Brother Billy

by George Bird Grinnell

  CHAPTER VIII. ANTOINE'S BEAR STORIES

  Straight into all hearts walked the little Samone. Every one in thevillage loved her, and strangers, learning the child's story, had triedto take her away from Antoine LeBrinn, for Samone was a waif. WhenBetty, Billy, and Aunt Florence called at the Frenchman's home, Antoinereceived them with scant courtesy. He supposed that Aunt Florence wasone more summer visitor who wanted the child; one more who had come totell him that she must not be allowed to grow up in a shanty on thebeach; and, taking Billy one side, Antoine talked angrily, as he spreadhis nets to dry.

  "Why," remonstrated Billy, "of course, I wouldn't bring any onedown here to get Samone away from you. Auntie is glad you haveSamone. She says she's glad of it--only--only--" How could Billyexplain the errand upon which Aunt Florence had come? He did wishBetty would keep things to herself. Talking to Antoine about drinkingdidn't do a bit of good, anyway. Billy was sure of it, and he did wishMrs. LeBrinn and the children were home. They were away huckleberrying.Betty and Aunt Florence were sitting on a log in front of the shanty,waiting for Antoine to finish spreading his nets.

  "What for your face she get so red, little Beely?" asked Antoine.

  "I was wondering if you would tell us a bear story," replied the littlefellow.

  "Beely, I tole you one bear story, you tell ole Antoine why your auntcome down to see him."

  Billy hesitated only a minute, and then told Antoine that Aunt Florenceliked his children so well she wanted him to promise not to drink anymore. "I wouldn't have said a word if you hadn't asked me," concludedBilly, "and now you'll tell us a bear story, won't you?"

  Antoine laughed long and loud before saying: "Beely, you think youraunt like one bear story?"

  "Why, yes, but what are you laughing at, Antoine?"

  "Oh, I'm think I'm tell one, two, three, four bear story until youraunt go home, and ole Antoine she laugh."

  "How are you going to begin, Aunt Florence?" asked Betty, as Antoineand Billy came toward them hand in hand. "They say he won't promise notto drink; he just will spend every cent he can get when he wants to.Now what are you going to say?"

  "Oh, Betty, I don't know how to begin a bit better than you do, but forthe sake of those five children somebody ought to try to do somethingbesides laugh at such a man, and I shall try."

  "But, auntie, how will you begin?"

  "You must wait, Betty, and see."

  "Excuse me," Antoine began, "but I'm think I'm tell my friend Beelyone bear story. I guess I'm tell you about the white bear. When I'm alittle fellow, not so old as you, Beely, my brother have a pet bear. Itwas so high and so big and his colour was brown."

  "Brown," repeated Billy, "I thought you said it was white."

  "Maybe so, maybe so, Beely. Well, we all like the little brown bear butmy ma, and she don't like that bear so much as I like the switch shealways keep on the corner behind the flour barrel. My brother wouldhave the bear on the house, and my ma scold and scold, because thatbear get into all kind of troubles. He steal lump of sugar and he eatthe codfish, and he help hisself to anything she want.

  "Well, Beely, one day my ma hear big noise on what you call the pantry,and that noise, Beely, was near the flour barrel, and when she goover to see what was the matter out jump a little white bear. He wasthe same little brown bear, Beely, all cover over with flour. My mawas so mad at that bear she ain't know what to do after he spoil allthat flour. So she grab the broom, and she chase the bear all over thekitchen. She hit him whack-e-ty whack, Beely, until the poor littlebear was pretty near scare to dead, and the air was all full of flour,and everything was all tip over and tumble down and upset, and my mashe look like a crazy woman. By and by she open the door, the littlebear scoot out and climb a tree, and then he sit and look on my motherwhile she stand there and scold him.

  "And do you know, Beely, that little pet bear don't want to come onthe house no more. You can't coax him on.

  "And one time, Beely, I have one little coon; he was my own pet. Wecatch him when he was a little fellow, and I have to feed him with aspoon, and when he was big he was chuck full of trick, too. One day,when my ma she was milking the cow, she turn her head, and my coon shejump right in the milk. Then my ma gave him a taste of a stick, likethis, Beely, whack, whack, whack. Then my ma say to my pa she won'thave so much wild animal around, and next day I find my little coonasleep, and he never wake up."

  "He died while he was asleep, did he, Antoine?"

  "Look that way, look that way, Beely. Now I'm tole you about one timeme and my brother start out to find what you call ging-seng; aroundhere we call it shang."

  "I never heard of it, Antoine, what is it?"

  "It's a root, Beely, the Chinamen want. It used to grow on China, butnow she's all gone. It grows wild on the wood here, and you can getfour and five dollar a pound for it if you know where to send it. Youhave to know the wood pretty well, or you ain't know where to findit. Well, Beely, me and my brother know where there was a good patchof shang, so one time when we have a week to spare, we start out oneafternoon.

  "Before we have go a half-mile from home, my brother think he forgetsomething. He go back to get it, and I walk on alone. We intend tostay all night in old log shanty. It is pretty near dark when I getthere. I wait for my brother. He don't come. I'm pretty hungry, so Ieat my supper, and look around the house where I'm to stay all night.Well, Beely, there was no door on the house, but that don't scare me.I am used to the wood, and I don't think nothing going to hurt me. Butbefore I lay down and before it get dark, I put everything we bring toeat up on some high place, so the mouse and the squirrel can't get it.Then I go to sleep."

  "Oh, my, weren't you afraid, Antoine?"

  "What I be afraid of, Beely? I have my gun close beside me. I ain'tknow what time it is when I wake up. It is dark, and I think I hear anoise outside the shanty. Then I hear something walk in. Oh, Beely,my hair stand on one end, I'm so scare when I hear something go'sniff--sniff.' I'm so scare I don't dare get my gun, and my teethgo like this, Beely." Antoine tried to make Betty, Billy, and AuntFlorence realize how his teeth chattered, accompanying the performanceby gestures that were funny enough.

  "Well, Beely, in a moment more I hear something walk, and I know a bigbear has come to see me."

  "Why, Antoine, why didn't you shoot him?"

  "Because, Beely, I'm too scare. I don't dare stir, and, Beely, I'mthink good-bye, Antoine, for the big bear came and pokes me two timewith his nose."

  "Oh, sakes alive, Antoine."

  "Well, Beely, it is the truth I tole you. After he give me two poke,the old bear walk around until he find my can of salmon. Then I hearhim eating and tip over all my things. Then he walk around and around,and by and by he come and see me again."

  "Oh, Antoine!"

  "But, Beely, you just wait; I tole you one joke on the big bear. Heknock my gun down; he go off biff-bang! At first I'm so scare I'mthink I'm going to die. Then I laugh until I pretty near choke to dead,for I hear the big bear run off through the wood. And in the morning,Beely, I find his track,--great, big, black bear track."

  "Tell me another, Antoine, please."

  Antoine, giving Billy a wink, began again before Aunt Florence or Bettycould say a word. "Now, Beely, you know the wood is full of some bear,and ole Antoine he like to go bear-hunting."

  "Yes, go on, you went hunting, and what happened?"

  "Hold on, Beely, I don't go hunting, I go fishing; that is, Beely, Istart to go fishing, but before I go far I come across a bear track. Ithink I never see such a big bear track. It is big like this, Beely,so I say I will follow the track of the big bear, but first I will goand get my gun. Then I leave my fish-pole at home, and start out withmy gun, and I am think I am kill the biggest bear you ever hear of. I'mfollow that bear track for one, two, three, four mile. It's a freshtrack, and I'm pretty sure I'm find the bear and shoot him. By and byI stand still and think what I'm going to do. The big bear she's goneinto one thicket
, and, if I went after it, I shall have to crawl in. Iain't like to do that. I'm a little scare."

  "Well, I should think so. Go on, Antoine; of course, you did crawl in."

  "Yes, Beely, I crawl in and I keep crawling. You see, I think afterawhile I'm going to come out at a clearing. I don't much like to followtrack of one big bear on a place where I can't stand, and by and by Ihear a twig snap, and pretty soon I'm hear another. Then I'm so scare Ikeep still a minute. I think maybe I'm going straight to the big bear'shouse, and the big bear and his folks will eat me up. When I'm thinkthat, I'm think I better get back to the road, I think I don't want toshoot that bear, after all. I'm change my mind and go back to the roadjust so quick as I can."

  "And when you got there, what happened, Antoine?"

  "Why, Beely, I go home."

  "And you didn't even see the bear?"

  "No, Beely, and when I'm in that thicket, I'm think I don't want to seehim."

  "Well, Antoine, maybe that's a track story, but I don't call it a bearstory. Now, please tell me a good one 'bout narrow 'scapes. That's thekind I like."

  "Well, Beely, one time when I'm a little boy, my ma send me after thecows. We have two cows then. Well, I'm just ready to start home withthe cows, when she stand still a minute and look scare to dead. I standup on a log, and I think what is the matter, and then I see a big bearstand up on his hind feet. I don't know how I do anything so quick, butin a second I jump up on one of those cow, and then they both give asnort and start down the road lickety-split."

  "And did the bear chase you, Antoine?"

  "I think so, Beely, I don't know. I ain't look back to see. I have allI can do to hang on my cow. It ain't easy riding, I tole you that."

  "Oh, Antoine," remonstrated Billy, "I don't call that a bear story. Icall it a cow story. Now, please, Antoine, tell me a good one. Pleasedon't laugh; tell me a good, wild bear story, one of your narrow'scapes. Tell me about the time you caught the little bear last summer.I like that story."

  "Well, Beely, I ain't like to tell you that story pretty good, forevery time I'm think on it I'm scare out of my wit yet."

  "But, Antoine, the bears can't hurt you now; they are all dead."

  "I know that, but I'm think they are going to hurt me that time. Well,it's just like this: I'm going on the swamp to look at some cedar I'mgoing to get out that winter. When I'm come to a little birch ridgeon the swamp, well, I'm going to go across that ridge when I see twobig bear and one little one lay down on front of me about twenty-fivefeet away. Well, I'm scare the bear, and the bear scare me. I'm comeup there so quiet they ain't think I'm going to come at all; and Iain't think I'm going to see any bear there. I'm too scare to run awayand I'm too scare to shoot. You know I'm got my gun with me. You know,Beely, I'm always got my gun and one little axe when I'm go through thewood.

  "Well, I'm stand there behind one stump; I look on the bear and thebear look on me. The biggest one get up on his hind leg and she showhis teeth and growl. I'm pretty scare, I'm tole you that, Beely, whenI'm see her big teeth. But I'm make up my mind I'm got to shoot thatbear right there, or Antoine don't see Beely no more. Well, I'm take arest with my gun on the stump, and take a good aim and shoot. I'm hitthat bear right on the head. She's fall right down on his back, andgrowl and kick little bit and die.

  "Well, that scare the little bear, so she's climb up the tree. Theygot one more big bear there yet, and I ain't got no more bullet on mygun, and I ain't got time for load, so I'm climb one little tree prettyquick, just like one little red squirrel. But I'm take my gun alongwith me, so I can load it up there, you know.

  "Well, the bear she's come for me, but I'm load my gun pretty quick.When the bear she get ready for climb the tree, I'm shoot it, but Iain't hit it pretty good, and I ain't kill it that time, because justthe same time I'm shoot, the limb what I'm stand on break, and I'm fallon the ground. I fall right close by the bear. I ain't hurt me verymuch, because I ain't fall pretty far, but I'm jump up like a rabbitand I'm grab my little axe, what I'm got on my belt, just the same timethe bear she jump for me.

  "I'm hurt the bear pretty much when I'm shoot the first time, so shecan't jump quick like me. When the bear she's jump on me, I'm jumpbehind one stump and hit him on the head with my axe. But I ain't killit first time.

  "I'm run around the stump, and ever time I'm get a chance I'm hit thatbear with my axe, and by and by I'm hit it on the nose and kill thebear that time. You know, Beely, it's pretty easy to kill a bear whenyou hit him right on the nose.

  "Well, Beely, I'm pretty glad I'm kill that bear, but I'm so scare Isit on that stump and shake and shake and shake just like as if I havethe ague. By and by I'm feel a little better, and I think I'm going tocatch that little bear what's up on the tree, so I'm cut down the treeand catch the bear; and I'm take off my belt and tie it around his neckand fetch it home. Then I go back there and skin the two bear, becausethe bear she's nice and fat and pretty good to eat that time.

  "I have that little bear yet, and he do lots of trick. Pretty smartlittle fellow, pretty ugly, I tole you that. I'm call him Beely aftermy little friend."

  "Oh, let's show him to Aunt Florence," suggested Billy, but AuntFlorence, for some reason, insisted upon going home.

  "No use for me to try to say anything to him," she remarked to Betty,as they walked along the bay shore. "I'll give up. I should think thatman would be ashamed when he remembers that little suit I gave 'Phonse."

  "But that's the queer thing about him, auntie," Betty explained; "henever remembers anything he wants to forget. I like him, though."

  "So do I, far as that goes," agreed Aunt Florence, "but I more thanlike that poor little Samone."