The Washington herald., 1914-11-22
OLD ZEB WHITE
He Tells of ''Speerit'' Bear That Visited Him

on up the mounting to beat up the lau-
rel thickets, and it was about 'leyen
o'clock when l stumbled over a root and
pitched head first. 1 wasn't much hurt,
but broke my rifle, and sot down on
a stone to tinker it up. l was workin'
away with my head down when l heard
sniff, and looked up to see the pesky
old woman had said he looked like Joe
Robinson, looked at him powerfully
clus."
And did hep 1 asked,
''Suah's yo'r bon he did, sab. Yes,
sah-any man as had ever knowed Joe
Robinson would say that his speerit had
passed into that bar. 1t was most the
same as photograph. He had a wink
to one eye, grin on his face, and his
lower lip hung down, and il was Jest like
seein' Joe Robinson hisself once mo-"
And so You lit out?'
mo, sab, / didn't. I wanted to, but
the mint riZ up that bar knowed what
was arter and waltzed up to me and
took hold for a wrassle. used to wras-
sic with Joe and down him every time,
but he was different now as bar. He
laid me plumb on my back in no time. !
got up and tried 1t agin. but it was dead
easy fur him. He throwed me down so
easy that I got mad and yells at him:
Joe Robinson, I'm KNOWN who you
ar, even If yo' ar bar! Yo' kin throw
me down, cause yo' got claws on yo'r
feet to stick into me, but i believe I kin
whop yo' the same as ! did one da befo.
NO was hllleu-
That's what said" remarked the old
man, but l was made to wish / hadn't.
The bar held up his paws and began to
dance around, and purity soon he gin me
a whack on the ear which knocked me
ten feet. l got up and went fur him, but
he knocked me jest as fur the other way.
Then / got whoppin' mad and sailed in.
They used to say that 1 was good fur
any two men around yere, but lickin' a
bar and lickin' two men is a heap diff
ferent At least, 1t was so with the bar.
never got in on him at 'aIl. He jest
cuffed me this way and that, and bime
the fight outer me and left me as limp
as rag. / was a licked man, but ]
knowed 1t and was ready to give up, but
that bar wasn't willin'. He remembered
the whoppin' 1 gin him when he was Joe
Robinson. and he kept on cuffin' me till l
tainted dead away. When 1 cum to my
senses he sot thar grinnin' and chuck
lin and as soon as 1 lifted a hand he
ears and neck and scalp, and i've got
heaps of claw marks on my shoulders.
/ knowed what he was arter. He want
ed me to holler fur mercy, same as I
fur two long hours. 1 called him names
and fit back, and held out till seen he
And then you gave in?'' I asked.
Then l had to give in, and, drat his
pesky hide, IL 1 haven't been ashamed
Of ii every hour sinceI / Jest begged his
pardon and told him / was a licked man
and asked him to let up, and he cuffed
me twice fur luck and went off,
And didn't you ever see the bear
again?''
Never, sab. He was a speerit bar,
and he Jest disappeared and was never
seen again. I crawled home and was in
bed fur two weeks, and though I'm still
huntin' fur that bar, 1 don't reckon III
ever fnd him. 1t was Joe Robinson's s
speerit in him, yo' see. When Joe got
even fur that whoppin' I gin him he was
satisfied to lie in his grave forever mo-,
and SO the bar vanished OF the airthi
Yes, sab, vanished on the airth, and ]
was a licked man."