Issue link: http://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/769056
"I KNOW!" he repeated. "Wha . . . ?" I replied, by now thoroughly confused. "I KNOW . . . I've known all day you were getting a bear. I wrapped Becky up in a blanket and carried her outside at dark and showed her the North Star and told her 'Uncle Mike's up there, and he's getting you a bear.' " I was on the verge of believing him. "We came back in and were all watching TV," he continued, "and all of a sudden I knew you had him and I jumped up and grabbed a piece of paper, a grocery store receipt, and wrote 'Mike got one!' on the back of it. I'm looking at it right now." "What time was that?" I prodded. "About 9:30," he replied. "That's what time I killed him," I said. And now I'm not sure I ever got around to actually telling him the whole story that night. It would have been anticlimactic, anyway. S o as I said earlier, dear reader, even after 30 years I'm still not sure I believe the whole tale myself, even though I was there and know it to be true. Nevertheless, I really don't expect you to buy it. But I give you my word, it happened, exactly the way I have told you. I still have the little grocery store receipt somewhere. Believe it or don't believe it. It's entirely up to you. n Editor's note: The complete narrative of how the author took the big bear at six yards is related in full in his book, Nineteen Years to Sunrise, in a chapter entitled "North of Shebandowan." You can drop the author an email at Mike@AltizerJournal.com if you'd like, and he'll be happy to send you the entire chapter. Free. Signed copies of Altizer's The Last Best Day and Nineteen Years to Sunrise can be ordered online at SportingClassicsStore. com—click on "BOOKS." Or simply call (800) 849-1004. The author always welcomes and appreciates your comments, questions, and input. Please keep in touch at Mike@ AltizerJournal.com. S P O R T I N G C L A S S I C S • 95