wicked claws waving above
it. leaped to his feet and started to
run to the barn-loft door, to scream
for help.
At less than half the distance, his
feet caught in the meshes of the I'M
rolled net, and he measured his
length on the floor
AS he quickly untangled foot,
the thought flashed into his mind.
Throw this net upon the bears
legs!" In a flash he was at the edge
of the open floor and hauling the big
seine in coils at his feet.
When he had heap to the height
Of his knees, he gathered it in his
arms and dropped the coils upon Sol
onions waving legs.
The bears claws took instant hold
of the stout meshes, and bruin, feel
ng his feet entangled, wrenched at
their fastenings. rolling himself over
On his side and off the body of the
PROSTATE boy. Perry, well-nigh
had barely strength
enough left to crawl out of reach of
he whirlwind fight which now took
place.
Even the COW was awed to silence
BY the uproar of Solomons rage as he
ought with the entangling folds of
he salmon net. The seine needed no
1t did it's own work once s
he grizzly's legs had been thrust
through its meshes
Coil after coil, the hundred and s
lfty feet of sein came down out of {
he loft as the bear rolled and pitched i
Ind tumbled. The more he tore and l
hreshed, the more meshes there were '
o enwrap and entangle him. l
In five minutes from the time its ,
% ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS