Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1855-02-02
A Story Of the Wood, of Maine.


lies living in IT, You who now live a, ease
can never know the hirdships and PerilOus
scenes through which the early settlers pass.
ed. Come with me," he continued, Z" and ]
will show you the sPo, on which the first Lot
ever erected in this town was located y
followed silently until the old man reach.
ed the wcs, side Of Paris Hill.
There" said he, "on this spOi was
erected the hot ! shall nesor forge, the dr,,
time ! visited It, and the story was told"
What was it, I asked.
81 will tell you. When the Grt SETTLER
mo1sd here. his nearest neiRhbor lived Iwsn-
~ miles d'lant, In the present town ol Rum
ford. and tie onlJ road between tho two
neighbors was path he had cat through the
woods himself, 80 that IN case oi want or
sickness be might Get assistance. Ono spring,
think il was the third season after be had
sc,ilrl here, he was obliged Ia GO to Rum
ford ior provisions lIe arose early oue
morning and started lor hIs nearest neirhbor.
People OF the prescn, ,.iy would think It hard
t, make a journey % twenty miles for a bag
of potatoes, and on foot. ioo, but such was
the crrlnd uf the Gr,l settler. lIo arrived
before noon, and was successful IN getting
he potatoes, got some roircshmenis and start.
cd fur home. Dui 1t was not easy to travel
with load q! potatoes aud finally at sun
down, be threw Oh his load, aud resolved to
make a shelter and spend the night ! have
been taken with him to tho eNac, locality Of
II; It vas ,iiuarcd just on the other SIDE OF
the suelm. oo which are mills, IN the village
or pnhook, IN Woodstock.
lie bull, a shsllcr, struck a d,e, and took
out OF hIs sack piece o. msa, to roast
" Ah young mln,' continued the narrator,
4" you little know with nha, Jelsh a man
eats hls food in the wood, bu, d, ! was Say.
ing. be commenced roasting h' meat, when
be was startled By a cry 50 shrll ,hl, he
know a. once Il could come from nothing else
bu, 4 ca,amoun, tvill noa relate 10 60 You
q, near q, can ia the language Of the oil
settler himself"
81 listened 4 moment, anil it was repeated
even louder, arl II seemed nearer than before.
Wv 6r,, though, wa, for my owr safety. But
what was I 20 20; I vas al least Ten mile,
from home, aud there oa' ra' a single hu.
man hcinr nearer Than tha, {, ne I next
thought II ,rlf defence. 5ut bad nothing 20
defend mr,rlf With. H. moment c"u'lu-
Del IN ,nr, mr homo, Tor knew the nature
Of tho catamoun, tor we'll to thnk ! should
stand r.e lei., chance ofoscare Il | remained
in the elmr knew. too, that h1 would
rannck my camp, and | hoped The meat,
which had lcN behind nigh, ''l.sN Ais ap.
petite 50 tia, he nigh, no, follow nc a0er
eating ii
I" had not proceeded more than half
mile. before | knew, bv the shrek, Of the
animal, ,hat he va, within sight OF ihs camp
doubled ms speed, ronleut lha, the beast
should have ms supper although declare
would not have run il had h,d my lm,iy
rihc with me- Bu, there could he no cow
ardicc in running from an iuiornlci rai1.
mount, douby furious, probably, being hun.
,ry, and With nothing that could be called
weapon save a pocket krifc.
"I had proceeded, probably, about two
third, the di.nncc home, and hearing moth.
inr more of the fearless enemy, b'rin 10
slackcu INV pace. and though, ! bad nothing
to lear. ! he'd lr0 behind ab'ut Two pounds
Of meat, beef and pork, which hoped had
satisfied the monster jos, a' had come To
the conclusion that would run no more, and
vas looking back, astonishei alno', At the
distance | had travelled IN 80 short a space Of
time, was electrified with horror to hear the
animal shrek arain.
- knew that my fears were realized. The
beast had undoubtedly entered the camp, agd
ate. and .lhen followed after nc. !, was
abou, three miles to INV log cabin. and il had
already become dark ] redoublcd my speed,
bu, though, must die-and such a death ;
The recollection Of lha, feeling comes to my
mind as yvidly as though knew tho animal
was pursuing me. But ! am no coward,
though 10 be torn IN pieces and almost eaten
alive bv a wild beast, was horrible.
"I calmly unbnuoncd my irock with the
determination to throw it uT before the beast
should approach me, hoping thereby to gain
advantage Of him by the time he would lose
in tearing II to pieces.
=" Another shrek, and tossed the garment
behind me in the path. Not more than five
minutes had elapsed before I heard 4 shrill
cry as he came to II. How that shrek cleo
iriHed me. bounded like deer. But in a
moneu, the animal made another cry, which
tod me plainly that nv garment had only ex.
asperaicd him 10 6ereer chase.
"Oh. God said i and must die thus.
cannot. must live for my wife and child
rem and run even faster than before, and
unbuiioninr my wai.lcuat, dropped It in the
path as proceeded. The thought Of my
wife and children urged me to the most des-
peraie speed, for thought more Of their un-
protected state, than the death ] was threaion-
ed with; for should die, what woula be.
come Of them.
In moment the thole e'onis ofny life
crowded through my brain. The catamoun,
shrieked louder. and ias, as was running,
--.II.. ..n....h.L no Nnarnr anL nnar.