The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1879-06-06
PA. FRIDAY, JUNE &, 1875

'Sle caught hlm up and hurried with
hlm INTO the woods. She begged him to
show her where he was with his little
brother when the bear came along. He
pointed out two or three places. In one
of them the earth was soft There were
/ fresh tracks crossing it-bear tracks,
/ There was no doubt about it.
1T was a terrible situation for a DOOR
woman. Whether to follow the beara
try to recover the child. or go at oncefor
her husband. or alarm the neighbOrS !;
what TO do with Johnny meanwhile-all
that would have been hard enough for
her to decide. even if she had had her
wits about her
'-She hardly knew what she did. but
just followed her instinct. and ran with
Johnny in her arms or dragging him af-
ter her. to where her husband was chop
ping.
"Well,' continued the one-eyed hos
tier. i needn't try to describe what
followed. They went back to the house
and Rush took his rifle and started
on the track of the bear, vowng that he
would not come back without either the
child or the bears hide.
The news went like wildfre through
the settlement. In an hour half a dozen
men, with their dogs, We're on the track
with Rush. 1t was so much trouble for
him to follow the trail that thev soon
overlook him, with the help of the dogs.
But in spite of them the beargot into
the mountains. Two of the dogs came
up with him. and one, the only one that
could follow a scent. had his back broken
by a stroke of his paw After that it
was almost impossible TO track him. and
one after another of the hunters gave up
and returned home.
At last RuSb WIS loft oIoDa b7,f
nothing could induce him to turn back.
He shot some small game in the noun
tains, which he cooked for his supper.
slept on the ground and started on the
trail again in the morning.
Along in the forenoon he came in
sight of the bear us he was crossing a
stream. He had a good shot at himas he
was climbing the bank on the other side.
The bear kept on, but it was easier
tracking him after that by his blood.
That evening a hunter, haggard, his
clothes all in tatterS, found his way to a
backwoOdSman's hut over in Whites
valley. 1t was Rush. lie told his story
in a few words as he rested on a stool.
He had found no traces of his child. but
he had killed the bear. Itwas Old Two .
Claws. He had left him on the hills. .
and come to the settlement for help.
The hunt had taken him round .
about course, and he was then not more
than seven miles from home. The next .
day, gun i'll hand, with the bear skin
to his back-the carcass had .
been given to his friend the backwoods- /.
started to return by an easier .
way through the woods.
1t was a sad revenge he had had but .
there was a grim sort of satisfaction in 7.
Juggling home the hide Of Old Two Claws .
Al % L..
out ran his wifetomeet him, with-what .
do you suppose little Johnny dragging .
at her skirts, and the lost child in her .
arms.
Then, for the first time, the man
dropped, but he didn't get down any
further than his knees. lie clWg to his
wife and baby and thanked God for the .
But it wasn't much of miracle,
after all.
Little Johnny had been playing
around the door, and lost sight of the
baby-and had maybe forgottenalI about I.
him-when he strayed into the woods
and saw the bear. Then he remembered .
all that he had heard of the danger of
being carried off ami eaten, and ofcourse .
he had a terrible fright When asked
about his little brother. he didn't know
anything about him, and l suppose really T,
imagined That the bear had got him.
''BUt the baby had crawled into Il snug
place under the side of the rain trough, +.
and there ne was. fast asleep. all the +.
while. Then he woke up two or three /.
hours after and the mother heard him cry: /.
her husband was far away on the hunt.
.'True-this story I've told you - ad- +.
ded the One-eyed hostler. as some one F.
questioned him. Every word of it -
But your name is Rush, isn't it - l
said.
The one eye twinzled humoroUsly.
My name IS Rush. My mcle's
brOther-in-law was my own father. =
And YOU - exclaimed a bystander.
Il. " said the onc-eyed hostleT, ''am
the very man who wan't eaten by the
bear when | was a baby -. T. TROw-
BRIDGE, ia Io,ti'S CoDpnajoa.