Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1873-10-09

JnlnDcT, weaker RGIl Hne grew,
Could no longer run or purr,
Lny in bed aud woul not stir.
Oracle trailc.a her long white gown
Down tho stairs at early light,
Wondering III kitty'th grown
Any Sotter over night -
Found poor kitty cold and dead
In her pretty basket bed.
Oracle made another bed
Where the nlorninY-glOrics climb;
With red rOse-leavos lined AMI spread,
Aud pcrfumed with pinks and thyme.
Rarely bus human head
found SO soft and sweet . bed.
Gracie's little tcnder hands
| End at last their loving task;
SObbing by tho grave she stands,
Then slle lifts hor face to ask.
While the allow tears downward roll,
Mamma. where It'll kittv'th thoul p
Our Young Folks
| Charli:'s First Camping Out.
| by FERN.
Charlie was "fifteen tomorrow" and
his father had promised to take him on a
fishing trip to Karl's Pond for a birthday
excursion, aud camp out all night.
Camping out had always secn one of the
/ AOAO ASA\CA PChStlCS VI VIC lItlC UOy'b lllOs
| for he lived In State where wild animals
were still abundant, and where it would
| be dangerous for young folks to be alone In
| the woods at night So Charles knowl.
edge of camping bad been confined to the
stories which, with open eyes and cars, he
had often listened to around the great fire.
place at home stories told by the trappers,
who sometime stop'ed for u night, or By
the ncighbOrs on their return from some
expedition after marauding wolf or bear.
But to. morrow he was to so with father
into the "reap woods, more than ten
miles away, catching fish, cook them over
the Goals, and sleep beneath the stars by
the side of the roaring campfire! Was It
not splendid?
Early on the morning of the day Charlie
was up and stirring, and, long before many
of tue tar-away drowsy city boys had
opened their eyes to the morning glory of
Gods bright sun, he and father had eaten
breakfast, and were rolling away over the
rough road that led to the pond.
A long, tires0me route 1t usually was.
but Charles wonder at the cver-nyw and
curious sights and sounds that were present.
ed tn him drove WEAKNESS far from, them.
and even papa found the miles were sin.
ping away with unwonted speed as he N
sWered the many questions of the bow at
his side. Once they saw hill-fox cross
the road way ahead, and Charlie could
hardly be kept from springing out and civ
Ing chase then, at the fOrding of q little
creek, q frightened mink swan wildly down
stream, leaving broad, wavering wake on,
the water behind him; squirrels were
plenty, too, frsking and jumping along
every old log, and dartipg hither and thith.
cr among the wayslde bushes and, ld9tly.
when almost at the pond, Mr.. Arnold sud.
denly stopped his horse: and picking his g,n
up, point d out to Charlie the fat partridge
which aet upon q tree just before them, and
then, with quick, sure aim, dropped the
bird to the earth. bidding his boy, 40 he
did so, to rpm and pick up their dinner.
An unusually pleasant ride Il Was through
the morning sunlight and, as at the last
turn the: road s'oped sharply downward,
and Karl's Pond in all its silent beauty Law
before them, Charlie shouted with pure
delight, and fairly laughed with JOY and
anticipation Us they ratified down the STONY
pathway to the beach. Here Mr.. Arnold
unhitched the horse, watered, and the turn
ed him loose to Craze.
6 But he willrun away!" said Charlie.
"Not far, my boy" smilingly answered
bis father :" and if he does he'll come
back at night when the wolves begin to
howl" "
20, do the wolves howl up here3 lam
so glad shall love to hear them!o
Mr.. Arnold laughed heartily. " Perhaps
60"
Preparing the fishing tackle which, they
had with them for use, they were soon en-
gagged IN the sport OF catching the beautiful
trout from the clear depths of the water
before them, for Karl's was q trout pond
not only In name but in fact, and fairly
swarmed with the speck'ed fish.
An hour or two passed. and then, as the
sun slOne holly down, Mr.. Arnold pr0poa.
ed resting for Tina and then eating aim.
ner, after which they should clean the fish
and salt them to take home.
"And sha'n't we fish any more p, asked
Charlie. z ~
Yes, toward dusk, my son. You no.
tee that the trout don't bite now AZ thew
did at first, and from noon until about foul
O'Clock We cannot catch any, for they lie
hidden during the warmest part of the day."
Dinner Of trout and partridge! Did YOU
ever cat such one :? Charles thought it
tasted better than any meal he had ever
partaken of. Then came the business of
dressing the fish. after which both employ.
ed themselves in gathering wood for tie
us It so cold that VIC need a fire III,
night, father?" asked the boy.
Not always but it is generally pleas
ant and also 'afc. The wolves are afraid
of fire, you know, and keep away from Il !"
But would they bite us If we didn't
have any?''
Probably rot" answered Mr.. Arnold.
:" Wolves are cowardly fellows unless ycry
hungry or gathered together in large packs.
But we'll have our fire anyway. The
horse can find us, then, If he wanders far
away" And so the wood was gathered.
Then three hours more of fishing, a snpper
FULLY AS sweet as was the dinner, and The
shadows began to fall. Light the fire.
Charlie" said his ther. The boy obeyed'
and as tic bright CLEANS shot up through
the coming darkness, glimmerinx out over
the silent water on the one hand and flick.
ering through the silent woods onthe other.
it seemed liked fairy-land, and Charlie ex.
claimed in ecstacy:
80, father, wouldn't it be splendid to
live in the woods always!"
fOr an hour or more the bright eyed bow
Sat on that old tree stump and alternately
y. sang, asked questions and kept silence. un-
Ill mr.. Arnold said it was time to "turn
IN" then the blankets were unrolled,
more wood placed upon the fire, and, se.
iecung warm, sheltered spot, the two lay
down to sleep.
MI. Arnold, much of whose earlier life
had been passed in the wilderness. was
soon snoring in bIissful Inconsistencies OF
all about him, hut the strangene.s of the
situation drove sleep from Charles eyee
andStry as hard as he might, he could only
lie listening to the voices Of the woods and
tie night: First came the frogs along the
cdgc ut the pond close by, whose varied
notes rose and fell on the still air like the
song OF some mighty choir prscticing 70,
concerts to come. Then, in the interI,1lea
when the old bass fellows were irving tn
pitch the tune, and all the altos and 20.
praHos were listening, he could sometimes
hear the hoot owls away on the hillside be.
hind him, their mournfnl g tu-whit. tn.
wiioo, J" shiveriDg along the night air in
solemn cadence, or the barking of the
foxes, quarreling over the little rabbit that
serVc' tor their evening mel. Once or twice
the cryof the high smiling loon came ring-
ing down to him as the lOng-l>0died OH
fellow went swiftly by. All these sounds
Charlie koew and enjoyed listening to
them, but suddenly, from what direction he
could not tell, there burst out the widest
most horrible add blood-chilling rush and
roar Of cries that he had ever dreamed of
burst out and rose high in the air, trcm.
bling through every leaf of the surrounding
forest, singing every nerve Of his little
body. frightening into silence every other
sound tina: night l.ed produced, aud then
dying awav again in one prolonged howl