Mexico Missouri message., 1915-07-08
BARS GOT HIS FISH.
Tale of Woe, as Old Bill Sanders
Related 1t.
Mistake Was That He Went on Ex-
petition Without Gun-Uncle
Joe Bunker Quite Frankly
an Unbellever.

Il stopped at Shinhopple on my way
for a few days with the trout on the
Beaverkill, in Sullivan county" said
John Gilbert, the travelling grocery
man, land Bill Sanders, the Homer Of
all that country, buttonholed me and
said:
"'Goin' to tackle the trout over in
Sullivan, Ell? Well, whar's your gun.
Don't 'spect to git away from thar
with your trout If you don't take no
gun, do you? left nine pound O. the
pootiest trout that ever lodged fly
an gobbled a worm over along them
upper Beaverkill waters, to say nothin'
Of a ten-pound fish basket, jest cause
| didn't have no gun, long about this
time last season. Whar's your gun,
John?' said Bill.
II stared at Bill and allowed that
l couldn't see why a gun should be
a part of my Sullivan county fishing
equipment, and he said:
"'B'ars, that's why! Bars! Better
git gun, John. I'd "a logged home
ten pound of old sockdollagers an
wouldn't a lost my ten-pound fish bas-
ket If I'd only had gun. was fishin'
on them upper Beaverkill waters and
/ had jest about filled that ten-pound
basket O. mine, bein' only two pounds
shy O. runnin' 1t up to its limit.
"T clum down to the rocks to git
to the spot whar / was goin' to land
pair O. one-pounders, settin' my fish
basket down at the top O. the rocks
fer fear mought stumble an jest ez
like ez not spill them eight pound o.
fish outen it. got down all right, an
soon had one o. them one-pounders
hooked, an give him line. He run
down the creek a hundred foot fore
he stopped to rest, pn' then dinged
If he didn't stop right whar a slam
min big bar was standin' in the
crick dom a little fisnln' on his own
account.
well. sir, john said Bill, it's
Shinhopple Gospel truth I'm tellin'
you, but fore could wind that pound
trout back an away from thar the
bar ritched out an socked the hooks
o. his big claw on my trout, yanked it
outen the water, grabbed my fish line,
broke it off and, holdin' the trout up
a spell fer me to take pertin' look at
it, maxim my dander rise so that it
all but knocked my hat of, he gave
his jaws a warnin' snap or two an
waddled outen the crick an off into
the bushes, takin' my pound trout with
him. Then, / can tell lou, woke up.
"'"Not If know it you don't get
away with that air fish," l hollered
arter that audacious bar, an turned
an Skinned up them rocks to head
him off an make him stand an deliver
up that trout or take the consequences
O. me a neckin' him an shakin' him
up till his toenails Iattled.
when l got back to the top l
diskivered that my en-Tound fish bas-
ket that l had left thar fer to be safe,
with them eight pound o. trout in it,
want whar 1 put it. 1 looked all
around, but it want nowhar to be
seen. l run to the bushes an thar
l see two bar cubs walkin' off with
my basket o. fish, cartin' it betwixt
'em, like couple O. boys carryin' a
pail o water they had been let outen
school fer to go git! Say! l was
Jest about knocked silly! An as
gawked arter that pair O. sassy young
thievin' cubs they was fined by the
old bar that had ketched my pound
trout only minute or so afore, down
the crick.
"'Stead o. boundin' arter that fam
lily o. highway robber bars. chokin'