Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1875-09-15
Mrs. Pope aud the Bear.

charge
Mrs. Pope aud the Bear.
ny rRANKLs q. CAGE.
3" You must look out for the sheep. wife. |
These warm days will bring the bears ont |
Of their dens. They will be raveuous, and |
like as not they will break into the yard and |
carry off some OF the sheep. ! saw bear |
tracks up the mountain this morning"
Well said Mrs. Pope they needn't |
expect to get any Of our sheep. II they come |
prowlmg round here, III drive them off in /
some way. We need the sheep too much to |
have them carried off 10y bears"
g. wish You understood using the gun wife. |
When | am gone worry about leaving you
and the baby all day alone. The woods are
so near, can't help thinking some wild an
imals may come down from the mountain
and attack you"
"I You needn't fear about that" answered
Mrs Pope. To be sure IL 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 expose your
self or the baby TO any danger and IN be
back before night"
So saying, Mr.. Pope, with a 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
ISL, when that region was but little settled.
when even women understood they were in
constant peril from wild beasts. Jesse
Popes cabin stood close to the foot Of the
Kirby mountains in whose rocky Businesses
bears, catamouuts aud wolves had their in
accessible dens Bears, especially, were so
thick as to be a source of constant dread to
those who had flocks, or who had to leave
their homes unprotected while they went to
the larger settlements on necessary business.
Mrs. Pope fully understood the peril that
surrounded her during her husbands alb
sence. Her cheerful talk with her husband
was not mere bravado. She said what she
lid, much to keep her own spirits up as
TO dispel her husbands anxiety. She knew
that he must go to the mill, and there was
no way for her but to stay at home and be
IS brave as possible. She was brave
woman. Nature had endowed her with
courage, and the surroundings of early life
mad all tended TO foster aud strengthen it,
After the breakfast dishes were washed
and put away, she brought out her little
" linen wheel" and went to spinning flax
All the long forenoon her musical wheel
kept humming its pleasant tune, stopping
only now and then as its mistress either
crowed to the baby in the cradle, or looked
out to see that no wild animals were proving
about. Noon came aud went, and nothing
disturbed them. The baby in the cradle
went OFF to sleep, and she kept on with her
work After a tiuup ahn rusa aud loolraJ ,,ti
again This time she saw an astounding
sight Coming down the mountain side,
from the woods, she behed full-grown
bear, not a hundred yards distant lie was
on his way to the yard whore the sheep were
in fold, and she knew he was after the sheep
She had a gun, but that would not avail any
thing, for she had never learned to use it,
She had an axe but She knew an axe to be
a poor weapon TO fight bear with. The
next thing She thought OF was "A pitchfork.
Their few sheep were a treasure to the fam
| lily. All their winter clothing was to come
from the sheep, and now that they were
in peril, she was aroused to instant action,
The one absorbing thought Of saving the
sheep banished all sense of personal danger
Instead Of shutting herself up in the house,
She darted out and closed the door after her
lest anything should modest the baby. Then
running into the log barn, she snatched up
the pitchfork ran around the barn, and
planted herself directly in the bears path
Brandishing her pitchiork and screaming at
him, she attempted to scare him back to the
woods. But the bear was rayenous with
hunger, and he came straight down the hill
at her, showing his teeth and growing
iiercey. As he approached and sprang to-
ward her, Mrs. Pope lodged and dealt him
"A irpp rtp Of Ia e. L.
him exactly on the end of the nose. The
shock stunned the bear for an instant, and
during that instant, with almost superhu-
man strength, Mrs. Pope plunged both tines
Of the fork into the bears side, where she
supposed the heart to be. Either good for
tune or the hand Of Providence directed the
weapon, for one Of the tines passed clear
through the bears heart, aud he fell over
dead, leaving her not only victorious, but UNI
harmed. After the excitement of the con-
test was over Mrs, Pope went back to the
house, shuddering at the extremity of peril
she had been in But after time her nerv-
business passed off, and she went on with
her work again, and so the afternoon wore
away.
AT length, when the sun was about an
hour high, she saw her husband emerge
from the woods near the house She left
her spinning-wheel, and, with the baby in
her arms, met him at the door as il nothing
unusual had occurred
As he came up to the door, leading the
horse with one hand, and holding on the bag
of -four with the other, he spoke out
"Well, wife, am thankful nothing has
happened to you while | was gone. | sup. |
pose it was foolish, but couldn't help wor- |
rying all the time"
1 . g. IL u
But hitch the horse aud bring the bag in. | |
want to talk with you"
When the bag was deposited in the house.
Mrs. Pope said So you were nervous about
US then ?"
"Yes. | don't remember ever being so
nervous before in all my life
Well, husband, | was nervous, too. |
couldn't help thinking what could do if a |
bear should come down from the mountain |
after the sheep
"Why, common sense would tell you what |
to do shut the door, take care of yourself |
and baby, and let the sheep 60"
DO you think So husband ?"
"Of course | do. What else could you
have done 2"
"You will see, if you go out behind the
barn and look"
" Behind the barn What do you mean p"
81 mean what say. Go and look behind
the barn"
Mr.. Pope started out in the greatest won
der, while the wife buried her face in the
baby's apron, To smother the womanly tears
she could no longer restrain.
To his utter establishment, Mr.. Pope found
the dead bear behind the barn, with the
pitchfork sticking in his side.
When he went in and heard the whole
story from his wife, he fully realized hat
something had happened in his absence, and
that he had more reason than ever 10 be
thankful.--SL Nicholas.
On gent" What do you wear green
specs for, boy2" Bootblack-" Cos | nuts