Sharp County record., 1885-04-02

canon at the marvellous scene, Wncn
heard little Nellie, whom | had forgot
ten for few minutes, call out:
"Oh, what a bid pussy! Unkie John!
Unkie John, see the bid pusSy-tat!
II looked around, and there, Just
above the trail, and not the length OF
this log from the sled, stood the hneSt
specimen of mountain lion | think l
ever saw. Twas queer, but at tlrst
sight, | didn't feel a bit afraid -
in fact, hardly surprised, at seeing him
there. am not poet, as you Know
but was so near to one that morning
that l really think had forgotten for
the moment that there was any such
thing as danger or death on earth.
"As looked at him, my first thought,
derived, l suppose, by an association OF
ideas from the hymn which had been
running through my head, was;
"'Leonem de tribW J~de.
"He was so stately and massiTe, so
dignified and-I can't find any word to
express his look but magnanimous-
that for moment | felt nothing but a
kind of wondering admiration.
"Then, in flash, | woke up. There
was that blessed baby, holding out her
little hands and calling: Pussy, pussy!
pity pussy! come an pay wiz Nellie;
Come to Nellie, pussy; Nellie love 90.
And there, not ten yards away, facing
her. was that yellow brute, a cruel,
savage, greedy beast, who might the
next second-ugh! it makes me shiver
now to remember it. And to think
that l was as powerless to help or pro-
tect her as she was herseit-that the
slightest move on my part would prob
ably only hasten the tragedy:
80 we stood there, how long L don t
know, Nellie coaxing and pleading, her
eyes sparkling, her black curls dancing,
her rosy cheeks glowing, and her little
mittened hands outspread to the grim
beast that stood, with head turned a
LITTLE to one side, watching her steadily,
and as motionless as if carved out OF
rock.
II don't know whetherit it was instinct
or desperation that at last made me
step slowly backward, pulling the sled
after me- Foot by foot the distance
widened, the great cat keeping his yel-
low unwinking eyes on Nellie, as she
slowly turned her head to keep him in
sight. l think we might have left him
there, if she, despairlng of his coming
to her, had not turned to me and cried:
"Unkie John, Please let Nellie get
out and pay wiz her bid pussy-tat!
This seemed to break the spell which
had held him, for he stepped slowly
down into the trail and followed. us.
Backwards | went, drawing the sled
with my left hand, and keeping my
right on the butt of my revolver, ready
to fire if the worst came to the worst,
and he crouched for spring.
IF any of you want the hardest job
YOU have ever had, just try walking
backwards up a steep, icy trail, on
twelve-foot Norwegian snow-shoes, not
turning your head to see where you are
going. | didn't dare turn around, nor
take my eyes off the tawny beast that
was following us. Every now and then
he would stop and rub himself against
tree, arching his back. and purring in
a deep, mlflied bass, just like com
mon house-cat only hundred times
as loud. Then he would turn out from
the trail, quicken his pace a little, and
for hundred yards or SO, walk abreast
of the sled, then drop to the rear, cross
to the other side, and do the same thing
there; and then saunter lazily on be-
hind again.
after the first five or ten minutes, |
lost good deal of my fear of him, he
seemed so peaceable and good-natured;
but / didn't know what minute his
temper might change, At last, saw
q break in the trees ahead, and knew
we were coming to timber line. In
few minutes we were out in the open
pass, within quarter of a mile of the
divide.
Gas we drew away from the woods,
our self-appointed attendant seemed to
conclude that he had escorted us as far
as poiteness demanded, for he stopped
and watched us as we climbed away
from hlm; ana, just as we reacIeu Ille
crest, he opened his great red mouth,
and let out one of the most diabolic
vowls l ever heard, by way of a parting
salute.
"The next minute | was over the
ridge, out of his sight, had snatched
Nellie Ost Of the sled, turned around,
let myself 90, and was off down thai
mountain like a shot out of gun. l
thought I'd rather risk a broken neck
than have any more of such company as
we had had for the last half-hour.
1--WE done a good deal of snow
shoeing, and have made pretty fast
time, but that trip down Grassy Hill
beat the record. 'Twould have made
streak of Gila lightning hump itself to
have caught us.
"You know that double mule SHOE
~ l j.. 70