Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1917-05-11
Roy 5 Bear Hunt

The moment that Roy stepped out
was just the morning for a bear hunt.
little bit of breeze blowing not
woods that you could not hear bear
coming. but just enough so that the
bear could not smell you il you were
was blowing Then, besides, the grass
was wet little. SO that the dead
leaves did not rustic when you walked
through them.
Roy had his new bow-gun. that Hen
ry. the hired man, had made for him.
1t was a gun that would shoot very
| far and very hard indeed. Henry had
tried it by shooting at tomato can
which he had set up on top of fence
post and the arrow had knocked the
can way off and made big dent in
It, The clump of trees and bushes at
the back end Of the orchard, near the
spring house. was the best place to
hunt. Bears had often been seen all
about there: and it was fine place to
look for them, because there were
plenty of bushes where you could hide,
and an old stone wall behind which
| you could creep up close.
Roy ioa ded his bow gun very care
F., fully. putting in his best arrow. He had
Just started to steal along slowly, look
ing closely at the ground to see Il he
could find any tracks when there was
sharp bark at his heels and Ginger
his fox terrier, came rushing up, Wag.
ging his stump Of tail.
"Here, Ginger! You 90 back You
can't come" WHISPERED Roy. This is
bear hunt. Go home now"
Ginger Just wagged his tail harder,
as much as to say: Yes sir Certainly
sir" and kept right on. And Roy had
to let him go. because it would not do
to make anv loud talk or other noise
that might brighten the bear.
It took a long time to reach the hunt
ing grounds. walking very slowly and
stopping good deal. as you have to do
when You are after bears. But by and
by the edges of the bushes were reach
ed and Roy began to look even more
carefully for tracks. He did not find
any at FIRST. although he looked under
the syringa bush and all about the
damn ground near the clumD Of rasp-
berries: and bears are very fond OF
raspherries.
| And now he was aDnroaching the
currant bushes. All. There it was. A
track. Two tracks. rs plain as could
he. And. looking ahead q little wsv,
Roy saw the bear himself - big.
brown fellow. standing IN straight on
his hind legs under another currant
bush, his little black eyes twinkling
and watching out sharp.
Now was the time to be very careful
because, when bears stand uD that way
it means that they are on the lookout
for danger.
I, The first thing was to find out which
way the wind was. OF course Roy
could have looked back at the weather
vane on the barn if he had wanted to.
but that would not have been the right
way. So he wet his forefnger and
held it up In the air. as Henry had
taught him to do And by seeing
I which side OF the finger got cold first,
he could tell that the wind was blow
ing from the east That was bad. be-
cause it was right toward the bear
which would be sure to smell him.
The only thing to do was to work
off to the right, get over the wall, and
creep back to the left on the other
side. If he could get as far as the
crab apple tree. he would be all right
Slowly he crawled from bush to bush
sometimes on his hands and knees,
sometimes on his stomach. till he
reached the wall. He climbed over
without making bit of noise. and be-
gan to creep toward the crab apple
tree. When, at last. he reached 1t. and
stood up, very softly, very still. there
was the bear within ten feet OF him
standing, just as he had seen MIN nrst
under the currant bush. He had no.
seen Roy at all. or smelled him, OF
moved single muscle.
Pushing the gun carefully over the
wall. Roy took steady aim. Crash
went the bow. and PUNK. went tne
bear. He was hit square in the middle
and rolled over and over, and finally
Law still on his back. with all four o.
his bare feet up in the air.
With a shout Roy started to clint
the wall but, before he could get over
Ginger had rushed ahead and grabbed
the bear, and was shaking 1t so tina
the fur was all coming on.
AS soon as Roy could get the bea,
away from Ginger he tied loni
string to one OF the bears hind legs
and. with the gun over one shoulder
i. and the string over the other, started
to drag the bear UP to the house But
Just as he reached the stable. his siste
, Ethel came running out.
Here. what are you doing with m!
Teddy bear" she cried. You stol
dragging him that way! You're wear
. ing him all OUT"
Roy stopped and united the strin'
Huh" he said, this is wild beA
that Just shot down in the garden
But you may have him." - f. W
Frentz in The Youths Companion.
.IGenevieve Ruth Morrison