Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1857-04-11

for The desperate and unequal struggle Une-
quail indeed, for what was the strength of a
frail woman, opposed to the fury of a raging
panther
Already The fangs of the animal were fast
ened with an iron grip upon her leit arm the
blood flowed in torrents down her disordered
garments the pain she suffered was past all
mortal conception and yet in that fearful hour
the courage Of Martha Glenn did not fail her
A blessed thought flashed across her mind
she seized with her unconlned right hand the
strong cord which fastened to her waist the long =,
sharp pointed shears, which were then deemed
necessary 10 the toilet of every housewife. The
giticrng steel flashed bright in the sunlight,
and with one powerful effort, she drove the in
strument TO the handle in the throat of her as
salant
Ills cries Of pain aud rage were appalling,
and his teeth closed together through the flesh
of that torn and mutlated arm Not then did
Mrs. Glenn yield With certain death for
herself, she would still save her child, and with
desperate and determined bravery, she plunged
the shears again and again into the neck Of the
infatuated beast The combat grew terrific !
groans and bowls filled the air, and Maggie
shrunk behind an overhaneing rock, aud hid
her little face in her apron.
At length, by lucky movement on the part
of MIS-. Glenn the panlher's entire throat was
cleft in twain and unloosing his hold, he rolled
upon The ground in paroxysrn of agony Over
and over-rasing the dry, gray dust in clouds,
in the struggle with DEATH. 1t lasted but a lit
tie while there was convulsive twitching of
his strongly-defned musces-a grating Of his
ponderous jaws, dying out of the light in his
fiery eye. and he lay still and motoness-DEAD
Though faint and almost dying from pain
and loss of blood, Mrs. Glenn had sufficient
presence Of mind 10 crawl back TO her home,
followed by Maggie, who could scarcely COM
prehend the terrible affair. Drearly, and in
the most intense suffering, passed the long az
ternoon TO the wounded mother but in the
smile which welled up from Maegie's blue eyes
when standing beside her, she felt more than
repaid for all that she had already, and all she
must in the future endure for her childs life.
William Glenh was horror-stricken on re-
turning from his labor, at the frighifu condi-
tion of his wife. lie dispatched his hired man
eleven miles for the nearest physician, and in
anxious hope and fear he awaited his arrival.
AT last-it was near day.break- man Of
science came. After gravely examining the
case, he pronounced amputaiion Of the nut la
ted limb the only means of preserving life.
Mrs. Glenn did not finch from the trying or
deal, but bore herself throughout with Roman
fortitude.
Maggie Glenn grew up good and beautiful
woman-her love for her mother the ono great,
holy, and sancifed trait in her lovely charac-
ter. Early in life she was united to hardy
young mountaineer, who took her farther east
to live in a pleasant home of his own.
The old shears are preserved as a sort of
heir-loom--a token of their ancestors proves
by Maggie's descendants, and il you wish to
make them Qhe descendan,s-not The shears) ell
oquent, just ask them to tell you all abou: Mrs
Glenn's encounter with panther.