Rensselaer Republican, Volume 22, Number 6, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 10 October 1889 — “Sunset” Cox's Bear Story. [ARTICLE]

“Sunset” Cox's Bear Story.

“In th® Yellowstone park,” sale Representative Cox to a Washington correspondent of the New York World, “the scriptural prophecy about the lion and lamb lying? together is paralleled if not fulfilled. If the lion and the lamb don’t lie together at leastthe bear and swine sup together and all the animal kingdom are on fairly friendly terms. The hunted beasts outside the borders of the reservation seek its security, and when they feel the protection of the government thrown around them they ease theit headlong speed and breath in the fresh air of freedom. I can’t tell how they know it; they can’t read the poster; that are stuck up warning hunters, bul they somehow realize shat, the arm of the government is thrown around them when they get into the national park. “When Mrs. Cox and 1 were at an inn in the park they told us of a big bear that came down every evening just before sunset to eat the swill that was thrown out to the hogs. The hogpen was about a mile hack of the house, in the woods, and this bear would come down every day to eat the 1 swill, and would go away content without eating any of the little pigs. As he did not leave much food for them, pqrhaps they never got fat enough for his taste. While we were :it dinner they told us that the girl who was waiting on table had met the bear in the path near the pen. She was carrying a basket of clothes from the wash and had the clothes on her head. She said she was not afraid, but I suppose she was a modest girl for she dropped her clothes and ran. Mrs. Cox and I had a suspicion that they were fooling us, but if there was a bear we wanted to see it. So my wife and 1 *went out by the hog-pen" to see the bear. Sure enough we met him in the woods—a great, big fellow. He gave a side glance at us and shuffled off as if he were about to run away. We were about twenty yards away from him and quickened our pace to advance on him. He suddenly changed his mind about running, and we changed our minds -also. He turned toward us and growled. I remarked to Mrs. Cox that as she was getting bat and could not walk as fast as formerly it would be just as well if she’d turn back toward the hotel. Then I modestly followed. She walked much faster than 1 thought she could.”