The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1879-06-26
49,. A Bear Story. .sa.

Wal, twas nearly fifty years ago when
Elial Parmelce built his one-story log house
right out here by the corner Of the road that
leads to Cornish. Elial was as curious a
sort of fcllcr as ever lived. He was shoe
maker, harness maker, carpenter, mason
and tailor. Irregular "Jacll of all trades"
and what was little remarkable he was
good at all of 'em. His wife was rs true II
helpmcet as ever a man had in this world
She was spinner and weaver, and Il mas
ter hand to knit; and when you come to
make bean porridge she hadn't her equal in
Caremont. She used to pick berries of
all kinds in their season. and always took
the baby-as they called the youngest of a
brood-with her.
One time she got interested in picking
raspberries, they were so thick, and had
strayed lcctlc further away from the boy
than she expected All at once she thought
of her darling, and leaving the bushes fair
ly red with berries, she hurried back to
where she left the baby, and, horrible to
ran hither and yOn, screaming for her child
She looked i'll every place where it seemed
possible for him to go; she crawlcd under
bushes, around stocks and stumps, and pale
and faint, staggered home with the awful
news. Elul started, and his wife followed
as fast rs 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
and 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 of every posi-
bic chance that could bcfall tlIe child. All
at once Elial started up with:
'I'll bet my life a bear has carried off
that boy
"Ohl no." says the mother, "don't say
that |"
eyes; believe it. have heard of such
things; and probably shc-bcar found the
baby asleen and has carried it to her den.
Of course } Ill heard no outcry5"
"None; and 1t may be that she will not
harm the boy. In heavens name what can
be done2"
SWELL, said Elial, after thinking for
little, 'it may be that we can save lin, If
we can find tho bears whereabout."
No sooner came they to this conclusion
than they ran to notify their ncighbors.
The news that bear had carried off one of
the Parmelec children went like wild-fre
among the Inhabitants and within an hour
fifty men and half that number of boys,
rifles, shot-gums, 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 well along into the afternoon, and
1t was nigh four o'clock beforcthcy started.
Mrs. Parmelee went to the place where the
darling was left, and we began to hunt for
tracks. Between the bushes the grass was
soft and mighty poor for tracking anything
but Elial found q broken twig, and we
judged from the way it was leaning that
she had started toward the place known then
and now as "Barnes' Swamp" 1t has been
cleared ever 80 much since then, and thou
sands of great pines cut off oil around 1t
but you know to-day 1t is the ugliest hole
in town, about. She had taken round
about course, and struck in on the north
side of the swamp; but we had surrounded
it, and my brother Bill was the first to find
her tracks as she loft spring where she had
probably stopped to drink. They were big
ones nearly as long as aman's footprints,
and two rods from the muddy spring not a
sight of them was to be found. No one