The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-06-24
THE EVENING STORY
Somebody's Bear.
CBy Lawrence Alfred Clay.

>
All young lawyers are referred to in
stories as rising young lawyers. This
doesn't do us outsiders any harm, and
is taken as a compliment by the pro-
fession.
Mr.. Burt Wilders. twenty-three years
old, was a rising young lawyer. Most
rising young lawyers have at least one
uncle Mr.. Burt Wilders had one. That
is, he did have one. He had just gone
to his reward. He probably got it hot
and heavy, for he had toted a crouch
of some kind of other around all bis
life. He was mad at the whole world,
himself included. He was mad that he
was alive, and he was mad that he
must die some day.
That uncle would have had no
trouble picking out a dozen relatives to
leave his money to, but he selected
young ] urt Wilders. 1t was doubtful
if it was of love or affection. 1t was
more than probable that he hated Burt
a little less than he did the others
Two years before he died the uncle
bought a bear. He didn't want that
bear any more than a rooster wants
two kinds of crows, but he bought him
and kept him just to be mean. For
the same reason he'd have bought rat
tlesnakes had the occasion offered. The
bear was kept in a cage in the wood
shed, and he tried to be as mean as
his master.
1t was only a week before his death,
and while making his will that the
grouchy old man saw just how he
could make that bear source or an
noyance to others. He would leave his
money to his nephew Burt, but he
would also leave him the bear. No bear.
no money.
The rising young lawyer accepted the
legacies. The money he deposited in
bank and the bear he deposited with
a farmer at so much a week for his
board. TIL will didn't say that the
beneficiary had to keep bruin in his
bedroom. He must not part with him
for three years.
A bear in any sort of cage has only
to keep on gnawing and wrenching
year after year to gain his liberty. One
morning the farmer who had charge of
the Wilders bear went out to feed him
and make up faces at him and call him
bad names, as was his usual custom,
and great was his surprise to find
Bruin gone. Later on he found two of
his sheep and a calf dead.
The obvious thing to do was to give
an alarm and get men after the beast,
and the farmer did 1t. The escaper, so
far as his pursuers could Judge, had
gone in for high old time. He killed
other sheep and calves. He was pur-
sxued all day long, but not overtaken.
At 8 o'clock one morning Miss Dora
on the hill with fishing tackle to visit
Glen Lake, half a mile away over the
meadow and through the woods. She
did not expect to catch any fish. She
did not even intend to try to. She would
sit down on a messy bank and listen to
songs Of the birds, and think and think.
Love would lead to marriage, and
marriage to a home.
Mercy, but what is that?"
1t was what might be called a mob
Of mems voices trying to sing old
tramps camped in a thicket twenty
rods off making much harmony as
they could without being paid for it.
They had breakfast and were ready to
move on.
''My soul, but what shall I do?' she
asked herself as she reached her feet.
If she retreated it must be across
the meadow in plain view, and she
was looking around for hiding place
when the shouts of glee changed to
yells of alarm. Breaking out of the
bushes, each one yelling his own par
ticu1ar yell, the seven tramps came
within thirty feet of her and started
to cross the meadow. LAUNDERING
the hindmost, came big black bear,
growing and showing his teeth. 1t
was the escaped captive. He wasn't
hungry, but the sort of singing he had
stopped for a moment to survey the
girl, and then passed on. Perhaps
Miss Dora should have jumped into
the lake or taken to her heels with a
prayer to heaven to give her the wings
of a gazelle, but she stood stock still
instead.
How far that bear chased those
tramps, and how many of them felt
his teeth has not been recorded. 1t is
sufficient to say that he soon return
ed to the girl with trousers patches
in his mouth and that he had no evil
dent intention of eating her for break
fast In fact, after laying the patches
at her feet, he began to frisk and
gambol, and after five minutes ad-
vanced to have his head patted and to
be called fond names. He liked It.
That farmer had called him names
and hurt his feelings till the change
seemed a heavenly one.
When the girl saw that she was not
to be harmed she turned to making
friends with Bruin, and they were get
ting along very well when there came
from the direction of the highway
more shouting, and young man on
horseback appeared 1t was the rising
Young lawyer. He was heading the
chase to recapture his bear. The
tramps had given the bears where
abouts away 1t is doubtful if a greater
surprise could have been prepared Tor
with a grin on his face-a bear that
was supposed to be killing and devour-
ing old women and chlldren-ano
there stood a calm faced girl with
hand on his head. Young Mr.. Wilders
halted fifty feet away and called:
beg pardon, but is that my bear?"
TITS somebody's BEAR" was an
swered.
I'm sure it mine. I'll bring up my
men and capture him 1 shall have a
big bill to pay for the damage he's
done.
The men with their nets and ropes
were whistled up, and the bear lost his
grin in a second