The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1885-02-28
ADDITIONAL LOCAL NEWS.
Written for The Republican
The Lost Trap.

lie LOSI IIhps
One of the most remarkable dis
coveries or "finds." that it has ever
been my fortune to make, was that
of a "bear-trap."
1t happened on this wise:
In the early summer of 1877 / went
alone into wild, wooded mountain
region of central Pennsylvania, ga
fishing" Being at the time "dys-
peptic," abandoned by the doctors to
an early death, in turn abandoned
those sorry comforters Of our modern
social economy, and "took to the
woods" The kind of fish l wanted
were trout ; and l wanted them dliUe,
and by the thousands, for 1 had set
out to be trout farmer.
Now, it is in the widest of the
mountain retreats that these dear
-"speckled beauties" are most at home;
so to the home of their choice l fol-
lowed them.
Many miles from human abode, 1
found an empty "shanty," the tenn.
porary winter quarters of logging
crew. In this l established my "head-
quarters" here | roasted my p0ta-
toes in the ashes, and ale my buttered
bread and onions. Here, too, l slept,
sung to sleep by the murmurS of the
brook hard by, and out Of sleep some
times by the "wauing" of the Wild
cat, or the whining Of the harmless
hedgehog. 1t was lonely life, but
very good for a suffering dyspepJic.
In my quest of trout, l one day as
cended small side stream, that came
tumbIing down deeply shaded hem
lock hollow. AS was passing along
lifting the shy finnieS one by one
from their crystal haunts, and secur-
ing them in my safety bucket" my
eye suddenly fell on the crumbling
remains Of rude log "pen," small
three-sided enclosure, made of rough
blocks cut from a few old stumps
hard by.
Curious to know what such a struc-
ture could mean in such an out Of
the-way place. l went near to inves-
tigate. Presently l saw some links
of rusted chain, about like an ordi-
nary trace.chain. Getting hold OF
this, l followed it in one direction
through a space between the logs to a
stout hook driven into the root Of an
old hemlock, and in the other direc.
ton to trap" "And what in the
world" | said to myself, "dOes this
mean?' For, | saw not only great
strong trap, set as if to catch some
strong wild animal, but l saw ii root
grown over it-a root as thick as the
wrist of a child of six years, and it
held the trap fast! 80" said l, "the
catcher is caught" 1t seemed strange
i did not understand it.
In few days l was joined by an
aged man well versed IN wOOdcraft.
l told him of my find. He vas all
interest, and presently found the
place, and cutting away the root that
had Qr01Cn there since the trap aCas SCI,
he touched the pan with stout stick,
when with "click" the jaws sprung
together, biting a piece from the end
of the stick
And now, what did it mean? Some
twenty odd years before my find"
was made, and those sharp teeth bit
the stick in two, an old hunter had
been in the region, as was recalled,
trapping bear, and this was one of
his traps! The oldest settlers in the
surrounding regions remembered that
when the hunter departed the last
time for his eastern home. he had said
he would return another season, and
then perhaps recover lost trap.
The old hunter meyer came back,
and it was left to me to find the trap
he had lost. And when the trap was
found, the old hunter had moulder-
ed to dust ! Yes, though so many
years had passed, and the hunter as
well as the game he sought, had
"passed to the shades of the far-be-
yond," there was the trap, lost, rust
ed and overgrown, still ready for
work ! What time OF waiting there
was land the trap, what lesson of
patience it taught!
UNCLE JOHN.
Accident, Md, 10, 1885.
naaV. DarE