The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1888-11-22

way In which the girl ran toward the
edge of the canyon old Hank was sure
she either didn't know it was there or
was so frightened that she had forgot
ten it. Instinctively he called out:
''Iook out thar, Peet!' the name by
which the girl was known to him.
1t was too late. The girl did try to
check her speed or to turn to one side,
Hank could not be certain which. He
saw her cast glance over her
shoulder, catch glimpse of the great,
angry beast behind her, whose blood
red eyes looked death at her, and
whose hot breath blew out threads of
thick spume that almost reached her.
She was then but a step from the edge
of the precipice. With q gesture of
despair the girl threw up her arms as
she plunged forward, and leaping
high into the air, she cleared the
brink and disappeared into the yawn-
ing depths OF the dark canyon with a
wild shrek that fairly made the
hunters blood run thick with cold
horror. He was near enough to hear
her body strike and break the limbs of
tree whose top was just visible from
where he stood, and then 60, humping
and rolling down the rocky, almost
perpendicular side of the canyon.
The whole thing was begun and over
so quickly, and was 80 entirely I'M
expected and out of the common, that
| old Hank stood motiOnless for a few
seconds. during which time the bear
had halted by bracing on his launches
and fairly scooting along on the moss
covered rock. stopping at the brink
and looking stupidity over at the abyss
that had cheated it out of its prey.
just behind the bear came two cubs
waddling along comically enough,
every now and then making the funny
little yelp that had at first been heard.
The sight of them recalled the old man
to himself. Up went his rifle, and he
was just pulling the trigger when he
remembered that if he shot the bear
the carcass must fall over into the
canyon and be lost. With muttered
curse, for the sight of poor Papita's
death had made him bloodthirsty, he
lowered the gun, to await the moment
when the bear should turn around.
just then occurred one of those I'M
expected things for which neither man
nor bear is ever prepared.~A mountain
| oak grew near where the bear stood
and little back from the precipice. A
great limb stretched out toward the
canyon, and from it descended by a
tremendous spring long, dark animal,
1.-the and sinewy, which lit full upon
the shoulders of the unconscious bear
| with a thud. The shock was a heavy
one, and the result must have been al
most as great q surprise to the big
mountain ion-for such the newcomer
was-as to the bear. The impetus car
ried both animals over the brink, and
at nearly the exact spot where the girl
had disappeared few seconds before.
An instant later the sounds of terri
BILE conflict rose from the depths into
which they had plunged, mingled with
the hoarse growls of the bear and the
wild, ear-piercing cries of the noun
tain lion.
Hank ran to the spot and peered
over. AS he did so the cubs skunk
| away into the bushes, and for once the
veteran hunter didn't so much as look
| after pair of fine young bears. What
he saw below him he can best tell him
self: II never seed such sight N my
born days, ner heerd SIGH a growlin',
I/nV rv1 ala 49,
scratchin'; y see, tn varmints he'd
struck tn sidelin' trunk Nv a tree what
| growed piece below, m it kinder
throwed 'em catawumpus like back
lords tn hill, 'stid O. down into the
canyon, m they'd lit in sorter little
fiat spot atween tn tree m the hill m
got wedged in thar, both fat on Their
sides n so clost tergether they cudn't
! git out noways-jess like packed in a
box.
"Neither one had emmy advantage,
N neither one cud git out, so they staid
thar'n fit. An SIGH ftin'! tn bar
tried t. hug N cudn't git ahold. He'd t.
lite, n tn lion KEEP up SIGH motion it
uz discouragin' t. try. Tn lion KEEP it's
hind claus agoin' like creased lightin',
n every rake went through n fetched
blood N gently more or less meat.
Course it didn't take long t. git It the
bars inside fx'ns ct tibet rate. N all
this time tn two KEEP up tn most
owdacious howlins y ever heerd
Reckin tn old mountin never heerd tn
like afore. How long 1 watched tibet
fight l dom no; mought err ben ten
minits; mought er ben two hours.
Seemed like cudn't keep my eyes often
'em nohow. Finally tn lion managed
t. squirm roun' some n kinder git on
top. Then seed tn fun w most over
He jess nachully ripped up tn bars
belly n mighty soon he'd it bout
empty. Thet ended tn fight. But tn
bar w no SLOUGH. Time tn lion uz got
80 fer along tn bar gifts hold on his
nose N holds on like grim death, N
J gifts his paws roun' Ah' lions neck. n
hugs fer all he's worth. AFTER while
tn bar laid still n jess kicked once n
awhile, but didn't let go neither hold.
The lion tried N tried, but couldn't git
loose. Then kinder KEN t. my senses
n put bullet in tn lion. He Civ one
screech bigger'n I'd heerd n Civ last
kick.
"Then l begun ter scratch my head
bout how I w ter git thar carcasses
out O. thar. They w down bout fifty
feet or more, n no gitten' 'em up tibet
steep wall. Then thought L hev ter
go down inter the canyon, ennyhow,
arter tn body o tibet pore Injun gal,
little Peet, n mebby I'd find q bit o.
life in her yit N cud tell tn old folks
sumthin' more cheerin' then tibet last
jump into eternity o hers; when. Lord
bless me, whadyer spose happenedP
Thet blamed little Peet herself poked
her frowzy head from ahind a rock