Juliet signal. [volume] (Juliet [i.e. Joliet], Ill.) 1844-1???, 1861-08-27
THE HEROINE OF BEARS
HILL.
A Thrilling Sketch.

The light Of an October sun fell in slant
ing rays Of gold upon our fair gem Of the
mOuDtans--the Winnlppiseegee. The
waves rippled and curled in the light breeze
ard famed the green Islands in ruffiing
silver.
1t was glorious scene-the wide, gilt
ter;ng lake, the clear clOndess sky, and
that eternal wall of mountains keepine a
silent watch over all? Perhaps some such
thoughts fitted through the mind of far
NOR Horizons good wife as she sat eisurely
darling her husbands stocking in the rud
dy glow which came i'll through the incur
tanned window.
Where can that child be? | wonder =
Strange! It's nigh three o'clock and she s
not home yeti Strange enoughl"
"N hats strange enough, Sally ?" put in
a rough voice from the doorway, and Mrs
Horizons husband entered the apartment.
Why sent Mary to the forty acre lot
with Blii's dinner above two hours ago, and
she hain't come home yet. Them apEles'll
never be pared | don't see Why she don't
come home. She's had time enough"
Mrs. Horton was in that uncom Portable
state between grief and auger; she was
troubled about the absence of his child,
she was inclined to be angry because she
was lot back to do the work that had been
assigned her
Wal, wal. Sally !' said Mr. Horton, good
humoredly. ''don't be fretty may be she 8
got to picking berries; gals will be gals, We
know, and Mary's as good as any man 3
child But" he added liz u strangely al
tered vcIce, ard with an unnatural palencss
arb eB
did size tdke?'
w Inch path why the one over the hill,
to DE sure. 1t is half mile higher that
way"
Good God ~ exclaimed John Horton,
striking his forehead II feared i'll Sal
ly, hand me that powder horn. Quick =
Quick
lie snatched down the OLD musket which
had done glorious duty in the Revolution,
and commenced loading it in frantic haste.
Lawful goodness calculated Sally,
rising in alarm, "wbat is it 2"
Nv hat is its Sally seed Tom Smith
not an hour ago, and he told me this morn
ing, as Sam and jim were going over the
hill, there came up a bear-a big black
savage she bear with Cubs right out of the
bushes! They didn't dare to fight her
crew towards night, aud kill the critter if
possible. Poor little Mary. Keep up a
good heart, wife maybe it amt so had as |
fear" and sboulderlng his musket, Farmer
Horton buried out of the house and struck
into the dismal path over the hill.
1t is terrible thing to have child-a
creature of your own flesh and bIood-ex-
posed to immediate danger, and yet know
| 70 4 10 holr
Farmer Horton went on, q terrible fear
Juggling at his heart strings, and urging
him to renewed and continued effort.
The summit of the hill was reache6-in
the dry sand he discovered the footprints
of his child, another incentive to exertion
and he few rather than walked down the
steep pathway.
| But stay, his blood freezes. his life con-
| geals in horror at the spectacle.
! Before him lay the open field of the forty
| acre lot. At the extremity of this stretch
| of land there was a huge rock, with q few
| stunteG shrubs and tere and there hand
| full Of sickly moss clinging to its sides.
His crippled son GeOrge--disabled from
an early attack Of disease-had gone into
the field that morning with his brother
William, not because he could assist him
dearly loved the sweet communion of the
great hills, and the tender blue of the 81
| leBtsky.
Now, looking down upon the field, the
| father saw his children, and like reed in
the wind, be shuddered at The sight. Will
lam lay extended upon the ground, sppar-
ertly Iifeless, and but few PAGES from him
( stood Mary.
Her bonnet had fallen off, and her brown
curls were floating in the breeze--a mass
of dusky geld. Her right arm was stretch-
ed out towards TIE rock +; her left-John
Horton gave a sharp stern gruan as he OBJ
served it. Black and terrible IN her mad
dened fury, monster bear half crouched
at the side of the girl, and down the yawn
ing mouth of the animal was thrust the
fair arm of Mary, down even to the shout
de-.
For the meaning of this scene the father
was not long in conjecturing q reason
Following the direction of the arm. be saw
that George, the cripple, was slowly near
ing the rock a monochrome and he would
scale it once upon it's submits and be was
safe. The father saw the quivering of that
slender arm, the torn and mutilate0 flesh !;
in another moment and the bear would be
free, and then
He leyeled his musket.
MARY, my girl, turn your body to the
right"
1t was a fearful moment but John Hor
tons hand never trembled. A brave mans
never does in the extreme hour Of trial.