Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1879-04-23
Another Bear Story.

Golden Rule tells another thrilling bear
story, the substance of which we copy
below
Wal, twas nearly fifty years ago when
Elial Parmelee built his one-story log house
right out here by the corner of the road
| that leads to Cornish. Elial was as curious
sort Of Teller as ever lived. lie was shoe
maker, harness-maker, carpenter, mason and
tailor. A regular Observation-Disclosures !" and
what was little remarkable, he was good at
all of 'em. His wife was as true a help.
meet as ever man had in this world. She
was spinner and weaver, and a master
hand to knit; and when you come to max
ing bean porridge she hadn't her equal in
Claremont. She used to pick berries of all
kinds in their season, and always took the
baby-as they call the youngest of brood
with her.
One time she got interested in picking
raspberries they were so thick, and had
strayed a leetle further away from the boy
than she expected All at once she hap
pened to think of her darling, and leaving
the bushes-fairly red with berries, she
hurried back to where she left the baby,
and, horrible to tell, he was gone Wild IN
her anxiety, she ran hither and yon, scream
ing for her child. She looked in every place
|
crawled under bushes, around rocks and
stumps, and, pale and faint, staggered home
with the awful news. Elial started, and his
wife followed as fast as she could, but no
boy or traces of him could they find, save
the little white cap his mother had made for
him few days before.
Nobody can tell the feelings of that father
aud mother unless they have been placed in
similar circumstances. After they had tired
themselves all out in their search they sat
down, broken-hearted, in the place where
the baby was left, and tried to think of
every possible chance that could befall the
child. All at once Elial started up with:
"1ll bet my life bear has carried off that
boy"
"Oh no." says the MOTHER "dont say
thatl"
"Yes; believe it. have heard of such
things; and probably she-bear found the
baby asleep and has carried it to her den
Of course You heard no cutlery ?"
"None; and it may be that she will not
harm the boy In heavens name, what can
be done ?"
"Well," says Elia after thinking for
little, it may be that we can save him if
we can find the bears wnereabout.'
No sooner came they to this conclusion
than home they ran to notify their neigh
bors. The news that bear had carried off
one of the Parmelee children went like wild
fire among the inhabitants, and within an
hour fifty men and half that number of boys,
with rifles, shot-guns, axes, iron bars, any
thing they could lay their hands on that
would kill, or help kill a bear, were mus
tered and ready for the hunt and fight. 1t
had got along well into the afternoon, and
it was nigh four o'clock before they started.
Mrs. Parmelee went to the place where the
darling was left, and we began to look
around for tracks. Between the bushes the
grass was soft and mighty poor for tracking
anything; but Elial found broken twig,
and we judged from the way it was leaning
that she had started towards the place known
then and now as Barnes Swamp" 1t has
been cleared ever so much since then, and
thousands of great pines cut off all around
it but you know to-day it is about the
ugliest hole in town. She had taken a
roundabout course, and struck in on the
north side of the swamp; but we had sur
rounded it, and my brother Bill was the
first to find her tracks as she left spring
where she had probably stopped to drink.
They were big ones-nearly as long as a
mans footprints, and two rods from the
muddy spring not sign of them was to be
found No one had seen the bear. No one
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tnihg aho.her something dihereht, Zen
minutes went py before anythihg was ue'
ciueu on Elai 8 voice rose ABOVE 'he rest
, ana we stopped ana neaLu MN ne says