Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 40, Number 103, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 4 September 1908 — bagging A bear. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

bagging A bear.

Grunt! grunt! grunt! That Wks nothing to alarm a boy of twelve, although A the half-wild 1 pigs that swarmed' the woods were dangerous enemies if one of their number happened to give out a signal of distress. They were all in good humor now, for the acorns were thick upon the ground. A plenteous crop of chestnuts caused equal rejoicing tn the boy’s heart. He had come a long way Into, the woods so that he might be beyond the reach of general competition, and gather his nuts unmolested. He was out for the profit and consequently he struck for the best

grounds he knew of.. What did it matter that he had so mu«Ji farther to carry his load home? Chestnuts were $1.75 a bushel and Saturday came only once a week. But when the sun was leaving the tree-tops above him and getting tan- ' gled up among those to the west,, the boy began to realize that he had rather a large job on hand to take that two-bushel bag nearly full of nuts home before dark. In fact it seemed to be an actual Impossibility, for he could not even lift the load. Loath to leave his hard day’s work behind, he resorted in an absentminded sort of way to the boy’s remedy for all difficulties, his pockets He found there nothing more promising than a lot of stout linen cord, and, rather as a pastime than from any serious purpose, he began to knot this into a rude harness, one end of which he attached tothe ba” ■ of nuts. It was no use. Tug as he would at the other end, he could not draw the bag any distance. Grunt! grunt! grunt! It occurred to him that the pigs were disappearing pretty rapidly, as though afraid of something. No one was near him and the last of the herd as it disappeared from sight in the woods was scampering In unmistakable panic. What did it mean? Grunt! Grunt! Just-behind him; but this was one of quite another tone; it was not a pig. Turning hastily he saw a young bear, about twothirds grown, looking curiously at him through the bushes, . Some boys would have- been terribly frightened; but this sturdy little fellow had it from the lips of old hunters that black bears are seldom d. ngerous unless threatened or very hungry; while a cub Is about as good-natured, and playful as a peppy. Perhaps the bear had had similar instructions in regard to boysAt least neither undertook to retreat, though neither ventured any closer. The bear was between the boy and his home; very likely theboy was between the bear and his. But meetings of this sort become embarrassing and, to vary the situation, the boy finally did retreat a little way, although It took hinx fartherback into the woods. The bear at once advanced, and the boy retreated farther. This brought the bear to where the bag of chestnuts stood, and being of an Inquiring disposition, he sniffed over it a few minutes, and then cuffed it with his paw to see If It were alive It fell upon its side, and the bear re- . tired,somewhat startled at this unexpected movement; but he finally returned and began a rough and tumble fight with his dumb adversary, as a kitten would attack a bait of yarn. Then he bounded away again. Now, it so happened that in his antics he had got tangled In the string harness, so that when he

sprung away the bag sprung after him. Here was a pretty kettle of fish! ' Bruin gave another leap forward, the*, fairly turned tail and ran as only a frightened bear can run, the bag in hot) pursuit, and the boy in the rear of both. Neither the boy nor the bear noticed in which direction they were going until they dashed out of the woods Into the meadow back of the boy’s home. Just as they reached the edge the bag eaught against a log, held back an instant, and then went with a bound that landed It' upon the bear. Bruin resented this; or, more likely, thinking that his time had come, he resolved to die fighting. For just one minute the air was full of bear, bag. growls and chestnuts; and then a black streak into the woods showed where the bear, at last freed from the strings, was making a hasty homeward trip. After ho was gone, the boy came up and began to-gather up the chestpubs that were spilled in the short conflict. By dark he bad them all carried to the house; while the bear was probably at home recounting his curious adventure to his friends.

The bear and the bag.