The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1879-04-19

He dropped the young one to defend
himself. She caught it up and ran, leav-
ing the two beasts to have it out
together.
i ~ The bear made short work with the
tcur, but instead of following the woman
and child, he skulked of into the
woods. aoisas..- .ar -r. %
=" The settlers got together for a 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 child7 Oh, the child was
scarcely Burtl 1t had got squeezed
and scratched little in the final tussle
that:was all. .,...,...r. ..,..:.. ID.
As to the bear, he was next heard of
in our settlement"
The hostler hesitated, winked bis one
eye with an odd expression, put fresh
quid into his cheek, and finally
resumed au .9J
" A brother-in-law of my uncle, a man
of the name of Rush, was one day chop
ping in the woods about half mile from
his house, when his wife went out to
carry him his luncheon.
"She left two children at home, boy
about five years old, and baby just big
enough to toddle around, -..a i
"The boy had often been told that if
he strayed into the woods with his
brother bear might carry them off,
and she charged him again that fore
noon not 70 90 away from the house but
Le was an enterprising little fellow, and
when the sun shone so pleasant, and the
woods looked SO inviting, he wasn't one
to be afraid of bears.
"The woman stopped to see her
husband fall big beech he was cutting,
and then went back to the house: but
| Oldest boy coming out of the woods on
the other side. He was alone. He was
white as a sheet, and 50 frightened at
first that he couldn't speak. 9H
Johnny says she, catching hold of
him, what is the matter2 .----
"' A bearl' he gasped out at last
Where is your little brotherp was
her next question. Ia. r.f,....
"'I don't know said he, too much
frightened to know anything just then.
Where did you leave him." says
| She
"Then he seemed to have gotten his
wits together little. "a bear took
him said he. gt r ri
You can guess what sort of an agony
the mother was in.
90 O Johnny, tell me true. Think !!
Where was ito .-,... .....
In the woods he said. Bear
come along,-l run 1"i
" She 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 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 terrible situation for poor
woman. Whether to follow the bear
and try to recover her child, or go at
once for her husband, or alarm the
neigh bors,, what to do with Johnny
meanwhile, AL 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
after her, to where her husband was
chopping.
"Well," continued the one-eyed
hostler, g ! needn't try to describe what
followed. They went back to the house,
and Rush took his rife 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 wildfre through
the settlement. Imam hour half a-dozen
men with their dogs were on the track
with Rush. 1t was so much trouble for
him to follow 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 follow scent, had his back
broken by a stroke of his paw. After
that it was almost impossible to track
him, and one after another the hunter.
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 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 as he was crossing 6
stream. He had good shot at him a.
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 hunter, haggard, his
clothes all in tatters, found his way to 8
backwoodsman's hut over in Whites
Valley. 1t was Rush. He told his
story in few words as he rested on 6
stool. He had found no traces of his
child, but he had killed the bear. II
was Old Two Claws He had left him
on the hills, and came 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 mex
day, gun in hand, with the bear-skir
strapped ON his back,-the carcass had
been given to his friend the backwoods
man,-he started to return by an easier
way through the woods.
cit was sad revenge he had had, bur
there was a grim sort of satisfaction ir
Juggling home the hide OF the terrible
Old Two Claws.
As he came in sight of his log house
out ran bis wife to meet him, with
what do you suppose little Johnny
dragging at her skirts, and the lost chile
60 he