The Coolidge examiner., 1933-05-05
CHAPTER IV-Continued
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evening being frosty. This was no
sooner done than he heard the bawl-
ing of bear a little way up a near
mountain-side In a moment he
could hear the animal coming
through bushes near him. Ii
emerged standing up taller than a
man. chauking its teeth and froth-
ing at the mouth. 1t was a black
bear of unusual size. II went back
into the bushes. Collins gun was in
its holster lying with his blanket on
haste 10 get IL. 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 its holster and
threw his blanket over the bears
head. The bewildered bear was
hOundering on the ground for few
seconds trying TO disengage himself.
Meanwhile Colin drew bis gun land
put an end 10 the quarrel but not
without doing serious damage to the
blanket"
The little matter so shook his
nerves thar he saddled his mare,
who had now finished her oats. and
pushed on hoping to find shelter be-
fore the darkness had grown too
thick for travel. Some three miles
away he came TO clearing and saw
n glinlmer of lights ahead in a scat
ter o. small houses. Soon he drew
up at large log inn whose mis-
tress. tall, plump, broad-shoul-
dered. Amazonian woman with arms
bare 10 the elbow. gave him a hearty
welcome. historian has de-
strength and courage. about thirty
years of age. with dark hair and
eyes and n powerful figure" 1t was
n cleanly. commodious well-kept tav-
ern.
i've had hard ride and am
hungry" said Colin.
"Hard riding
GOOD abiding"
the Amazonian lady ymurmured. This
is not bad bettering place"
where am II" Colin asked.
This. sir. is the village of Skenes-
borough. II has a sawmill. n
church. a school. store, a black
smith shop and two hundred inhab-
itants-m0stly absent. Only women,
babies and old men are left in the
settlement. The rest have gone to
the war. VIII you have something
10 drink"
That was apt to be the first ques-
tion that greeted the traveller ar
irving at a back-country tavern.
After a fatiguing journey on the
'shakegut" roads and trails they
were apt 10 be in need of stimula-
tion. Often they got too much of
IL. The bar was the dominating
feature of the place. Colin put his
mare in the stable and. as he was
wont 10 do. gave the most careful
attention TO her comfort. When he
returned To the inn a good supper
OF bear steak. baked potatoes, pre-
served berries and pumpkin pie
awaited him. His hunger satisfied,
he sat down before a blazing fire
with a number of mill hands. They
were old men with gray boards and
wrinkled faces who sat smoking
their pipes and talking OF former
Gays when Philip Skene. the loyal
:st, owned the mill and the country
around it.
The cheerful innkeeper asked the
young man If he liked the bear
steak.
1T was the tenderest meat l 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. Its 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 ad-
venture and of his leaving the dead
bear.
If she'd "a fetched you a cuff I
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 he mortal quick"
The woman was busy behind the
bar stirring up rum and molasses
COR the old men who sat by the fire.
When she had served them she
asked:
"On your way to the fort?"
"My name is Cabot. I'm from
Cambridge and on my way to the
fort What is your nameT'
"Bowlby. I'm Rache! Bowlby. My
husband is with General Schuyler.
He's lieutenant colonel. In time of
peace I'm a school teacher. / wish
you'd tell 'em at the fort that we
need a few soldiers to protect us.
Our boys have all enlisted and gone
away. I'm the only fighting man
l.