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Show BRUIN MAKES LOVE I TO PHANTOM MATE. COURTS VOICE IN PHONOGRAPH, THEN TREE8 TRICKSTERS. JOKE TURNED ON JOKERS 'n to Scare Newly-Married Couple Qoet Wronn and Proves a Boomerang Boom-erang Chuckles Are Changed. Slab City. Vt. It Is generally believed be-lieved hereabouts thnt tho next time Albert I'inlt. Indulges In practical Jokes he will not dally with u phonograph phono-graph as a men un to his ends. tlei I, as he Is known niuong friends, Is to Slab City what Ityrou G. Hughes Is lo New York, and many a townsman towns-man has HiuurloM because of the tricks he has put up on him. These Jokes have been luiriuless In the main, but now and then Pratt has perpetrated one which developed serious conBo-queuces. conBo-queuces. Not so many yenrs ago ho dressed up as u ghost and senred old Elder Cummlngs so badly that ho Jumped Into a well, where ho nearly drowned beTore be was rescued by tho joker and n hired ninn. On a Inter oc-cnslon oc-cnslon he surreptitiously placed Ipecac Ipe-cac In pumpkin pica served nt a church Boclnl nnd gnvo nil tho local doctors a busy half hour. Hut these efforts lacked novelty nnd when llert made Ills first trip to Now York on tho fall excursion ho kept nn eyo open for Idens. Ho wns In n particularly par-ticularly receptive frame of mind ono afternoon when he stopped In front of n Ilroadwny shop where a tempting nrrny of cameras, sporting goods and phonographs were exhibited. Within, a salesman was explaining tho workings work-ings of a talking machine to a prospective pros-pective customer. At that moment tho longed-for Idea flashed Into Bert's mind. "I don't suppose yo'vo got one o' them contrivances that'll hoot llko an owl, have yo?" ho Inquired ot tho salesman. (' "Well, no, I don't believe wo hnvo." gasped the astonished clerk, "but we've got a tluo record of a bear's bowls." "Sho, yo don't say!" exclaimed llert, manifesting great delight. "Now. come to think ou't. I flgger that'll fill tho bill better'n an owl that Is, If It's a real, genewlno b'nr holler." "It's genuine ull right," laughed tho salesman. "Tho company sent n man up to tho Bronx Zoo last spring when the animals were pairing off nnd ho got a lino record of n disappointed sho bear. I'll Just try It out for you nnd maybo you'll recognlzo soma ot the blood-curdling love notes." Bert fairly quivered from sheor do-light do-light when, a moment Inter, tho wax cylinder began to rovolvo and flcrco walllngs came belching through tho funnel ot tho machlno. It wns tho most realistic thing In tho way ot making bear calls he had ever heard outsldo tho forest at home, and when tho Instrument hnd been explained to him ha paid tho price nnd lugged tho precious burden to his lodging houso, whero ho took into his confidence "Shorty" Stebblns, a bosom friend and companion on the trip. It so happened "Fatty" Bates, a pal ot both, was to be married Bhortly after their return to Mlas Becky Mann, the village belle, and It was an open secret that "Fatty" wns In mortal fear that Bert would play somo unholy joke at his wedding. It also happened that roaming the mountain at tho foot of which young Bates wns to begin housekeeping house-keeping with his bride In a modest cottage was an ugly old bear, known as Sly, becaugo no ono had been nhlo to capture him. "Becky's tumble afraid of that 'ere b'ar," explained Bert In telling "Shorty" of his plan, "nn' 'Fatty' nln't overanxious to meet him, for ho hain't got a gun, so what we'ro goln' to do'll bo eaBy. We'll just take this 'ere machine ma-chine un' hist It up by tho winder about u week after they're married, set her off an' scare 'em Into fits. Hell mmm tell on't nnd then tlio joko'lt hi. tiu BBJ "Fatty" was highly delighted wbeu, his wedding camu off without untoward' - Incident nnd Immediately began a Jtoat- 'M cyoti oxlstenco in the little cottage nt B the mountain's foot. Ho had been on- B Joying lire Just one week when, In thn dead of a cloudy night, Bert nud BBJ "Shorty," lugging tho pbonngrnp)i, BBJ loaded with bear's wnlls, made thoh way to tho Bates house. As they ei- BBJ pected, no light glimmered forth, nnd, BBJ chuckling with suppressed excitement ' and glee; they raised the machine bo- BBJ 'ween them and set It going. BBJ Thcro were ominous snaps and crnckllngs, n brief pnttsr, and Humi out ' BBJ of the cylinder Issued howls nnd'runm which would have chilled the heart of BBJ oven a daring hunter. Tbo soundti BBJ seemed highly magnified In the still- BBJ ness of the night, nnd the ears of the conspirators were so close to tho tun-nel tun-nel that nil other noises were inaudible to them. With straining eyes (hcjr BBJ wllderment. BB watched thn window tor signs from BB within, but their vigil was unrewarded, BJ and when tho record hnd run out tbey BB quickly sot It going ngaln. BJ Hnd tho young men been lest Intent BJ upon their work they might hnyo heard1 BJ a real bear howl In the woods, for Sly, BB fooled beyond belief, saw In the mo- BJ chanlcal song n long-looked-for mate, BB and, casting all caution to tho winds, BB he descended tho mountain to conduct HJ his wooing nt closer rouge. This time BB no Lothario should got abend of hlu, BB not if ho could get there first. BB Bert and "Shorty" were still clinch- BB ling nnd wntchlng tho window, expect- B Ing action from within any moment, BB when closo behind them they heard a Bfl wheezing and panting and turned to BB make nut the dim outlines of Sly head- BB Ing straight for them. The phono- BB graphic voice was just starting on Its B third serenndo and dropping tho wall- BB ing machlno, thoy mnde for two. Apple BB trees, into which they climbed as rap- BB Idly as their legs would propel them. Bfl It wns pretty dark and they were ' Bfl badly scared, but for all that they took B note of what followed. Sly gazed at Bfl tho machine In bewilderment. The JB ho howled a ditty In response. Som ' Bfl of feminine encouragement iss4 Bfl from tho box, then crackles aM ft IB wheeze, and the machinery stoppe. B It was too much for Sly. Approaching Bfl cautiously, he smelted of the pfeoao- Bfl graph, and then, with bellows ot rage, Bfl ripped and toro It to pieces. BB It was nearly dnybrcan when he took his oyes from tho men who had un- JB wittingly fooled him and mnde off Into fl the mountains. It was a half hotir IB later when tho conspirators dare Bb climb down to come face to face with )B "Fatty" and his bride, who hnd tipent mm tho night with u sick relative and weie IB returning to bo in tlmo to milk. IB |