Licking Valley courier., 1917-03-29
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 1t Is Not
Yet Settled.

tryin' to make any p'intS agin Setch II
tremendous arguticr ez Squire Ike
Stratton." said Bill Sanders, the homer
from down ShnhOpple way, $50 took
my gun an-but the how of it was like
this:
"SUme of us was settin' at Joe 'nn's
grocery store an in come young Snive-
ly Swayback with cub bar Ia had
run ag'in out on the ridge an L. led,
an l up an says that I'd bet i'etle
sumpin' that if bars could talk they'd
say us ShlnhOpplers 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
eggr
"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 it about us, says /,
cause we'm setch dern fools ez to kill
'em fore they'm grOwed. 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 mateer?" 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
woods? Why" they'd say, "them fell
lers is the c0nsarndest loOnies that was
ever let loose" they'd say, "the way
they rob the future o. the Shinhopple
deestric' out Of u lot O funv'
"That's what they'd say, squire, an
they'd hev us sOt down toler'ble nigh
to what we be- says /.
"'Which don't agree with you, VII.
liam, not by a tarnatlon sightr 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 thatd 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 a 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, says. Now | says, I'll 60
you even furder n the bars would if
they could talk, an I'll say that US fel-
| lers is the cOnsarndeSt loOnies that ever
was let run loose fer even killin' the
! bars that was already grOwed up un-
der setch circumstances, l says.
ado you know what US fellers orto
do when we run ag'in bar family like
thaty says /. Jest pass the time O. day
with 'em an let 'em 60 l says, so
! they kin 90 on raisln' them cubs fer us
to hev fun with by an by l says.
Squire says, let 'em alone, but keep
an eye on EN- says, AN mark 'em
down fer future reference.
"'Seems to me- says, that it's q
mighty good thing there want no Shin
hOpple fellcr citizen along with N0ar in
the ark, fer If there had a-been,' l says,
he'd a-folcred the two bars when
they come outen the ark an got away
with 'cm an their cubs an we wouldn't
a-had no bars now at all = says.
"We'd a-had more pigs an sheep,
though says Squire Ike, borryin' Il
chaw often Snively Swaybock's plug
an 81 Groner wouldn't a-had his ear
an most Of his chist clawcd of, an
our wives an young uns could go out
huckleherryln' without bcln' afeard
they wouldn't never come back agin.
don't know but what I'm lectle sorry
William, that they want n ShinhOpplC
feller citizen in the ark along Will
Noar,' says the squire. i don't know
but what / am says he.
81 see then that there want no kinC
q use o. my tryin' to make any pint,
ag'inSt setch tremendous arguiier c.
Squire Ike SrattOn, an so | took my
gun an went out. An Knocked ovel
three bar nfore night, countin' the two
suckln' cubs"