Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1875-09-11
MRS. POPE AND THE BEAR.

"You must look out for the sheep,
wife. These warm days will bring the
bears out of their dens. They will be
ravenous, and like as not they will break
into the yard and carry off some of the
sheep. I saw bear tracks up the noun
tain this morning."
"Well," said Mrs. Pope, they
needn't expect to get any of our sheep.
If they come prowling round here, I'll
drive them off in some way. We need
the sheep too much to have them carried
off by bears"
81 wish you understood using the
gun, wife. When I am gone, I worry
about leaving you and the baby all day
alone. The woods are so near, I can't
help thinking some wild animals may
come down from the mountains and at
tack you. ....
"You needn't fear about that" an
swered Mrs. Pope, "To be sure it is
lonesome with neither man nor dog
about. ] presume should feel safer if
understood handling gun, but don't
believe anything will come near in the
daytime. So don't worry about us, only
be sure to get home before DUSK
"Well, goodbye, then. Don't ex-
pose the baby or yourself to any danger,
and I'll be back before night"
So saying, Mr.. Pope, with bag of
grain on his horse, started off to mill,
leaving his wife and baby alone in their
solitary log cabin in the wilderness.
This conversation occurred in the
town OF Kirby, Vermont, in the spring
OF the year 1911, when that region was
but little settled, when even women un-
derstood they were in constant peril
from wild beasts. Jesse Pope's cabin
stood close to the foot of the Kirby
mountains, in whose rocky Businesses
bears, catamounts and wolves had their
inaccessible dens. Bears, especially,
were so thick as to be source of con-
slant dread to those who had focks, or
were compelled to leave their homes un-
protected, while they went to the larger
settlements on business.
Mrs. Pope fully understood the peril
that surrounded her during her hus-
bands absence. Her cheerful talk with
her husband was not mere bravado. She
said what she did, as much to keep her
own spirits up as to dispel her hus
bands anxiety. She knew that he must
go to the mill, and there was no way for
her but to stay at home and be as brave
as possible. She was a brave woman.
Nature had endowed her with courage,
and the surroundings of her early life
mad all tended to foster and strengthen
1t. She fully understood her situation,
and when her husband passed out of
SIGHT she knew she and her baby were
alone in the great wilderness, beyond
the reach of help, should anything seri-
Gus occur. But she had always lived in
the wilderness. The howl of the wolf
and the growl of the bear were familia,
sounds to her, and she had become ac
customed to a lonely life in the woods.
80, instead of shutting herself in the
house, she went on with her work as
usual
After the breakfast dishes were wash
cd and put away, she brought out hel
little "linen wheel" and went to spin
ming fax. They must have clothes fo1
summer wear, and that was the season
to spin and weave, before the summer
fully set in. can remember my mother
and her spinning wheel, and l can i'm
agine just how Mrs. Pope looked, sitting
with one foot on the treadle
ALI the long forenoon her musica
wheel kept humming its pleasant tune
stopping only now and then as it's mis-
atress either crowed to the baby in th,
cradle, or looked out to see that no wilt
animals were prowling about. Nooi
came and went, and nothing disturbed
them. The baby in the cradle went of
to sleep, and she kept on with her work
After a time she rose and looked on
again. This time she saw an astoundint
sight Coming down the mountain sid
from the woods, she beheld a full-growl
bear, not a hundred yards distant. III
was on his way to the yard where tn
sheep were in fold, and she knew he wa
after the sheep. She had gun, bu
that would not avail anything, for sh
had never learned to use it. She had al
ak, but she knew an ak to be poo
weapon to fight bear with The mex
thing she thought of was pitchfork
Their few sheep were q treasure to tn
family. All their winter clothing wa