Shoshone journal. [volume] (Shoshone, Idaho) 1884-1931, 1912-10-18
HE STEPPED ON A BEAR


TOOK the turn round the south sid,
OF the big laurel patch t'other sid.
10 the Knob, fetchin' out in the ole
wood road all right if il was folIereC
along, an see that he was goin
to leave the path an make a shor
cut through them laurels jest 'caus>
1t d save him mebbe somethin' like
an eighth of mile on his way
says TO him, me standin in the patti
three rod or SO from the laurel patch
an KNOWN what was standin' there
fer-I say to Pete:
Pete l says, you better keep To
the path an go round the patch ]
says.
Pete was as stubborn an head
strong as a mule. although he got
broke of it consider'bl by sarcum-
stances that follered this here little
parley, so that it never come back
to him ag'in as long as he continered
with us in the Knob country, an he
kind O. shifted at me an says:
What fer?' he says. I'm in a
hurry, says he.
g Well l says. it'll be consider
bic furder around fer you, that's so.
I says, but if you keep TO the path
you'll git there a good deal sooner
says.
Cause | knowed what was in
them laurels, an I had been more'n
six week gittin' it there. The first
time I knowed it was anywheres at
all was when was over TO the Eddy
one day an heerd young Eph an Ellis
Sam an Back o. Lackawack Jonas
talkin about it, an I say TO young
Eph:
Was it much fer size?' ! says
Was it as big as any Uncle Jase ever
killed. I says.
Cause Uncle Jase was tremend-
GUS hunter, but with sort of magni-
fyin' eye that made him rather un-
sartin as to size an heft when he sot
down TO tell about what he had
knocked over an lugged in when he
was out after EN-.
Big as any Uncle Jase ever
killed. says young Eph Why, it
was bigger yit than any Uncle Jase
ever said he killed. says Eph. an
that was enough to say that it was an
old sockdolager onheerd of as TO sock
dolagerness in them woods, so l
thought ii mought be worth my while
to git onto it's track. an ! started out
to do it the very next day
Il heard O. that bear-this bein
bear 1 am referencin' to- heard OF
it here an there an almost every
where; back O. Lackawack, up around
the headwaters, down Bib Injin
Swamp way, an skirtin' the clearin's |
most permiscuous, nippin sheep |
here, an a beeskip there, an nice,
fat shoat yonder, accoTdin' to what
folks told me as I follered its trail, |
but I couldn't hit that trail while |
it was warm fer a good six weeks. the |
rempagin' old critter was so foxy an |
up to snuff. How he ever forgot his |
self so fur as to git into the trouble |
that give me my first out. but he did, |
an that trouble was one of Evander's |
bear traps.
81 was trampin' along by Evander's |
that day, an there was Evander.
rippin' an tearin' mad.
'Consarn that rantankerous thief !
o. the woods says he to me. He
come an stole one O. my traps says
Evander AN he's took it off along
with him,' says he.
so that give me the trail hot,
an It p'inted straight fer the
big tamarack swamp that laid off in
there. | hadn't gone more'n two
niles when | come 10 the trap the
bear had stole. 1t laid
asst under a hemlock root. an there
vas a couple o. toes in it more'n
wo inches long, which 1 reeo'nized
O wunst as sign o. bear, an bear
artinly standin' pooty well up as
an with uncommon gift as to
left.
"The old Teller yanked hisself
pose. eh?' says /. an he won't be
eelin' 80 gay an funny as folks tells
1e he has been feelin' fer a while 4,
ack when l come up with him now, {
am sorty thinkin'," says !
AN before long I come up with
i'm, | don't think he was expectin'
me. fer he was backed up ag'in a
zee nussin his sore foot. When he 7
cen me breakin' in on him, though, '
q sartinly kind o. shape fer enter /
amin company. He sot me down {
ght away as bein' the Teller that had g
Of him into trouble an he riz up an I
owled an smashed an showed a set
teeth that made me SILVER.
8" Young Eph was right says ]
les bigger yit than any Uncle Jase
Ter said he killed