Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1874-07-30
Continued from first page

morning ride, began to droop my eyelids.
| pulled the serape" over me. as pre-
caution against the freshening mountain.
breeze, and in few moments was sound
asleep.
| do not remember how long slept. l
must have been conscious, however, dur
ing nv slumber, of my inability to keep
myself covered by the = serape.' for
awoke once OF twice, clutching it with
despairing hand as it was disappearing
over the foot Of the couch. Then be-
came suddenly aroused to the fact that
my efforts to retain it were resisted by
some equally persirtent force, and, letting
it go, | was Mortified at seeing 1t swiftly
drawn under the couch. At this point
sat up completely awake; Tor, immedi-
ately after, what seemed TO be an exag-
gerated muff began to emerge from under
the couch. Presently it appeared fully,
dragging the " serape' after it. There
was no installing it now-it was baby
bear. A mere sucking, it was true,-a
helpless roll of fat and fur,-but, unms-
takably, grizzly cub.
cannot recall anything more irressti-
bly, ludicrous than its aspect as it slowly
raised its small, wondering eyes to mine.
1t was SO much taller on its launches than
its sholders, its fore-legs were so dispro-
portionately small,-that in walking its
hind-feet invariably took precedence. 1t
was perpetually pitching forward over its
pointed, inoffensive nose, and recovering
itself always, after these involuntary
somersaults, with the gravest astonish-
ment. To add to its preposterous appear
ance, one of its hind-feet was adorned by
a shoe of Sylvester's into which it had ac-
cidentally and inextricably stepped. AS
this somewhat impeded its first impulse to
fly, it turned to me; and then, possibly
recognizing in the stranger the same spe-
cies as its master, 1t paused. Presently it
slowly raised itself on its hind-legs, and
vaguely and deprecatingly waved a baby
paw, fringed with little hooks of steel. |
took the paw and shook it gravy. From
that moment we were friends. The little
affair OF the serape was forgotten.
Nevertheless, was wise enough to &C.
ment friendship by an act OF delicate
courtesy. Following the direction OF mis-
eyes, l had no difficulty in finding, on Il
shelf by the ridge-pole, 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 silky, dark, but exquis
itely-modulated gray, deepening to black
in his paws and muzzle. His fur was
excessively long, thick, and as soft as
eider-down; the cushions of flesh beneath
perfectly infantine in their texture and
contour He was SO very young that
the palms of his half human feet were
still tender as baby's. Except for the
bright blue, steely hooks, hali-sheathed
in his little toes, there was not a single
harsh outline or detail in his plump figure.
He was rs free from angles as one of Le-
dA's offspring. Your caressing hand sank
away in his fur and dreamy langor. To
look at him long was an intoxcation of
the senses; to pat him was wild deliri-
UNI to embrace him, an utter demorali-
cation of the intellectual faculties.
When he had finished the sugar, he
rolled out of the door, with half-dilii
dent, half Inviting look in his eye, as he
expected me to follow. l did so, but
the shifting and snorting Of the keen
scented Homposo in the hollow not only
revealed the cause of his former terror,
but decided me to take another direction
After a moments hesitation, he concluded
to go with me, although l am satisfied
from certain impish look in his eye, that
he fully understood and rather enjoyed
the fright of Pomposo. AS he rolled
along at my side, with gait not unlike
"A drunken sailor. l discovered that his
long hair concealed leather collar around
his neck, which bore for its legend the
single word, 'sBaby!" | recalled the
mysterious suggestion of the two miners.
This, then, was the baby with whom |
was to ''play"
How we "played; )" how Baby allowed
me to roll him down hill, crawling and
putting up again each time, with perfect
good humor; how he climbed young
saplin after my Panama hat, which l had
"shied" into one of the topmast branch
es how, after getting it, he refused to
descend until it suited his pleasure; how,
when he did come down, he PERSISTED
in walking about on three legs, carrying
my hat. a crushed and shapeless mass,
tclasped to his breast with the remaining
one how missed him at last, and finally
discovered him seated on table in one
of the tenantless cabins, with a bottle of
sirup between his paws, yainly endeav-
oring to extract its contents,-these and
other details of that evenlful day l shall
not weary the reader with now. Enough
that, when Dick Sylvester returned.
was pretty well tagged out, and the baby
was rolled up, an immense bolster at the
foot of the couch, asleep. Sylvesters
first words after our greeting were:
"Isn't he delicious?
Perfectly. Where did you get him ?"