i :§EPT. 30, 1905.} . FOREST AND STREAM. 269 
i 'Or there will arrive a morning charged with autumnal 
xir, burnished and radiant with distant objects brought 
,ar, and the lakes appearing like glazed mirrors or 
■^iysian tear-drops suspended in the midst of cool um- 
vlageous woodlands. It is such a day that sets our ad- 
(dnturoLiS instinct in motion, puts wings to our feet and 
i'iiakes mountain climbing ambrosial. Any excursion 
I iiich leads us to some new ■ realm of thought or en- 
iantment, opens new fields tO' the vision, is memorable 
jd fruitful, so now when I look up at Old Baldy rising 
ijestically. from a lake’s shore that has been my inherit^ 
ce since childhood, I experience a new sense of venera* 
111 and gratitude toward its rocky summit and the tran- 
ending view it exposes to- the human eye. We. are in 
:t like plants, not only seeking nutriment from the 
rth, but from the elemental properties that surround it. 
lange' is life. If the mind wraps itself in routine it 
thers and dries, yet a daily task or regular occupation 
needful as well as essentially beneficial. The dawn 
1st bring us something new or we quibkly revert to 
ignation. The value of to-day is worth more than a 
lusand morrows. “Cease to gnaw that crust. There 
ripe fruit over your head.” 
In a densely Wooded incline “Baldy” slopes up from 
; lake, its crown of smooth, glistening boulders 
.nding out like a figurehead against the landscape and 
/ingmiajesty as well as distinct individuality to its gen- 
d aspect. Although comparatively low it is, one of the 
V mountains in the, neighborhood from which an ex- 
ided view of the surrounding country may be obtained, 
i others being devoid of the admirable lookout this 
ords. 
Tears ago, before fire gained a vantage ground of the 
mnit, it arose on a thickly timbered peak, but at the 
isent day its oval crest of smooth slab-like rock is 
i.dded only with young silver poplars and other sap- 
gs. The construction of the mountains throughout this 
jion is practically the same, for when shorn by fire they 
5sent identical characteristics, as the former, leaves 
ther trees nor soil but burns down until bare rock is 
'.ched and it can go no further. It is plain to see, more- 
5r, that the underlying formation is everywhere simi- 
near and far : a tumultuous sea of rock from which 
uxuriant vegetable growth has slowly reared and sus- 
hed itself on little more than a thin coating of its own 
xessive decay. 
n the autumn “Baldy” appears like an orange-gold 
me rising against a cerulean zenith, while the base 
/ing escaped the flames that once assailed the top, is 
thed with magnificent deciduous timber, which glows 
e a full-blown rose after a few nights of frost. The 
{ chosen for our ascent, however, was previous to the 
vancement of the autumnal hosts ; a serene, breathless 
irning with an agreeable coolness that pleasantly offset 
; radiant summer sun. Finding a favorable place to 
id after a mile row down the lake, we struck up in the 
lods, and as there was no definitely marked trail or 
;.rry,” Wallace took the lead and our party of five fol- 
lowed. Very frequently the dry beds of rain brooks were 
crossed, and nO' doubt this mountain is a fountain or tor- 
rent of waterfalls and cascades on every side after heavy 
showers. The forest dipped into several, glades before 
the ascent grew more precipitous, but not until the sun- 
light poured in golden shafts through the birch groves 
on nearing the summit did we come tO' any steep ledges 
or rocks. These, howeyer, were easily scaled and we 
made our way up without difficulty, climbing, it seemed, 
into the blue sky dome that approached us through the 
bower of green leaves. 
Gradually as we went on between broken boulder 
masses there came an occasional glimpse of the expan- 
sive view that set us tingling with delightful expectation, 
and when at last having reached the bald, rocky surface 
on the summit, everyone turned to look simultaneously 
and in breathless anticipation. For miles to north, south, 
east and west stretched the unbroken forest, meeting the 
horizon like vernal ocean swells, while five hundred feet 
below the lake wound, its still waters in and out of these 
wooded waves, glimmering with indescribable tints of 
blue-green. In the north, and also in the southwest, were 
areas where the fire demon had placed his unsightly seals, 
but except for these the forest was a solid sweep of un- 
dulating verdure. The spurs and ranges in the south 
were, perchance, the most beautiful, and a far distant 
peak rising like an Olympus made pale and nearly in- 
visible by the intervening mileS of atmosphere^ we took 
to be Mt. Marcy. 
Toward Raquette Lake the tidges appeared to slope 
down to a lower level near the center, which indicated 
the location of the former, although hidden from view, 
and as far as the eye could reach they rolled away in 
billowy folds until their outlines melted faintly into the 
horizon. Owl’s Head, Pilgrim, Mt. Deception and Niggar 
Head lifted majestically in the east, and looking at the 
first touched one of our party with a longing for home, 
as it was a familiar friend and might be seen from his 
own doorstep. 
South Pond nestled high among the wild, sharply 'de- 
fined hills to the westward, gleaming like a blue .star in 
the afternoon sunlight and enhancing the dark lustre of 
the encompassing district, which was for the most part 
made up of a sombre coniferous growth. 
In gazing over this sublime scene, this apparently limit- 
less wilderness, one seemed to be lifted into a new outer 
existence, to breathe a more soul-inspiring ether from 
which all material fumes were banished. Moreover, it 
arouses our reverence to behold a landscape, so free from 
any mark or taint of uncouth civilization, and is not this 
quality or state of being which combines adoration with 
veneration one of the most rare and cherished sentiments 
that inhabits the hum.an heart? Yet, with regard to nat- 
ural phenomena, aS' the, elements, day and night, the sea- 
sons and exalting features of the earth in general — how 
true are those words I once heard spoken by a lady who 
said : “The "great trouble with Americans is their lack 
of reverence.’-’ Seen thus from an elevation one obtains 
a better idea of the extent and magnitude of a region 
which, although minor in Comparison with many othef 
mountainous districts, and slowly contracting before the 
advance of pastoral and cultivated areas, is nevertheless 
untamed and unconquered as yet in its central portions — 
a living balm-breathing virgin solitude where the'savage- 
ness of antiquity still lurks'. 
Fifty or sixty years ago, however, it was much more 
closely related to its original state than now, and when 
we think of the first settlers coming into- an unbroken, 
primitive countrj^ and obtaining their sustenance from it 
long before this, we honor and respect the courage that 
such an act exemplifies. From the forest they hewed 
their homes, made their sugar, shot their meat and raised 
vegetable foods, and as I heard one of their descendants 
say, “were probably just as happy as they are nowa- 
days.” Furthermore, the dangers from wild animals 
were then of no obsolete character, and it was almost a 
necessity for the women to shoot and handle a rifle with 
the ease and dexterity of the men. They faced unflinch- 
ingly the grim expression which the wilderness turned to- 
ward them, and perchance were at last rewarded by hav- 
ing it relax into a smile. 
As the sun waxed warmer, after having cooked and 
eaten our mid-day meal, we sought the shade of the east- 
ern cliff, and here loitered on the silver-gray reindeef 
moss listening to the flies hum and the crackling of 
grasshoppers as they -flew by. In a blue ribbon the inlet 
of the lake wound through the yellow marsh land -visible 
below, and the melancholy yet fascinating whistle of an 
olive-sided flycatcher drifted to our ears — he who sits 
on the topmost spire of a gaunt dead tree and in his notes 
seems to give out the essence of delicious loneliness. 
It was a revelation, a memorable experience to rest 
thus and look far across the rolling sea of mountains to 
the horizon, w'here clouds ranged themselves like ethereal 
islands row upon row against the pale azure sky, their 
under sides tinted a pearly-gray and their crests the 
purest white. But to write of the sky it seems that we 
would need a new vocabulary, words that would ring 
with profound meanings, winged words conveyed to us 
not by the muses but by the gods themselves. 
Flow much a taste of deprivation quickens our hardi- 
hood and makes more alive and keen the appreciation of 
simple occurrences. ITere on the mountain top I looked 
down with a dry tongue on the rippling waters of the 
lake, and although temporarily refreshed, yet as we de- 
•scended'at a later hour my thoughts anticipated the cool- 
ing draught that finally was reached. We regretted keen- 
ly not being able to remain longer in order to witness the 
.sunset, and with difficulty tore ourselves away and re- 
turned, as it were, to earth. 
The waning of summer is gradual and at first imper- 
ceptible; a slow ebbing toward the year’s twilight which 
we feel rather than see, until at last under a radiant 
autumnal guise it slips from us like a wraith and is 
gone. 
Paulina Brandreth. 
The Biography of a Bear. — IL 
By miff-summer, with berries, fruit and melons in 
undance. Jack had grown fat, contented and compla- 
jiit. His coat was of a rich brown, glossy and curly, 
d 'he had acquired pleasing traits and commonly excel- 
it behavior. 
Mthough he was somewhat bow-legged in front, rather 
ip.ing in his rear elevation — and although his tail some- 
W conveyed the impression of undue economy — he was 
mistakably genuine. He was, without qualification, all 
ir. Thoroughbred cinnamon bear was the conspicuous 
iclusion reached by observation of him from any view- 
mt. The , most conservative people in town never ques- 
ned his pedigree. 
He was kindly and intelligent of countenance, and not- 
thstanding the development of massive shoulders, arms 
id paws,, he was"^- ordinarily gentle and playful. Chil- 
I n of the neighborhood came and romped with him 
ut the yard as safely as they might with dogs of the 
t nature. His great attraction was a sort of dignified, 
deal expression of ' countenance, while the lumbering, 
/erful grace of his activity was wondrous. He most 
sly enjoyed a sense of humor, -for he would do- comical 
nks with no other possible object than to be funny. 
)ne of his- clownish feats was to descend his favorite 
i backward, and as his back touched the ground, which 
ped away from the foot of the tree, he wohld, turn a 
lick somersault, alight upon his feet, jump sidewise 
lafice, then standing erect do a short cake-walk that 
i|)uld break a negro’s heart. At the conclusion of this 
lilt, quickly performed, if a dog or fowl happened near 
ri' w'as sure to slap it unawares. That all this was an 
i pression of his sense of humor his countenance surely 
ested. 
When the weather was warmest he divided his time 
iween the barn, the porch and a pit he had excavated 
ifl'der a part of the house. In the very warm days he 
pt much of the time, arousing to activity at dark and, 
i afterward developed, he was notably active and pre- 
iltory in the night-time. 
(iThe outer kitchen of the house opened upon a low step 
[{■th a sash door. By stariding upright Jack could peer 
jKrough the sash into the, kitchen. The kitchen was for 
[f.Ti the most attractive part of the house.. His, interest 
f!( it was such that he usually knew all that transpired 
liere. If' anything of which he was fond was in course 
^ cooking or of preparation : (and this . comprised .nearly 
ii^erything in the nature of food) he might be seen peer- 
ig in' the window or heard rattling the door. He readily 
timed to stand erect; turn the door-knob and enter the 
(tchen, and he was so persistent in doing this that the 
door Lad to be' kept locked. He would doubtless have 
mastered the key but that it was inside. 
Back of the house, a very large evergreen oak threw its 
branches above the roof, one of them extending over the 
kitchen. From the tree to the roof was a drop of several 
feet to the shingles. One evening when the table for din- 
ner had been prepared, the kitchen was left vacant. Upon 
the table were pies, a plate of butter and other things that 
Jack was ordinarily delighted to watch from the window, 
My mother, hearing a clatter down in the kitcheii, 
thought the girl had dropped another dish. - Presently 
there was more clatter, and a jingle of tableware, quite 
unusual. Going down, she found Jack, the bear, upon the 
table, sitting very carelessly in the butter, with both hands 
in the remnant of his second pie. Being unaccustomed to ' 
dining in this fashion, he had greatly disarranged the 
table, but he had accomplished his primary purpose be- 
fore he was ushered out, with considerable enthusiasm, 
and other emotion, by the household. 
Investigation requiring little effort showed that Jack 
had entered the house through the.- rp:o£ -and the ceiling. 
He had climbed the tree, dropped to the roof, dug 
through the shingles, dropped to the ceiling, dug again, 
dropped to the table below and there he dug into the 
pies with indomitable interest and devotion. It was a 
great pity that the pies were not red hot, and the table 
also, but Jack had' possibly timed them. H'e- was well 
whipped for this raid, and he knew what he was whipped 
for. It is doubtful, though, whether it made any differ- 
ence in him. Naturally he was very good, for a bear, but 
I could never see that he acquired additional virtues 
through external application. He was ■ doubtless too 
genuine to take on veneer. So we chained him up for a. 
time. 
'Without much effort Jack was taught . to use a rocking 
chair that stood in a corner of the porch. He could get 
into it quite conventionally, place his arms properly, sit 
erect, and rock himself with great urbanity of expression. 
He had, however, a rather uncultivated way of swinging 
his face from side to side, which, although it rhymed 
with the rocking, is not a custom in the best drawing 
rooms. Then, too, he experienced more or less difficulty 
in the management of his legs and feet, as the latter 
would not reach the floor and were liable to assume negli- 
gent positions and wobble in an indecorous manner. But 
this failing was anatomical rather than boorish, and the 
chair was too high for a bear of his size. 
It had to be admitted that Jack was deficient in table 
manners. No amdunt of training_ could mend them. A 
■vyhole term in a seminary boarding house for young 
ladies would scarcely have improved him. At his meals 
he was awfully raw. He ate with so much enjoyment and 
‘^predation that he ignored formality. Besides, his appe- 
tite was a constitutional idiosyncrasy. He couldn’t help 
it, and he didn’t, try. He never could have been trusted, at 
table m company, and he -Would ffave preferred being. at 
it alone. 
I taught him to hold a bunch of grapes while he sat in 
his, chair, but though he held them in one hand, and 
picked at them in a refined manner, I could not prevent 
Ins smacking his chops, while at intervals he would 
scratch his stomach with the other hand. Both these 
faults were evidences of thankfulness and appreciation, 
but neither are countenanced in France — not by those of 
the best rank and station. When we had a watermelon 
luncheon together, Jack preferred his part unsliced. He 
ivanted the largest half, and when he got itj,.^the way he 
made it acutely concave, with both paws, while the juice 
flew about, was really shocking. He almost omitted to 
scratch his stomach by way of approval, but when he did 
so, his delight was perfectly lovely. Any young lady 
would have said that. In finishing his melon he .drank 
the water from the bowl of rind, promptly slapped it 
aside, and asked for “some more.” If there was any 
more within his reach he got it without asking. Water- 
melons were to Jack the acme of attainment, a triumph 
of life. 
' The Indian boys who had brought Jack from his forest 
cradle sometimes passed, but although they were invited 
to come in, they always contented themselves with watch- 
ing him awhile from the fence and then went upon their 
way. F'or some reason they had scruples about coming 
near, but whether these scruples were of a superstitious 
nature, or whether they feared I might want to- return 
the bear to them; I could never determine. Doubtless 
they would have accepted the bear, but had I asked the 
return of the $10 they would have been unable to comply, 
for money and the poor Indian do not cohere long at a 
time. They need not have feared the latter contingency, 
for I would not have sold Jack for several times the 
amount I paid for him, even though I was in constant 
anxiety as to what I should do with him after he had 
grown a while longer. He was becoming more and more 
versatile and ambitious. 
An old colored man who lived in the neighborhood 
was a frequent visitor to see Jack. Old man Henderson, 
or Robertson, or Henderson Robertson — for he abided by 
all of these names— was a fugitive from a slave State, 
having come to California some time prior to the recon- 
structive consequences of the Civil War. Commonly the 
old man was called Henderson, but when I once asked 
him about the matter he explained: 
“My name may be Henderson or hit may be Robert- 
son — I ain’t jes’ suah of hit mesself. Ef I wasn’t yaller* 
