The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1879-10-09

W uhff e0ufcG Ais u* tfSetAVA. itt 0Ncl
spite 10 tho settlement.
one nigh, CREST row was beard 10
ms uBeie's pig pen. He and the boys
rushed cat with pItehiorks, gun and :
lantern. They knew what The trouble
Was, or soon found out.
A huge black bear bad broken down
the eide Of The pen hs bad seized fal
porker, aud was aetuAlly tagging him %
10 bic srm.l The pig was kiekin' and
squeAIin', bpl the bear hAd bin fast. Tie
did not seem at all iuciiued to give np bic
prey, even when attacked lie looked
sulen and ugly; bat iew iabs from q
pilchiork aud a sbo, 10 the shoulder,
convinced him that he was msking a
mistake.
lie dropped the pig, aud got away be.
fore my uncle could load mp for another
shot. The next morning they examined
bis tracks. Ii was Old Two Claws.
But what split him from being quiet
neighbor wss something that happened
about year after that.
There was rowing family OF indians
encamped near the settlement, hunting,
fishing, and making moceasins aud bas-
kets, which they traded With the whites
/ One afternoon the Red Sky Of the
Morning, wife OF the Water Snake with
the Long Tail, came over to the settle
ment with some OF their truck for sale
She lad . pappoose on her back strapped
on board; another squaw travelling
with her carrying an empty jng.
Almost within sight OF Gormsn's gre.
Gerry, Red Sky took of her papoose aud
hung It to tree. The fellows around
the store had made fun Of 1t when she
was there once before, so she preferred to
leave il in the woods rather than expose
II to the coarse jokes OF the boys. The
little thing was used TO such treatment.
Whether carried or hung up, pappoosey
never cried.
The squsws traded off their truck, and
bought, with other Injuries Of civilization
gallon OF bad wbiskey. They drank out
Of the jug,snd then looked at more goods.
Then they drank again, aud from being
shy AMI silent, as at first, they gigged
aud chatted like q couple OF silly white
girls. They spent II good deal more limo
aud money AT Gorman's than they would
IL IL hadn't been Tor the whlskey, but
finally they started to go back through
the woods.
They went clustering aud giggling to
the tree where the pappoose had been
left. Then suddenly their noise stopped
There was no psppoose there.
This discovery sobered them. They
thought at first the fellows around tho
store had played them trick by taking
II away; but by and by tho Rod Sky OF
the Morning set up shrek.
She bad found the board not lar off,
bat 90 pappoose strapped TO it, only
something that told the story of what had
happened.
There were bear tracks around the
spot. One OF the prints showed only two
claws.
The Red Sky of the Morning went
back TO the camp with the news; the
other squaw followed with the jug.
When the Water Snake with the Long
Tail heard that his pappoose had been
eaten by bear, ho felt, suppose, very
much as any other white father would |
have felt under the circumstances. He
vowed vengeance against old Two Claws
consoed himself with drink of the fire.
water before starting on the hunt.
The braves with him followed his ex-
ample. II wasn't In Indian nature to start
until they had emptied the jng, so 1t hap
pened that old Two Claws got off again.
Tipsy braves can't follow a trail worth
cent.
Not very long after that a woman in
neighboring settlement heard her child. |
ren scream one day in the woods near
the house. She rushed out, and saw a
bear actually Juggling off her youngest
child.
She was a sickly, feeble sort Of woman
but such sight was enough TO give her
The courage and strength OF a man. She
ran aud caught up sn axe. Luckily she
had big dog, aud the two went at the
bear.
The old fellow had no notion Of losing
his dinner just .or woman aud mou.
grel cur. But she struck him tremen-
dous blow on tue back at the same time |
the pup got him by the leg. He dropped
the young one to defend himself. She
caught it up and ran, leaving the tw |
beasts 60 have II out together.
Tie bear made short work OF the cur,
but instead OF following the woman and |
child, be skuIked iulo the woods.
The settlers got together for a grand |
hunt; bat Old Two Claws-for the tracks
showed be wss scoundrel--escAped into |
The mountains, Asd lived to make more
trouble another day.
Tue chiidl Oh, The child was scarcely /
hurt! II had got squeezed aud scratched |
q little in the 1ual tossle; that wAs all.
As to the bear, be was next heard OF in |
our settlement.
The hosller besltsted, winked hls one
eye with an odd expression, put fresh
quid into bic cheek, and finally resumed.
a bFolhcr-iB.law OF nay uncle, msu
by the name OF Rusb, was one day chop.
ping ia Toe woods about bAlf a mile from
bis boase, when bis wife went Out to
carry him his luncheon.
She left two children At bone, . boy
about Eve years old, aud baby just big
enough TO toddle around.