The sun., 1910-01-30
THE BRIBING OF
i UNCLE JASON
Election Near, the Demand for
Bear Stories Gets Brisk
at the Stores

LACKAwAxEN. Jan. 29.-"Uncle Jase
come in an sot down" said the man from
the Knob country, -an' Simon, lookin
at him as pleasant as old apple, hot an
with sugar in IL, opened up the pail o
loose chawin'. passed most a heapin
handful over to Jsse, an says to him:
"Seems to me, Uncle Jase.' says he,
that haint heer'd a real giniwine bear
story fer more'n a coon's age says he.
Now. as Simon had always put the pail
O. loose chawin' down under the counter
out o. the way whenever Uncle Jase
come in, an as only the week afore he
had as good as said right out to Jase that
he didn't see why the store should be
keepin a fire a-goin' burniD' up wood
fer seemingly nothin' else but TO keep
Jase's feet warm while he worried an
fretted folks with his consarned yarnin'
about bear KILN an wildcat slaughterin'
an setch, l knowed to wunst that he had
placed hisself in the hands OF his friends
an was goin' to run sg'in Ellis Sam fer
squire at the comm town meetin'. an
when Uncle Jase took his chin in his hand.
t'other un clutchin' the terbaclSer. an
looked at the ceilin' sorty ponderin' 4,
l says to myself. 'Dinged il he amt indig
nant at Simon. an is goin' to pass the
loose chawin' back to him an stalk outen
the store scornful.'
But l was mistook. Jase took a
toler'ble good sized chaw often the bunch
o. terbacker, crammed the rest in his
pocket. took his eyes ofYen the ceilin'
looked at the clock sg' in the post to see
what time il was. an then smilin' at
Simon he says:
I'm a leetle scant O. time says he.
havin' come in to do some tradin' fer
Perkiomen fer six yards O. caliker she's
wantin' in a hurry says he. but kin
squeeze in a few minutes with a bear
or two, Simon. saws he, not wantin' to
discommode a neighbOr,' says he. an
he started right in.
-'Fust place. says he, L guess ! never
told you, Simon. nor you. neither. Dan1,
says Jase. nOddin' to me an GRIMM
from which feared the worst. that
was comm 10 year old fore had it out
! with my fust bear says he, but setch
was the fact. says he. Our calf turned
up missin' in its pen one mornin',' says
he, an my pap told me to shite out in
the woods an find it.
-'-It's got into the swamp" says pap.
AN got stuck in the mire or somethin'"
says he. 60 find It. an don't be all day
about it. neither says he. pap bein' a
pOSitive man, an wantin' things done
right on the jump or he d know the reason
fer why.
From the way the aittin' away O. that
calf struck me- says Jase. I was purity
sure it want the mire it was stuck in. so
] snuck pap's old gun an went out to find
the calf. This WAS 'arly in the mornin',
an me not havin' got back home yit
along in the AFTERNOON. pap started out
to hunt me UP. nadder'n wildcats in a
trap. He found me four miles on t'other
side o the swamp. poOty well tuckered
out, an not much clothes on to me. sound
asleep 'longside Of slammin' big bear
that laid there dead.
Pap woke me up. an by the way he
shook me a-doin' OF IL. Simon says Jase,
I knowed he was bsilin' over.
""Didn't 1 send you out to find that
calfr' says he. Then what In dingna-
tons name be you wastin' your time fer
gaddin' all round the country arter a
wuthless bearG" says he. why didn't
you find the calf2" says he.
-'-I did find it. daddy" says I. settin
up, sorty wipin' the blood offen my face.
But had 60 find the bear fust," says I.
The calf's inside Of himi" says I.
>-'An' that's where the calf was, Simon
says Jase. An that was the first bear
ever got to mix in with, though was
comm 10 year old an I wouldn't "a
got the chance to do il even then, pap
was so sot ag'in foolin' away time that
way, IL hadn't took advantage o. our
calf turnin up missin' that time says
Jase.
Deer an me, though saws he. had
been together cons 'der'ble afore that,
an I recomember a leetle sarcumstance
with deer that brImg our folks in quite a
up o. much powder an with an amazin'
savin' o. lead ] seen the buck an the
doe standin' in the edge o. the pond.
The buck was highest 70 me and the doe
was standin' right in line ten foot or SO
furder on.
81 drawed bead on to him with the OF
smoothbore. Rang she went an though
'spected the ball o. course TO 20 clean
through the buck out on his t'other side
I own up that I didn't 'speot il to 20 on
through the doe an kill the yearIin'
buck fawn that stood on t'other side o.
the doe, cause ] hadn't seen the fawn
standin' there. There was them that said
l was ding blockhead fer not claimin'
that had seen all three o. them deer
an calc lated on the gittin' o. 'em ali
at one shot, but there was too much George
Washington in me- says Uncle Jase, an
says no: 500 pounds o. venison at one
shot seen an calo'lated on was enough
an want goin to set my coyscience
a-prickin' o. me all my life jest to squeeze
in that calo o'lation a fswn that didn't
weigh but eighty pound says Jase.
an Simon. who been wrappin' up some
thin an tyin' IL with a strng handed il
TO Uncle Jase an says:
Here's them six yards o. caIiker
Perkionan was wsntinT. saws he I've
let IL 20 to her at two cents OF on the yard.
Jason. says he. an she kin pay me for
it when she sells that turkey o. her N she's
fattenin'.' says he. an now you'll have
moro time fer your bear story. Jason,
says he. an takin' the passel Uncle Jase
smiled at Simon agin' an says:
Why, yes. il you put IL that way. so
will says he. an I won't waste none of
it. but III start right in an say that was
passin' round by the Knob one day 'arly
in the winter, an met young 'Liier, who
was drivin' the tannery mules. His
eyes was bulgin' out most like the butt
end OF powder horn. an he said he had
iaat a hear a a hi n a a haifa .