Bret Harte

In The Carquinez Woods Bret Harte

Book Excerpt: ...sses of the wood again."Hi, Mister! come and pick up your game. Hallo there!"The challenge fell unheeded on the empty woods."And yet," said he whom the woman had called the sheriff, "he can't be far off. It was a close shot, and the bear hez dropped in his tracks. Why, wot's this sticking in his claws?"The two men bent over the animal. "Why, it's sugar, brown sugar-- look!" There was no mistake. The huge beast's fore paws and muzzle were streaked with the unromantic household provision, and heightened the absurd contrast of its incongruous members. The woman, apparently indifferent, had taken that opportunity to partly free one of her wrists."If we hadn't been cavorting round this yer spot for the last half hour, I'd swear there was a shanty not a hundred yards away," said the sheriff. The other man, without replying, remounted his horse instantly."If there is, and it's inhabited by a gentleman that kin make centre shots like that in the dark, and don't care to explain how, I..