The Story of Red Sleeves

When Grandpa Robison was a little boy growing up in Montana, he loved to visit his grandparents in Lovell, Wyoming. Often he would ask his Grandpa Adams to tell him a story. A favorite story of all the grandchildren was that of "Red Sleeves & the Bear." Dallin, Amanda, and Emily have a big black bear running around loose in their neighborhood in Summit Park, Utah. In fact, just today a trap was put up in their front yard.

The story of Red Sleeves will be a good one to tell all the grandchildren. It is still one of Grandpa's favorites after all these years.

The Story of Red Sleeves & The Bear

(related to Reid A. Robison by his grandfather Thomas M. Adams in the late 1950s)

Once upon a time, there was a hermit that lived in the woods in the Big Horn Basin, in Wyoming. He was very poor and his coat was so worn out that all you could see was the red lining of his coat sleeves. No one knew his name, so people referred to him as “Red Sleeves.”

Old Red Sleeves loved to hunt. Day after day he would tromp around the hills and hunt wild animals. He especially loved to hunt for bears.

One day, Red Sleeves came face to face with a Big Black Bear. The Bear must have sensed that Red Sleeves was trying to shoot him so he began to chase him. After running away from the bear for one hundred yards, Red Sleeves sensed that the bear was gaining on him, so he turned and shot him in the right front leg. That big black bear only hesitated for an instant and continued chasing Red Sleeves.

After another hundred yards the bear got even closer and so Red Sleeves turned and shot the bear in his left front leg. Again the bear barely slowed down and continued the chase in hot pursuit of Red Sleeves.

By then old Red Sleeves was getting worried. He continued another 100 years and again turned and fired off a third shot. This time his bullet hit the bear in the rear right hind leg. Again that bear was not fazed and continued the chase and got even closer to Red Sleeves.

Finally after another 100 yards, Red Sleeves knelt down one last time and fired off his last bullet. This time he hit the bear in his rear left hind leg. The bear was not dazed in the least and kept on chasing old Red Sleeves and got almost within grasp of him.

Just then they reached the edge of the forest and Red Sleeves climbed up a tall tree to escape the bear, but the bear climbed right up after him. When Red Sleeves got to the top of the tree, he realized that he was out of tree. There was no where else to climb and the bear was inches away.

The big black bear opened his mouth very wide and was all set to eat Red Sleeves, when at the very last second, Red Sleeves reached down inside of the bear’s mouth and grabbed onto his tail and pulled him inside out. Well, when he did that the bear scurried back down the tree and ran away in the opposite direction.