Our plan was to wake the bear up, and shoot him when he broke out through the snow.

Bears killed a good many sheep at that time; the farmers did not regard them as desirable neighbors.
The ruse which Addison hit on for waking the bear was to blow black pepper down the hole through a hollow sunflower stalk.

He had an idea that this would set the bear sneezing.

In view of what happened, I laugh now when I remember our plans for waking that bear.
Directly after dinner we set off for the wood-lot with our guns and pepper.

Cold as it was, Ellen and Theodora went with us, intending to stand at a very safe distance.