The National tribune., 1881-10-22
THE BEARS DEN.

BY Lucy Randall Comfort in Golden Days.
Little Katrina was crying her heart out In
vain her pet doll Geraldine, smiled at her from
the windOw-seat- cOrncOb, covered with cotton
cloth, with face and eyes marked out with a
backing bottle, and dress manufactured of pink
calicO-in vain the kitten ran in and out among
the chairs with its ball of knitting yarn, and the
puppy challenged her to game of play with a
tattered mtten-she could only hide her face in
her mothers lap and sob afresh at every new
effort that was made to console her; for Snow
flake, her pet lamb, was dead-carried off in the
dead of night by bear.
Don't cry. child sOOthed her mother Ell
ask your father TO give you a new one out of the
flock"
But it won't be Snowflake" walled Katrina,
and then she wept more pitteously than ever
Little Snowflake. that ate out of my hand, and
always came running at the sound of my voice .
Oh, dear oh, dear! He never will run any
more"
Josey, the farm lad, sat on the steps listening
as he whitfield away at a wooden gate-pin, and
waited for Betsey to prepare the pitcher of ice
cold molasses and ginger and water, which he
was to carry to the thirsty hay-makers in the
field
a declare it's too bad" said he. That
makes the fourth sheep that Mr. Keller has lost
out of his flock in a MONTH"
Why don't they hunt that bear up to his den
in the rocks" cried Betsey, and shoot him?
say for it, if was man wouldn't sit coOlIy
down and see my living stole away from me in
that way"
They've tried il again and again" said JOsey,
Il and they can't find him. Old OpOdeldOc saw
him once in the burberry pasture, but he was
gone before he could get his gun"
Old OpOdeldOc, be it known, was an Indian,
who picked up his living around the neighbor-
hood, no one knew exactly how, and who was
generally known by this nickname rather than
by his own proper appellatiOn of Samuel
Rogers"
"Old OpOdeldOc indeed" said Betsey as she
handed the cool, dripping pitcher to JOsey. "a
whole menagerie full of bears could get away
before that lazy old Indian could catch 'em!"
"OpOdeldoc is a very good hHnter,' said JOsey.
Perhaps he may be-" said Betsey. Il know
he amt much of a hand to aCOrk, though, for the
day he cut kindlingS here he sat in the sunshine
half the time, with his elbows on his knees and
his chin in his hands, doing nothing"
And all this time little Katrina kept on wiping
her eyes and thinking of poor little Snowflake,
who had fallen helpless prey to the cruel old
bear
"Why don't they shoot that bear?" said she,
piteously to her mother; "or set trap for him,
or something?"
The neighbors all met at Mr.. Danks's farm
house the next evening to talk the question over,
for the depredations of Bruin were becoming in
tolerable.
"It's the queerest thing 1 ever heard Of" said
Mr. banks. who sat with his chair. tipped back
against the wall and an old pipe in his mouth.
1.-The critters keep disappearing like all creation,
and there's the tracks of the bar, and yet nobody
never sees the bari"
"Old OpodeIdoc has seen him." said Josey, who
had contrived to elbow himself among the grown
people
"Why in all creation didn't he fire at him
then ?" demanded banks.
"He didn't have his gun with him" said Josey
"He-
well, see him OF not see him, said Mr. Jacks
lev. "the creature must be tracked out and killed
in some way"
give lost four fine, fat sheep already" said Mr.
Keller
"And / have missed young calf" said John
Hale, who lived near by.
The neighbors discussed the question, and f.
naly decided to take turns in sitting up all night
and watching, and Josey, to his infinite delight
was assigned one of the nights to 60 on guard.
For ten nights they tried the experiment, but
in vain. The sheep nestled unmolested in theil
pen, the young calves were undisturbed under
the sheds. But as soon as the watch relaxed, the
depredatiOns became as fierce as ever.
=" 1t does beat all, said farmer Keller, when, one
morning he came out and viewed his flock, hud
died painting in corner. "The very lamb gone
that poor little Katrina selected for her cosset in
Snowfakes place I'd sooner have lost any two
Others The child will fret herself to death