Rensselaer Standard, Volume 1, Number 15, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 27 September 1879 — TREED. [ARTICLE]

TREED.

Among the earliest settlers in the wilds of Salmon River was a Vermontese, by the name of Dobeon—a large, resolute and athletic man. Returning one evening from a fruitletp hunt after his vagrant cows, which, according to custom in the new countries, had been turned into the woods to procure their own subsistence from the rank herbage of the early summer, just before emerging from the forest upon the clearing of his neighbor, the late Mr. Joseph Sleeper, he saw a large t>ear descending from a lofty Sycamore, wheae he had been in quest, probably, of honey. A bear ascends a tree much more expertly than he descends it—being obliged to come down stern foremost. My friend Dobson did not very well like to be joined in his evening walk by such a companion, and,without reflecting what he should do with the “varmint” afterward, he ran up to the tree on the opposite side from the animal's body, ana, just before he reached the ground, seized him firmly by both his forepaws. Bruin growled and gnashed his tusks, but he soon ascertained that his paws were In the grasp of paws equally mm-strung with his own. Nor could he use his hinder claws to disembowel his antagonist, as the manner of the bear Is, inasmuch as the trunk of the tree, was between them. But Dobson’s predicament, as he was endowed with rather the most reason, was worse yet. Nor could he venture to let go of him, since the presumption was that Bruin would not make him a very gracious return for thus unceremoniously taking him by the hand. The twilight was fast deepening into darkness. and his position was far less comfortable than it otherwise would have been at the same hour, surrounded by his wife and children at the sup-per-table, to say nothing of tha gloomy ,prospect for the night. Still, as Joe Sleeper’s house was not far distant, he hoped to be able to call him to his assistance.

But his lungs, though none of the weakest, were unequal to the task; and, although he halloed and bawled the livelong night, juaking the woods and the welkin.ring again, he succeeded no better than did Gleudower ot old, in calling spirits from the vast deep. It was a wearisome night for Dobson; such a game of hold-fast was never engaged in before. Bruin, too, was probably worried, al’.hough he could not describe his sensations in English—albeit he took the regular John Bull method of making known his dissatisfaction —that is to say, lie growled incessantly. But there was no let go in the case, and Dobson was therefore under the of holdng fast, until it seemed to his clinched and aching fingers as though the bear’s paws and his own had grown together. As daylight returned, and the smoke from Sleeper’B chimney began to curl up gracefully, though rather dimly, in the distance, Dobson again repeated his cries for succor; and bis 1 e irt was soon gladdened by the appearance of bis worthy but inactive neighbor, who had at last been attracted by the voice of the impatient sufferer, bearing an ax upon nis shoulder. Dobson had never been so rejoiced at seeing Mr. Sleeper before; alieit, he was a very kind and estimable neighbor. “Why don’t yo make haste, Mr. Sleeper, aud not be lounging along at that rate when you see a fellow-Chris-tian in such a kettle of fish as this?” “Ivum! Is that you, Mr. Dobson, up a tree there! And was it you I heard hallowing so last night? I guess you ought to have your lodging for nothing, if you’ve stood up agin the tree all night.” “It’s no joke, though, I can tell you Mr. Joe Sleeper; aud, if you had hold of the paws of the black vermint all night, it strikes me you’d think you’d paid dear enough for it. But, if you heard the calling for help in the night, why didn’t you come and see what was the trouble?”

“Oh, I was just going tired to bed. after laying up long fence all day, ana I thought I’d wait till morning, and come out bright and early. But if I had known ’twas you—■” “Known ’twas me!” replied Dobson, bitterly. “You knew ’twas somebody who had flesh and blood too good for this pesky black varmint, though; and you know there’s been a smart sprinkle of bears about the settlement all the spring. “Well, don’t be in a huff, Tommy. It’s never to late to do good. 80, hold tight, now, and don’t let the ’ternal enttur get loose, while I split his head open.” “No, no,” said Dobson, “after holding the beast here all night, 1 think I ought to have the satisfaction of killing him. So you may just take hold of his paws here, and I will take the ax, and let a streak of daylight into his skull about the quickest.” 'Hie proposition being a fair one, Mr. Sleeper was too reasonable, a man to object. He was no coward, either; and he thereupon stepped up to the tree, and cautiously taking the bear with both his hands, relieved honest Dobson from his predicament.

The handfe of the latter, though sadly stiffened by the tenacity with which they had been clinched for so many hours, were soon braudishing the ax, and he apparently made all preparation for giving the deadly blow—and deadly it would have been bad he struck, since, like sons of Zermak, Dobson needed to strike but once. But, to the surprise of Bleeper, he did not trike; ana,to his further consternation Dobson swung the ax upon his shoulders and marched away, whistling as he went, with as much apparent indiffen ence as the other had shown when coming to his relief. It was now Sleeper’s turn to make the forest Tocal with his cries. In vain he raved and called and threatened. Dobson walked on and disappeared, leaving bis friend as sad a prospect for his break fast ns himself had had for supper. Hour after hour had passed away, and Sleeper still found himself at bopeep with Sir Bruin. In the course of the afternoon, howerdf, when Dobson supposed that the lesson he was teaching bad been thoroughly learned by his pupil, and when he thought the latter would willingly forget his resentiment for the sake of succor, the sturdy Yankee returned, and, by a single blow relieved both bear and man from their troubles in the same instant Sleeper thought rather hard of Dobson for some time; but no real breach

’'wr * ■ *■. ■ • ■■ v *... 1 y ■ of friendship ensued, and indeed the two bordern became afterward better friends and neighbor* than before.