Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1875-09-18
TWO BRAVE CHILDREN.

them; but my yarn only concerns the
two younger of the lot. Last Sunday
the little one, Jenny, girl of six orsev-
en- years, made her appearance in her
mothers room and demanded permission
to go out deer hunting with her broth
err. Claude is twelve years old, and
killed deer about the size of buck
rabbit one day last week, since when he
can't rest moment in the daytime and
scarcely sleep at night. 1t was ten
o'clock when the children started, tax
ing dog with them. The mother
thought no more of them until dinner
time in the evening. Then she became
alarmed. Night approaching, she was
half wild. All hands, consisting of ten
or twelve miners, started out, some on
horseback and some on foot. Night
came; darkness settled down on the
Valley with quiet that seemed like
death. The mother became frantic.
She heard an occasional gun fired off
and knew that it was the doctor and
men in pursuit of the lost children.
She could not remain in the house an
other moment She took the direction
Of the guns report, as well as she could,
and started after the crowd. 1t was
midnight when she came up to them.
There was scarcely half garment Of
any kind on her body. She seemed to
have passed through dozen deaths,-
all but the dying. From the time she
joined her husband and the other men
she led the crowd until, about three
o'clock, in the morning, they heard a
dog bark, and in another moment were
with the children, who were instantly
awakened by the noise. Then it was,
"How'dc do mammal and "How'de do,
pappa?' and CANT this splendid tree
to keep house under?" eve had to
fight for it, though" said Claude. "See
here-we had to kill the first settler"
and sure enough there lay
A CALIFORNIA LION,
one of the largest size, with ball
through his brain. Claude had shot
him after dark. They had been lost,
but the boy imagined he had struck
the home trail and kept running on I'M
til he had met the lion and shot him.
Jenny says he was crouched down like
| a cat and not further away than across
the room when they shot. He sprang
right into the air and tumbled at their
very feet. Before starting from the
| house one of the men had put some bis
cults in his pocket, thinking the children
would be hungry, and these he offered
them. "No thank you" said Jenny,
"we had quails for supper" They had
taken matches and Claude had shot the
quails; these they had roasted on a stick,
and of course they were not hungry.
1t was an elder sister of these two
plucky youngsters who was out on
horseback in very wild tract of coun-
try. She was about twelve years old
at that time, and had been hunting
stock. All at once she saw pair OF
bright eyes looking at her from tuft of
tall grass. ."lm going to see what you
are, anyhow" she said. She got down
from her horse, and soon found that
the eyes belonged TO
F'TuE rREr1TssT LITTLE DARLING SIZE
EVER SAN.
There we've more of them, but che
captured one specimen and climbed
back to her saddle. She had lot gone
a halfmile before she heard something
Looping behind her. She turned around
and saw lion. She put her horse to
his best speed and almost flew, she says,
but the horrid thing gained on her.
"Of course, | knew what she wanted"
said the child, shut / didn't intend TO
humor her selfshness. l didn't take
bat one, and I left her two, and that's
as generous as any one need be. But
she couldn't seem to see it. Anyhow she
lust flew after US and old Phil-talk
about his being fast hosre-I wanted
to break his neck. The lion gained on
us at every step, till at last ] took her
baby and threw it at her. Now take
it and leave, you stingy old thing, |
said; and she did. she just grabbed him
up in her mouth and put off, and came
home" The mother says that nothing
would give her more comfort than 10
know that her children were all afraid
of their own shadows : but they have
never shown particle of cowardice in
their lives. nor their father before them.