New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1874-07-19

here was POmposO shiyering from his archet
neck TO his sensitive launches. his yer,
Hanks pulssting with terror. l soothed hin
as well ae / could, and then walked to thu
WOOD and peered into its dark recesses. Th,
bright Hash of birds wing, or the QEicl
dart Of q squirrel was all saw. l confess
1t was with something of superstitous ex
pectation that l again turned toward thu
cabin. A fairy child, attended by Titani;
and her train, lying in an expensive cradle
would not have surprised me; q Sleeping
Beauty, whose awakening would have re
peopleG thOse solitudes with life and ener
gy, j aIn afraid began to confidently looi
for and would have kissed without hesita
ton.
But / found none of these Here was the
evidence of my friends taste and refine
Inent in The hearth swept scrupulously
clean. IN the picturesque arrangement o.
the fur skins that covered the floor snG
furniture, and the striped serape- lying or
the Wooden couch. Here were the wallt
fancifully papered with illustrations FROM
the London Meas; here was the wooden,
portrait of Mr. Emerson over the chimney
quietly framed with blue jays winge; here
were his few favorite books on tine swing
ing shelf, and here, lying upon the couch
the latest copy OF Ps,sch. Dear Dick The
flour sack was sometimes empty, but the
gentle sariris. seldom missed his weekly
visit
threw myself on the couch and tried to
read. But soon exhausted NY interest in
my friends library, and lay there staring
through the open door on the green hillside
| beyond. The breeze again sprang up. and
| delicious cool, mixed with the rare in.
cense Of the woods, stole through the cabin
The slumbrOus droniDg bumble-bees out
eide the canvas root, the faint cawing OF
rocks on the opposite mountain, and the
/ fa<, <.f
my eyelids. l pulled the eerape over me
as a precaution against the freshening
| mountain breeze, and in few moments
WAS asleep.
do not remember how long slept. l
must have been conscious, however, during
my slumber, of my inability to keep myself
| covered by the serape, for l awOke once or
twice. clutching it with a desperate hand as
| 1t was disappearing over the foot of the
| couch. Then ! became suddenly aroused to
the fact that my efforts to retain it were re-
sisted by some equally persistent force, and,
letting it go, was Mortified at seeing it
swiftly drawn under the couch. At this
point sat up completely awake; for imme-
diately after, what seemed to be an exag-
gerated muf began to emerge from under
the couch: Presently it appeared fully,
dragging the serape after it. There was no
nistaking it now-its was baby bear-a
mere sucking it was true, helpless roll of
tat and tur, but, Enthusiastically, grizzly
cub.
l can not recall anything more irresisti-
bly, ludicrCus than its aspect Us it slowly
raised its small, wondering eyes to mine.
1t was go much taller on its launches than
its shoulders-its fore legs were so dispro-
portionately small-that in walking it's
hind feet invariably took precedence. 1t
was perpetuaIly pitching forward over its
pointed, inofiensive nOse, and recovering
itself always, after these involuntary sOmer-
saults, with the gravest astOnishment. To
add 70 its prepOsterous appearance, one Of
its hind feet was adorned by shoe of Syl
westerns, into which it had accidentally and
inextricably stepped. As this somewhat
impeded its first impulse to.tiv. it turned to
me; and then, possibly recognizing in the
stranger the same species as it's master, it
paused. Presently it slowly raised itself on
waved baby paw, tringed with little
hooks Of steel. took the paw and shook
it gravely. From that moment We were
friends. The little affair OF the serope was
forgotten.
Nevertheless, was wise enough to
cement friendship by An act of delicate
courtesy. Following the direction of his
eyes, had no difficulty in finding, on a
shell near the ridge-poIe, the sugar box
and the square Jumps of white sugar that
even the poorest miner is never without.
While he was eating them ! had time to
examine him more closely. His body was
a silky, dark, but exquisitely modnlated
gray, deepening to black in his paws and
muzz.e. His fur was excessively long,
thick, and as soft as elder down; the
cushions Of flesh beneath perfectly infant
inc ii their texture and contour. He was
so very young that the palms of his half
human feet were still tender as baby's.
Except tor the bright blue, steely hooks,
not single harsh outline or detail IN his
plump figure. He was as free from angles
as one of Leda's offspring Your caressing
hand sank away in his fur and dreamy |
languor. To look at him long was an |
intoxication Of the senses; to pat him was |
q wild delirium; to embrace him, an utter |
decentralization of the intellectual faculties. |
When he had finished the sugar, he rolled |
out of the door with a half diffident, halt |
inviting look in his eye, az ifhe expected me |
to follow. 1 did so, but tho emitting and |
OF the keen scented PompOso in
the hollow not only revealed the cause of |
bis former terror, but decided me to take
another direction. After a moments hest.
tation, he concluded TO 90 with me, al.
though / am satisfied from certain i,npish
look in his eye, that ne fully understood
and rather enjoyed the fright of POmposo
As be rolled along at my side, with gait
that his long hair concealed leather collar
around his neck, which bore for it's legend
The single word, "Baby!" l recalled the
mysterious suggestion Of the two miners.
This. then, was the "baby" with whom
was 10 play" How we played" how
Baby allowed me to roll him down hill,
and putting up again each time,
with perfect good humor; how he climbed
young sapling after my Panama hat,
which / had ''sbied' into one OF the topmost
branches; how, after getting it, he refused
o descend until it suited his pleasure; how,
when he did come down, he persisted in
Walking about on three legs, carrying my
lat. a crushed and shapeless mass, clasped
o his breast with the remaining one: how
missed him at last, and finally discovered
lin seated on a table in one OF the tenant
ess cabins, with bottle of syrup between
lis paws, vainly endeavoring to extract it's
ontents-these and other details of that
ventful day shall not weary the reader
With now. Enough that, when Dick Syl
ester returned, was pretty we'll tagged
ut, and the baby was rolled up, an im-
lense bolster at the foot of the couch,
sleep. Sylvester's first words after our
reeting were:
Isn't he delicious ?"
fer1ectly. Where Ola you get MIN
Lying under his dead mother, five miles
rom here" said Dick, lighting his pipe.
Knocked her over at fifty yards; perfectly
lean shot-never moved atterward! Baby
rawled, scared but unhurt. She must
ave been carrying him IN her mouth, and
ropped him when she faced me, for he was
OF moIe than three days old, and not vet
teady on his pins. He takes the only milk
hat comes to the se:tlement-brought up
y Adams express at seven o'clock every
norning. They say he looks like me. Do
GU think SO 2" asked Dick. with perfect
ravity, stroklng his hay -colored mustachios