Catoctin clarion., 1917-03-22
IN HOT ARGUMENT
BILL SANDERS MATCHES WITS
WITH SQUIRE IKE sTRATToN.
Two Had Different Ideas as to the
Real Solution of the Bear Prob.
lem, and It Is Not
Yet Settled.

IT see there wasn't no use O. my
tryin' to make any pints ag'in setch
tremendous argutier ez Squire Ike
Stratton," said Bill Sanders, the homer
from down ShinhOpple way, 80 took
my gun an-but the how of 1t was like
this:
"SOme of us was settin' at Joe Binn's
grocery store an in come young Snive-
ly Swayback with cub bar he had
run agin out ON the ridge an killed,
an l up an says that I'd bet Il leetle
sumpin' that if bars could talk they'd
say us Shinhopplers was the consarn-
dest passel O. loOnies that ever was let
loose.
"'Why,' they'd say, it's jest like
KILN the goose that laid the golden
egg!
"That's about what they'd sayr
says /.
""'What'd they say that about us fer?
says Squire Ike Stratton, all ready fer
to argyfy.
"'They'd say 1t about u.s. says l.
cause wem setch dern fools ez to kill
'em fore they'm grOwcd. Cant them
fellers see that they can't hev no fun
with us when we'm only three weeks
old or three months old or only six
months old, fer that matter?" they'd
say. "If them idjits d let us be till
we'm growed up can't they see that
they'd hev ten times ez much fun in the
Ic9 fol.
lers Is the consarndest lOonies that was
ever let loose" they'd say, "the way
they rob the future O. the ShinhOpple
deestric' out of lot O. fun!
"That's what they'd say, squire, an
they'd hev us sot down toler'ble nigh
to what we be- says l.
"Which don't agree with you, Will
liam, not by tarnatiOn sight! says
Squire Ike.
"'An' o. course l didn't s'pose he
would fer if he'd agreed with me he
wouldn't a-had no chance fer to argyfy,
an thnt'd been wuSS to him than stop
PIN O his breath.
":JeSt the same, squire says !, 1T
don't stand to reason that they amt
right. Fer instance, here's family O
bars. Three of 'em Is cubs, say three
weeks old Us fellers runs ag'in 'em
in the woods. What do we up an do
on the spot?
"'First we git away with the old uns.
Then we either knock the young uns in
the head or take 'em home an let em
starve,' l says. Now l says, I'll go
you even furder n the bars would II
they could talk, an I'll say that us fell
lers Is the cOnsarndest lOOnies that ever
was let run loose fer even KILN the
bars that was already growed up un-
der setch circumstances | says.
ado you know what us felers orto
do when we run ag'in bar family like
thatY says I. Jest pass the time O day
with 'em an let 'em CO. / says, so
they kin go on raiSin' them cubs fer US
to hev fun with by an by l says.
Squire says, let 'em alone, but keep
an eye on EN- l says AN mark em
down fer future reference.
"'Seems to me- l says, that it's a
mighty good thing there want no Shin
hopple feler citizen along with Noar in
the ark, fer if there had a-been,' says,
he'd a-follered the two bars when
they come outen the ark an got away
with 'em an their cubs an we wouldn't
a-had no bars now at all " says.
"'Wed a-had more pigs an sheep,
though says Squire Ike, borryin' a
chaw often Snively SwaybOck's plug.
am ST Groner wouldn't a-had his ear
an most of his chist clawed off, an
our wives an young uns could 60 out
huckleberryn' without bein' afeard
they wouldn't never come back agin.
don't know but what I'm leetle sorry,
William, that they want Shinhopple
feller citizen in the ark along with
Noar' says the squire. 4 don't know
but what / am y says he.
II see then that there want no kind
o use O. my tryin to make any p'ints
ag'inst setch tremendous argufier ez
Squire Ike Stratton an so ] took my
gun an went out. An knocked over
three bar afore night. countin' the two
Suckin' cubS"