The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1879-10-31
1.-THE braves with him followed his example.

lOllOW lTall WOrLn cent.
mot very long after that woman in 6
neighboring settlement heard children scream
one day in the woods near the house. Sh,
rushed out and actually saw bear Juggling
off her youngest
"She was sickly, feeble sort of woman
but such sight was enough to give her the
strength and courage of q man. She ran ant
caught up an axe. Luckily she had a big dog
The two went mt the bear
The old fellow had no notion of losing his
dinner just for Il woman and mongrel cur
But she struck him tremendous blow on the
back; at the same time the pup got him by
the leg. lie dropped the young one to defend
himself She caught it up and ran, leaving
the two beasts to have it out together
1.-The bear made short work with the cur
but instead of following the woman and child
he sltulkcd off into the woods.
"The settlers got together for grand hunt
but old Two Claws-for the tracks showed
that he was the scoundrel-escaped into the
mountains and lived to make more trouble
another day.
"The child? Oh, the child was scarcely
hurt. 1t had got squeezed and scratched a
little in the tussle that was ALL
CAS- to the BEAR he was next heard ofin our
settlement
The hostler hesitated winked his one eye
with an odd expression, put fresh quid into
his cheek, and finally resumed
"a brother-in-law of my uncle, man of
the name of Rush, was one day chopping in
the woods about half mile from his house,
when his wife went out to carry him his lun-
chcon.
"She left two children at home, a boy about
years old, and baby just big enough to
toddle around.
"The boy had often been told that if he
strayed into the woods with his brother a
bear might carry them off, and she charged
him again that forenoon not to go away from
the house; but he was an enterprising little
fellow, and when the sun shone so pleasant and
the woods looked so inviting he wasn't to be
afraid of bears.
"The woman stopped to see her husband
fell big beech he was cutting, and then went
back to the house; but just before she got
there she saw the oldest boy coming out of
the woods on the other side. He was alone.
He was white as sheet, and so frightened at
first that he couldn't speak
"Johnny,' said she catching hold of him,
"what is the matter?"
"A bearP he gasped out at last.
"'Where is your little brothers? was the
next question.
"'I don't KNOW said he too much fright
cned to know anything then.
"'Where did you leave your brother?' said
she.
"Then he seemed to have gotten his wits
together little "A bear took him ? said
he.
you can guess what sort Of an agony the
mother was in.
"'Oh, Johnny, tell me true! Think =
Where was ii ~
"'In the woods, he said. Bear come along
i run
"Shc caught him up, and hurried with him
into the woods She begged him to show her
where he was with his little brother when the
three places. In one of them the earth was
soft. There were fresh tracks crossing it
bear tracks. There was no doubt about it,
ut was n terrible situation for poor wo-
man. Whether to follow the bear and try to
recover her child, or go at once for her hus-
band, 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
her wits about her.
"She hardly knew what she did, but Just fol-
lowed her instinct and ran with Johnny in
her arms, or dragging him after her, to where
her husband was chOpping.
"Well," continued the one-eyed hostler, 81
needn't try to describe what followed They
rifle and started on the track of the bear,
vowing that he would not come back without
either the child or the bears hide.
"The news went like wildtire through the
settlement. In an hour and q half a dozen
men with their dogs were on the track with
Rush. 1t was so much trouble for him to fol-
low the trail that they soon overlook him,
with the help of the dogs.
"But in spite of them the bear got into the
mountains. Two of the dogs came up with
him, and one the only one that could carry
the trail, had his back broken by stroke
of his paw After that it was almost impossi-
BILE to track him and one after another the hun
tiers gave up and returned home
"At last Rush was left alone but nothing
could induce him to turn back. He shot some
small game in the mountains, which he cook
ed 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 as he was crossing q stream.
ale had good shot at him rs he was climb
ing the bank on the other side.
"The bear kept on, but it was easier track
ing after that by his blood.
THAT evening hunter, haggard, his
clothes all in tatters, found his way to back
woodsman's hut over in Whites valley. 1t
was Rush. He told his story in a few words
as he rested on u stool lie had found no
traces of his child, but he had killed the bear.
1t was old Two Claws. He had left him ON
the hills, and come to the settlement for help.
"Thc hunt had taken him q roundabout
course, and he was then not more than seven
miles from home The next day, gun in
hand with the bearskin strapped to his back
the carcass had been given to his friend,
the backwoodsman-he started to return by
nm pasipr WaV thrOurh the woods
at was sad revenge he had had, but there
was q grim sort of satisfaction in Juggling
home the hide of old Two Claws.
Gas he came in sight of his log house out
ran his wife to meet 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. He chung to his wife and baby and
thanked God for the miracle.
"But it wasn't much of miracle after all
Little Johnny had been playing around
the door, and lost sight of the baby-and
strayed into the woods and saw the bear
Then he remembered all that he had heard OF
the danger of being carried off and eaten, and
of course he had terrible fright. When
asked about his little brother he didn't know
| anything about him, and / suppose really
| imagined that the bear had got him.
"But the baby had crawled into n snug
| place under the side of the rain-trough anC
there he was, fast asleep all the while. Wher
| he woke up two or three hours after, and the
mother heard him cry; her husband was fal
away on the hunt.
"True-this story Pve told you ?" added til,
one-eyed hoster, rs some one questioned him
Every word oft"
"But your name is Rush, isn't it?'
said
The one eye twinkled humorously
"My name is Rush. My uncles brother
in-law was my own fathcr"5'
| "And you ?" exclaimed bystander.
81" said the one-eyed hostler, "am the yer,
man who warn't eaten by the bear when