White Bluffs spokesman. [volume] (White Bluffs, Wash.) 1907-1938, 1933-03-09

/ 4
into which all save two young chill
dren dipped with wooden spoons and
| ate.
| AT squalid log tavern in clearing
he found men and women sleeping on
| the floor of it's main room rolled in
dirty blankets. An army scout arose
from the floor when Colin entered
with the host, who carried lantern
in his hand.
Il can't stand 1t here" said the
scout. "Too many feas! Hay for me!
I'm going to the barn and you'd better
come along" H
They lay down with their blankets
In the haymow.
"Who are these folk that are crowd
ing the inn?" Colin asked.
Settlers way east O here-young
people mostly who have Travelled more
than sixty miles in the saddle to go to
a dance over at Eph Kittles on Sam
son creek. The unmarried girls went
up the ladder into the loft to sleep.
! Young folks don't mind lot O. hard
| work to get little fun"
| LIE LulIu udy OuI, uieAiC OClAS
weary, Colin halted in the forest to
spend one night and there fell into
strange adventure He had lighted
| fire near shutdown, the evening being
frosty. This was no sooner done than
he heard the bawling of bear little
way up a near mountain-side. In a
moment he could hear the animal
|
emerged standing up taller than
man, chankng it's teeth and frOthing
at the mouth. 1t was black bear of
unusual size. 1t went back into the
bushes. Collins gun was in it's holster
lying with his blanket on the other
side of the fire. He made haste to get
it. Before he could disengage his
weapon the bear had come out of the
bush again and was close upon him.
To save himself he dropped the gun,
which he had drawn half out of it's
holster and threw his blanket over the
bears head The bewildered bear was
laundering on the ground for few
seconds trying to disengage himself
Meanwhile Colin drew his gun "and
put an end to the quarrel but not
without doing serious damage to the
blanket"
The little matter so shook his nerves
that he saddled his mare, who had
now finished her oats, and pushed on
hoping to find shelter before the dark
ness had grown too thick for travel.
!, Some three miles away he came to
clearing and saw a glimmer Of lights
ahead in a scatter Of small houses
Soon he drew up at a large log inn
whose mistress, tall, plump, broad
shouldered, AmaZOnian woman with
arms bare to the elbow, gave him
hearty welcome. historian has de-
scribed her as a woman "of singular
strength and courage, about thirty
years of age, with dark hair and eyes
and powerful figure" 1t was
clearly, commodious well-kept tavern.
give had hard ride and am hun.
gry" said Colin.
"Hard riding
"Good abiding,'
the Amazonian lady murmured. "This
is not bad lettering place."
"Where am II" Colin asked.
"This, sir, is the village of Skenes-
borough. 1t has sawmill, a church,
school, store, a blacksmith shop
and two hundred nhabitants-mostly
absent Only women, babies and old
men are left in the settlement. The
rest have gone to the war Will you
have something to drink?"
That was apt to be the first question
that greeted the traveller arriving at
a back-country tavern. After ia
tiguing journey on the "shake-gut"
roads and trails they were apt to be in
need of stimulation. Often they got
too much of it. The bar was the
dominating feature of the place. Colin
put his mare in the stable and, as he
was wont to do, gave the most care
full attention to her comfort. When he
returned to the inn good supper Of
bear steak, baked potatoes, preserved
berries and pumpkin pie awaited him.
The cheerful innkeeper asked the
young man if he liked the bear steak.
ut was the tenderest meat I have
ever eaten" Colin answered.
at ought to be tender. 1t was
cub about three months old. killed
it a few miles down the road this
morning. It's mother was monster
bear. flung the cub over my horses
withers and got away"
"The old bear must have thought
that had the cub in my pocket" said
Colin. ''She got after me plenty" He
told Of his curious adventure and of
his leaving the dead bear
eff she'd "a fetched you cuff It
would "a ruined ye," said one of the
old men. "a she-bear won't STAN no
meddlin' with her family affairs an
she can be mortal quick"
The woman was busy behind the bar
stirring up rum and molasses for the
old men who sat by the fire. When
she had served them she asked:
'On your way to the fort?'
| xo,,o ic Cohot Tn, froX,,