The Randall County news. (Canyon City, Tex.) 1908-1926, 1910-01-14
BY ELEANOR 3. GARDNER
1909. by American Press
Association.
Grandpa Colonel. tell us a story"

when California was only poor. faroff
Mexican California and nothing more
and ] was a very young officer in Un-
Gle Sans little army. once found my
self stationed at certain inland town.
if collection of adobe or mud huts
deserved the name, situated about six
ty miles distant from the then scarce
~ larger village of Yerba Buena, the
now mighty city OF San Francisco.
I'VE were doing garrison duty. a sim
gle company under old Captain Jack
B.. an easy going commander. who
gave us little to do and plenty of time
to do 1t In.
$50. as the hours hung somewhat
heavily upon our hands, Captain Jack
and 1.-THE only officers at the post
took to hunting and shooting, with
now and then II little fishing by way
Of change TO vary the monotony of our
soldier life. Countless flocks of wild
geese. brant and lesser waterfowl
came by thousands to banquet upon
the wild oat fields and make their
reedy homes among the wide marshes
which separate the firmer land about
Sonoma from the spreading bays that
terminate in the Golden Gate.
I'VE had goose for dinner, brant for
breakfast and cold duck for supper
and lunch till old Jack declared his
belief that he should quack If we ate
any more such fare.
Zone morning had been very sue
cessful at duck shooting, and when
tired of the sport | proceeded to
shoulder my piece and secure my
game for the homeward tramp of three
or four miles.
LAS lost sight of the shooting
grounds and began to enter the live
oak groves scattered here and there
along the higher ridges bordering the
marshy edges Of the bay found my
self suddenly enveloped in one Of
those dense mists which sweep up at
certain seasons from the sea. like the
ocean vapors of Newport summer
afternoon.
LAS | had no special path and was
travelling only by familiar landmarks.
now rendered indistinct by the hoary
haze. / was obliged to move more slow
ly and soon felt satisfied that i had
missed my way.
Reaching at length Il space open
upon three sides. the fourth being thin
ly wooded, but without n particle of
underground. paused for a moment
t. survey. so far as my limited horizon
would permit. tract of country which
was new to me. Moreover. | hoped to
hear the sound of running water,
which, as knew the general direction
of the streams, would serve to guide
me in taking what sailors call fresh
departure.
while listening intenty heard
from the wooded side of my narrow,
visible world sort of pounding, as
If some man with large boots and no
corns had found his feet unpleasantly
cold and was endeavoring to warm
them by stamping in a manner which
betokened an utter disregard for shoe
leather.
Then came a wheeZe like that Of
gruff giant troubled with the asthma
and finally mixed compound of
crunching and mumbling. as if huge
hog were eating hard corn. My atten-
ton now being thoroughly aroused by
so remarkable combination of sounds,
/ peered into the gloom until l fancied
! could perceive the vague. misty form
Of some creature stirring up the fog
within twenty feet of the spot on
which | had halted.
st is--no, it can't be-yes, but it is
a grizzly. Don't l wish l was at home!
That's what / thought. You see, |
hadn't come bear hunting. | was duck
shooting and had no conveniences for
carrying home bear even If l should
kill one. and the more | looked ut Mr..
Grizzly the better satisfied | was that
he had every convenience for killing
and carrying me.
"All | had ever heard or read of his
ugly. hateful ways seemed to rush into
my mind.
IF had been examined on this sub.
ject in natural history just then
should have gone up to the head of
my class Immediately.
"We stood looking at each other. Ii
was evidently a surprise on both sides
l stared very hard at the bear with
wide open eyes, while the bear stared
very hard at me with wide open mouth
81 think the bear got over his aston.
ishment first. and, what is worst,
could see he wasn't at all alarmed. He
stopped eating. gave sniff and a sort
Of interrogatory who are you? grunt
and then took step toward me.
'As l am of a retiring disposition
and have never been willing to in
trude myself into company where
have not been invited. felt some deli
cacy in continuing to be witness OF
his repast and was accordingly with
drawing in as unostentatious way rs
good manners would permit. when II
seemed to occur to bruin that he owed
1t to good fellowship to cultivate my
acquaintance.