The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1889-05-01

quickened: Chris seized this half minute of
opportunity to Chamber up small tree, one
hardly large enough to bear his weight. and
barely high enough to be out of the angry
beasts reach, but the only one he had time
to gain.
He reached it none too soon already tired
with his long run, his fight had quite ex-
hausted him, and his shoulder was so painful
as TO render his arm almost useless. Indeed,
as the hours went by, so great was his weari-
ness, that in spite of danger. in spite of the
VOLTS angry noise. he feared he would fall
asleep and out of the tree.
A pioneer boy is likely to be provided
against emergencies; his capacious pockets
are rarely without hard biscuit, strings,
flints or matches, straps and such necessaries.
Chris tied himself to the tree with piece of
a small rope, and then munched his biscuit,
straining his ears for the sound of his fathers
voice.
But absolute stiffness reigned, except when
Lance would rush at his captlve's perch with
fierce short barks, and in the utter darkness
only two fierce eyeballs were to be seen, now
on this side Of the tree, now on that Chris
seemed to himself to be in some horrible
dream; and he felt that it might be possible
for him to lose his senses. to become crazy, If
stiffness and darkness pressed upon him
much longer.
But hour after hour dragged along. full
| OF torture to the boy, weary, suffering and
hungry, and still the animal gave no signs of
becoming pacifed; on the contrary he seemed
to lash himselfu up from time to time to greater
fury. Chris several times dozed off into for
getfullness, but the return to q consciousness
| Of his situation was so hateful to him, that
he fought with himself to keep awake. He
considered the possibility of getting down
and attacking Lance with his open knife,
but his experience of the VOLTS strength,
| agility and ferceness left him no hope of
being able to overcome him. Gradually the
darkness grew less heavy; Chris could not
see the horizon for the dense forest about
him; but he knew the day was breaking.
| Surely they would search for him; they
might be near him now, and with this
thought he raised feeble shout. But he
found that he need not waste his strength by
trying to send his voice abroad, for the least
noise or movement from him would set Lance
| to barking furiously, and these long bowls
Chris knew would penetrate much farther
than his voice.
And so it happened: by the time the first
sun-rays of the new day had penetrated the
forest. several men approached poor Chris
topher's prison, drawn to the spot by the
VOLTS bark. The animal showed brave signs
of fight, but recognizing his old master, his
mood at once changed, he became gentle
and submissive. and lay down at Mason's
| feet
Father, father" cried Chris, bursting
into tears, don't kill him, it was my fault, 1
struck him with my stickl" and then the
| exhausted boy tainted away from any con-
seriousness of the scene. Fortunately the
| rope saved him from falling; and when his
senses came back he was in his fathers
arms.
But Lance lay dead on the ground.
Since all this happened, railroad has
| pushed its track through that forest, and a
large town has grown there; and in one of
| its homes family of merry children-Chris-
| topher's children-have for their dearest
| plaything the stuffed skin of Lance, the
| wolf.