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Bellefonte, Pa., May 381, 1929.
———————
FISHERMAN’S LUCK.
Treading, noiselessly on moccasin-
ed feet, Jack Bedloe stole up behind
the screen of elder bush and young
birch which fringed the bank of the
little river. He peered cautiously
through the leafage. Below him lay
a broad, amber-shadowed pool, it’s
surface glass-smooth except where
an occasional slow swirl from the
rapids above would wrinkle it for a
moment and flash back a sharp gleam
of sun. The rushing clamor of the
rapids pulsed musically on the soft
spring air.
It was a very promising pool, and
Bedloe scrutinized it with the eye
of the practiced, and very practical,
angler. His rod and line were ordinary
affairs. He was not a fly-fisherman.
He used bait, according to season;
and at this season it was the homely,
necessary earthworm. His hand was
reaching eagerly to his pocket for
the tin bait box when a startling ap-
parition on the opposite shore of the
stream caught his eye, and he stif-
fened into instant immobility. He
was an unlearned backwoodsman,
but an expert in woodcraft and a
keen student of the ways of the wild
creatures.
A huge black bear was coming
down the bank, moving briskly as if
with a very definite purpose. And
for a moment Bedloe wondered un-
comfortably if that purpose ‘could be
in any way connected with Jack Bed-
Joe. Knowing bears as he did, how-
ever, he promptly dismissed his fool-
ish apprehensions. He could see
that the great beast was fully in-
tent on some business of his own.
At the water's edge the bear did
pot hesitate. He plunged straight in,
to a depth that almost covered his
back, wallowed forward, some Six or
eight feet, and drew himself up up-
on what was evidently a submerged
ledge. Here he sat back on his
haunches, with one big forepaw Uup-
lifted, and glanced about him with a
complacent air as if throughly pleas-
ed with the situation. He was sit-
ting in perhaps ten inches of icy wa-
ter, and Bedloe was at loss to explain
the animal's satisfaction.
It explained itself, however, pres-
ently. Bending low his great black
head, the bear fell to peering down
into the glassy current which slipped
past the outer face of the ledge. Mo-
tionless as a rock, he held this atti-
tude for a long minute while, equally
motionless. Jack Bedloe watched
him with eager expectation.
Suddenly that big uplifted paw,
long claws protruding, flashed down
into the water with lightning swift-
ness and swept up again, carrying a
large, brownish fish. In the same
movement the successful fisherman
swung slightly on his haunches and
hurled his prize far up the bank be-
hind him. Assuring himself with a
hasty glance that it had fallen in a
safe place where it could not flop
back into the water, he resumed his |
fishing. |
Bedloe chuckled soundlessly in ap- |
preciation of his rival's dexterity.
His quick eye had detected that the
fish was only a sucker, one of the
stream dwellers; but he marveled at
the neat precision of the feat. It
was clear that the bear was accus-
tomed to do his fishing at this point,
that he had the height and distance
of the bank calculated to a nicety,
and knew where the best fish fre-
quented.
Two or three expectant minutes
passed, the rushing of the rapids loud
on the still air, and again that light-
ning paw flashed down, again a big
fish was scooped forth and hurled un-
erringly up the bank. With a little
pang of envy Bedloe noted that it
was a splendid trout probably a good
pound in weight. But this time the
lucky fisherman had miscalculated
his distance. The trout fell short of
the top feebly down toward the wa-
ter. With an impatient woof the
* pear floundered ashore and intercept-
ed it, bit off its head to make sure
of its future good behavior and then |
returned hurriedly to his post. It
looked as if he wanted to securea
good catch while the catching was
good, and then make his meal at
leisure.
Presently he struck again. But
this time the intended victim was too
alert for him, and his paw emerged
empty. He gave a whimper of disap-
pointment and glanced around him
with such a sheepish air that Bed-
loe could hardly restrain his laugh-
ter.
“Ef you only knowed who was
watching, you, I reckon you would
feel small,” he muttered under his
breath.
After this, however, the bear was
more careful. He had got his paw in,
and there were no more failures to
disconcert him. Within the next fif-
teen or twenty minutes he landed
half a dozen more good-sized fish—
all suckers but one, and that one a
ruge bright-silver chub. Then, just
as the watcher behind the bushes was
beginning to grow impatient over
this monotony of success, he seemed
to decide that he caught enough for
a square meal. He floundered ashore,
shook himself, gulped down the trout
then scrambled up over the edge of
{tne bank to where the full feast
awaited him.
For a momnt or two he stood and
gloated over his prizes,—several of
them still flopping,—then he pawed
one forth delicately and bit a mouth-
ful out of its back. At the same in-
stant Bedloe, thinking to vary the
proceedings, set two fingers between
his teeth and gave a short, piercing
whistle.
The effect was electric. The start-
led bear jumped as if a fire cracker
had exploded under him, sniffing the
still air anxiously. It was evident
he had no idea as to the direction
from which the strange sound had
come. For perhaps a whole minute
he never stirred, but sat listening
to be repeated. At last he came to
the conclusion he had imagined it;
or else the effect faded from his mind
and he turned again to his banquet.
He had no more than set his long
white teeth into the dainty bite than
again, out of the unseen, came that
abrupt and strident whistle. He fair-
ly jumped into the air. then rose
upon his hind legs and searched earth
and water in all directions for a so-
lution of the mystery. Finding none,
he stared at the tree tops, at the sky
itself, and lastly at his pile of fish,
eyeing them with uneasy suspicion.
He dropped on all fours again aad
walked round, the glistening treas-
ure several times, till at last its
lusciousness, and his appetite, once
more dispelled his fears. But this
time he selected another fish, the sil-
very chub and pulled it well aside
from the rest before beginning to
eat it.
Relenting somewhat, Bedloe allow-
ed him to gulp down two or three
mouthfuls. Then he whistled again,
even more harshly. This time the
result amazed him. The bear seem-
ed to shrink in size, his long fur
drawing down flat to his body. He
spurned the half-eaten fish from him
in a kind of horror and raced away
like a frightened cat, never once
looking back. and the underbrush
crackled in his flight. The mystery
had proved too much for his nerves.
Jack Bedloe rocked with laughter.
“I'm jiggered”’ he muttered. “ef he
don’t think its them fish as makes
the noise, when he bites em !” And
it's just possible Bedloe was right.
Not being convinced of his theory,
however, he kept in hiding for some
Sfteen minutes more, to see if the
animal would recover his nerve and
return. And in the meantime he
examined his tackle, and baited his
hook carefully.
At length, tired of the inaction, he
slipped through the bush screen ana
cast his line. But not a bite did he
get. He fished the pool faithfully
on that side, right up to the tail of
the rapids and down again to where
the pool widened into sandy shoals.
Then he concluded that the bear
knew that pool better than he did,
and that the good fishing was on the
other side. He waded across, threw
in his bait, just beyond the bear’s
rock, he promptly hooked a half-
pound trout, which thanks to his
sturdy tackle and rough-and-ready
methods, he was able to throw clear
up the bank even as his predecessor
had done. Having scrambled up to
secure his prize he knocked it on
the head, strung it on a forked
stick—as was his custom in lieu of
carrying a fishing basket—and then
fell to examining curiously the bear's
collection of suckers, each of which
bore on its side the mark of those
raking claws. At this time of year,
while the water was cold, he re-
flected, even the suckers were not
too bad eating. And it was a pity
to leave them for some rascal fox
or lynx. He proceeded to add the
best of them to his string.
Now it happened that the bear,
after having torn his way through
the sweet-smelling spring under-
growth till his panic terror evapora-
ted, had paused to reconsider the sit-
uation. He had observed that fish
died when out of the water. By this
time all those fish would certainly be
quite dead. They would be incap-
able of making those horrid noises
when bitten. Some such conclusion
doubtless formed itself dimly in his
primitive brain. After some hesita-
tion he acted upon it. He was hungry.
He wanted those fish, which were his
lawful spoil. The creatures of the
wild have a keen sense of proprietary
rights. He turned and began to re-
trace his steps—hesitatingly at first,
but as he thought of that rascal fox
or mink, possibly enjoying the spoil
he whimpered and began to hurry;
and a growing anger surged in his
heart. But he went cautiously, for
all that. The black bear is a wary
and sagacious beast.
So it came about that he approach-
ed the scene of his recent discomfit-
ure just as Jack Bedloe started to
add the suckers to his string. At
the sight of the dreaded man-crea-
ture he stopped short. Of man he
was mortally afraid. For a few
moments, and behind a screen of
bushes, from a distance of perhaps a
hundred yards he watched Jack
Bedloe even as Jack Bedloe had been
watching him some while before.
At first his impulse was to flee
again. Then once more his anger,
the righteous anger of one whose
rights are being infringed upon,
surged up within him. The man was
stealing his fish. He forgot his
fears—though not altogether, his
prudence—and came on agaip.
Suddenly Bedloe, with that sixth
sense that life in the wilderness
sometimes develops, felt in the
back of his neck that hostile eyes
were upon him and faced about sud-
denly. There was the bear in the
open, not fifty yards away. Bedloe
was startled. The bear stopped short
and eyed him doubtfully. Then after
a moment’s hesitation resumed his
advance; his eyes wrathful and res-
olute, wi oS —
Jack Bedloe was in a quandary. He
had no great opinion of bears, but he
was unarmed, and this bear seem
to lack the retiring spirit. He ap-
peared inclined to assert his rights.
Bedloe reflected that, after all he
himself was a poacher—a thief in
fact. He felt himself in the wrong,
under the circumstances; though if
he had his gun with him he probably
would not have been So sensitive to
the rights of the case. He snatched
one of the suckers from the string
and threw it so that it fell almost at
the bear's feet. The bear stopped
and took a bite of it. But he was
not to be put off with one sucker,
when they were all his by the law
of the woods and he continued his de-
liberate advance.
Somewhat hastily now, Bedloe tore
the rest the suckers from the string
and threw them in his rival's path,
swiftly, one after the other; and as
the bear stopped to consider them he
with all his ears, expecting the sound
‘slipped his own lawful capture, the
half-gotten trout, pbekbind his back,
and stood.
«That's all ye're agoin’ to git,”
said he in loud, incisive tones.
The bear halted again, impressed
by the authoritative voice. He gath-
ered the fish into a pile with his
paws, while watching his adversary,
then squatted down and fell to his
interrupted meal.
With a distinct feeling of relief
Jack Bedloe turned, very slowly, and
very slowly retired down-stream. At
the sandy shoals he crossed to his
own side of the stream, retraced his
steps up the bank and retraced his
original hiding-place. Here, moved
by a malicious and, as he felt ubn-
worthy impulse, he once more put
his fingers between his teeth and
sounded his piercing whistle.
This time the bear, engrossed in
his feasting, paid not the slightest
attention. Jack Bedloe chuckled ap-
preciately.
“You win, son,” said he. “I guess
T'1l do the rest o’ by fishing up above
the rapids,” calmly leaning on his
fishing rod.
BIG BLACKSNAKE REGRETS
MEAL OF PHEASANT EGGS
That black snakes consider eggs,
especially pheasant eggs, a delicacy
and like to feast upon ‘Lem, was
demonstrated iecently in the Logan
Forest District, of which T. Roy Mor-
ton is district forester, with head-
quarters at Petersburg.
The forest employees were con-
structing a road in Diamond Velley,
Huntingdon county, and found a
pheasant nest containing ten eggs, a
short distance from the location of
the road. The nest was not molest-
ed and guarded carefully. The moth-
er pheasant remained on the nest al-
most continuously and seemed to
sense that she would not be molest-
ed. Forester Chester A. Coover, wha
is employed in the Logan Forest Dis-
trict during the summer, was particu-
larly interested to see that no harm
befell the mother pheasant or her
eggs. He looked in the nest repeat-
edly and was surprised when he no-
ticed the mother bird missing and
that the 10 eggs had disappeared.
While investigating as to what be-
came of them, he was surprised to
see a large black snake stretched out
lazily in the weeds, close to the nest
The snake appeared stupid and inac-
tive and offered no resistance when
captured. Upon examination it was
discovered that it was quite easy to
count the eggs in the snake's body
and their exact location. The snake
was 41% feet in length, with an aver-
age diameter of 11% inches. The
head was 1% inches in length, one
inch wide, and 3% of an inch in depth.
The pheasant eggs each measured a
little over 112 inches in lenth and
about 1 and one-eighth inches in
diameter. If laid end to end the eggs
would make a line 17 inches in
length.
Forester Coover was anxious to
-e how the snake would act and
placed it in a box for the night. The
next morning it was discovered the
snake had disgorged all the eggs
with three of them unbroken. The
snake was either very hungry and in-
dulged too freely, or was transport-
ing some of the eggs to its den for
future food supply.
The black snake is considered non-
poisonous and is common throughout
Pennsylvania. It is not an enemy of
the rattlesnake, as many persons
suppose, but devours snakes which
are weaker and smaller than itself.
Its favorite food appears to consist
of rodents, young birds, eggs, and
frogs, but it does not eat fish.
NEGROES PLAN
RACE MEMORIAL.
Plans are under way for the rais-
ing of $500,000 with which to pro-
vide the negroes of the nation with a
new shrine— a memorial building lo-
cated in the national capital.
Congress having official approval
and aid for the project, leaders of
the race anticipate po difficulty in
raising funds for the unique project.
While memorials and monuments
are a common site throughout Wash-
ington, this will be the first erected
as a tribute to a race rather than to
individual or a group.
The proposed building would
house an auditorium seating 400 peo-
ple, would contain a museum, an art
gallery, a library and a negro Hal)
of Fame.
The decorations would depict the
rise of the negroes in this country
from slavery to their present place
in the economic system, with the in-
dividual accomplishments of meém-
bers of the race in the art, science
and industry extolled.
The proposal for congressional rec-
ognition was fathered by Rep. Tay-
lor (R) of Tennessee, the bill pas-
sing after stubborn opposition offer-
ed by the vote of many members of
Congress. :
While the government appropriates
$50,000 for the preliminary expenses,
it is anticipated that funds for the
building will be raised by private
Subscriptions.
An organization known as the Na-
tional Memorial association, of which
Ferdinand D. Lee, custodian of the
Treasury building is the head, is in
charge of the movement.
Under the bill passed by Congress,
a commission is to be named by the
President and a site is to be selected
that will harmonize with the develop-
ment of the city. =
Suggested models of the building
call for a brick structure with the
campus of Howard university as the
probable site. Howard university,
maintained by the government, sole-
ly for negroes, occupies a command-
ing plateau in one of the better sec-
tions of the city.
The memorial probably would be
utilized in connection with Howard
university, which is dedicated to
to the education of negroes to be
leaders among their own race. Many
teachers, doctors and lawyers have
graduated from the institution.
—Subscribe for the Watchman.
NEW LAW WILL PUNISH
THIEVING HUNTERS.
The Board of Game Commission-
ers has compiled a list of thirteen
changes in the present laws which
were enacted at the present session
of the Legislature and approved by
the Governor.
One of the more important changes
clarifies a hunter's right to the game
he has killed lawfully. Such game or
parts of it may be considered as per-
sonal property and a charge of lar-
ceny may be lodged for its theft.
Another measure removed the $2.00
bounty on red foxes and placed a
$5.00 premium on goshawks killed be-
tween May 1 and November 1. The
board believed that the value of the
red fox pelt was sufficient incentive
to assure the animals being kept in
control. Goshawks in recent years
have invaded the State in great num-
bers during the winter months. They
have taken heavy toll of small game,
particularly ruffed grouse. To obtain
the bounty the entire bird must be
shipped to the offices in Harrisburg
within 36 hours after killing.
Under a change made the open
season for racoons will now be from
November 1 to January 15 and they
may be hunted only between one
hour before sunset and one hour af-
ter sunrise. Previously the season
opened on October 1 and hunting was
permitted any hour of the 24.
Another act granted the Board
authority to issue licenses for the
raising of fur bearing animals for
commercial purposes.
Licenses for fur dealers were di-
vided into three classes. A $5.00
license fee will be charged dealers
who sell furs within this State to
others who are licensed in Pennsyl-
vania. Dealers who buy for comn-
mercial purposes will be charged
$10.00 and non-resident commercial
dealers $50.00.
The new changes in the law also
permits the holding of field meets or
trials, in which bird dogs are permit-
ted to work on liberated or native
wild game birds in exhibition or con-
test at any time of the day, from
August 20 to March 31, Sundays ex-
cepted. It also provides for the
holding of field meets in which dogs
are permitted to follow led game at
any time or season of the year, Sun-
days excepted. A permit for such a
meet must be obtained from the
Board of Game Commissioners for
which a fee of $20.00 is collected.
The bow and arrow was declared
a lawful device for taking game in
Pennsylvania.
In order that the State law on
game birds might conform with tke
Federal migratory birds laws, the
following species were eliminated
from our game bird list: Swan, wood
duck, eider duck, looms, grebs, and
curlews have been eliminated.
The law heretofore imposing a fine
of $500.00 for making use of, or tak-
ing advantage of any vehicle or arti-
fical light or batterv in taking cr
transporting game of any kind, has
been changed to impose a $500.00
fine for taking only elk, deer, or bear
in such unlawful manner.
E——— p——— in
LINDY AND ANNE
MARRIED ON MONDAY.
Miss Anne Morrow, daughter of
Ambassador and Mrs. Dwight W.
Morrow, and Colonel Charles A. Lind-
bergh, were married at the bride's
home at Englewood, N. J., on Mon-
day afternoon.
The ceremony was performed by
the Rev. William Adams Brown, Un-
jon theological seminary, New York
city.
Immediately afterward, Ambassa-
dor Morrow left for Washington. The
honeymoon plans of the couple were
kept secret.
The bride wore a simple white chif- {
fon dress, with short veil, made for
her by Miss Mary Smith, the family
dressmaker. She wore no gloves, but
carried a bouquet of blue larkspur
plucked from the Morrow garden,
just beneath the drawing room win-
Jow where the couple exchanged thelr
VOWS.
So far as could be learned there
were no witnesses outside the imme-
diate Morrow family and possibly a
few of the household staff.
Apparently decided upon the spur
of the moment, the ceremony took
even the most intimate neighbors of
the Morrows by ‘surprise and com-
pletely “scooped” the small army of
reporters and news photographers
who for weeks have looked forward
to depicting the romantic event in
great detail in print and picture.
Col. Lindbergh and his fiance went
for a ride in the early afternoon and
stopped for a brief visit at the home
of a friend in Englewood. Shortly
after their return—barely time for
the bride to change her motor ensem-
ble for the soft chiffon—the small
wedding party gathered in the draw-
ing room. There were no brides-
maids, no best man, no music, it was
stated authoritatively—just the brief
ceremony of the Presbyterian church.
News of the wedding came as a
complete surprise. No advance an-
nouncement of the date had been
made, although there had been many
newspaper guesses, most of which
had favored mid-June.
Apparently the “Lone Eagle” dodg-
ed all the best efforts of the army of
newspapermen for from no source
during the day came anything indi-
cating that there were any prepara-
tions for a ceremony that day.
———————— A —————————
REAL ESTATE TRANSFERS.
Clara E. Bennett, et bar, to Charles
H. Bennett, tract in Port Matilda;
$150.
Byron E. Decker, et al, to Samuel
Boule, tract in Gregg Twp.; $1,-
500.
Lucinda Gilbert, et al, to Charles
W. Zimmerman, et ux, tract in Haines
Twp.; $920.
Centre County Commissioners to
R. J. McCloskey, tract in Curtin
Twp.; $3.
Irene O. Grant, et bar, to A. Ww.
Stewart, et ux, tract in State Col-
lege; $8,200.
PS TR Rl SO
Warrants -
Para. RAILROAD WAR-
RANTS for Pennroad stock, Ameri-
can Telephone and Telegraph warrants
for subscription to 414 % convertible bonds
We
will arrange for the sale, or subscription,
for the holders.
have been mailed to shareholders.
TaE FIRST NATIONAL BANK
BELLEFONTE, PA.
RRS RCC CUR BRIA
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Emblems of Peace
HE flowers that spring from
the graves of our heroic dead
are the emblems of that peace
which it is our duty to maintain in
their honor.
THE FIRST NATIONAL BANK
STATE COLLEGE, PA.
MEMBER FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM
At Fauble’s
over 2000 Suits for Men and
Young Men. The greatest assort-
ment of Good Clothes ever shown
in Bellefonte. All grouped at three
prices:
$2250 $2750 $32.50
Not a Suit in the Store that can
be duplicated elsewhere for any-
thing near the price. You have
only to see them and you Ww ill
know better than we can tell you
what big opportunities they are.
It’s at
Fauble’s