People's Pilot, Volume 4, Number 16, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 5 October 1894 — MIKE AND THE BEAR. [ARTICLE]

MIKE AND THE BEAR.

Bruin Didn’t Fancy Being Prodded with a Pitchfork. In “The Heart of the White Mountains” the following bear story iB told in the words of an old stage driver. “There used to be,” he said, “a tame bear over to the Alpine house, in Gorham. One night the critter got loose, and W> cal’lated he’d took to the woods. Anyhow we hunted high and low, but no bear. “Waal, you see, one forenoon our hostler, Mike, went up in the barn chamber to pitch some hay down to the horses. “Mike hadn’t no sooner jabbed his pitchfork down, so a.s to get a big bunch, when it struck something softlike, and then, before he knew what ailed him, the haymow riz right up afore him, with the tremendousest growl cornin’ out on’t was ever heerd in any maynagery this side of Noah’i ark! “Waal, the long and short of it was this: That air bear had buried hisself under the haymow and was a-snoozin’ it, comfortable and innocent as you please, when Mike prodded him in the ribs with his pitchfork. “The fust any of us knew, we see Mike come a-flyin’ out o’ the barn chamber window and the bear arter him. Mike led him a length. Maybe that Irishman didn’t streak it for the house! Bless you, he never tetclied the ground arter he struck it! “The boys couldn’t do nothin’ for laughin’; and Mike was so scared he forgot to yell. But he got away into the house. That bear turned savage arter that, and was so hoppin’ wild wo had to kill him. “If anybuddy wants to make Mike fightin’ mad any time, all’t they’ve got to do is to ask him to go up in the barn chamber and pitch down a bear.” —Young Sportsman.