The Press., 1889-09-19
BABY OR PIG MEAT.

''The other night" said Stranion, ''.when you fellows were oR at the outlet spearing whitefsh, was thinking over the various ad- ventures which have befalleR me in my deyo- tion to birch and paddle. It surprises me to find what a lot of scrapes I've got into with the partners. The brutes seam to fairly haunt me. Of course, fellows that go every year into the Squatook woods are bound to have adventures, more or less. You maybe get cornered by an old bull moose, or have close shave with some excited bear, oF strike an unusually ugly lynx, OF get spilled out of the canoe when you're trying to run Toledo falls, but in my case it Is panther every tima Wherever go in the woods there is sure to be one of these creatures sneaking around. declare, 1t makes me quite uneasy to thtnksof 1t. though I've always got the best of them so far. I'll bet you trout there ara one or two spotting me now from those black thtckets on the mountain, and one of thesa days, if don't look sharp, they'll be getting even with me for all the members Of their family that have cut of in their sinss r.
 "Oh, you go alongl" exclaimed Sam. "You're getting sentimental. lean tell you, have killed more trout than you have pan, thers and there's no old patriarch of a trout going to get even with mel" *-
 The speakers were lying about the camp fire at the foot of the 'Big squatook" lake, in Ontario. There were four of us in the party, and we were in the genial mood which comes after good days sport and savory supper.
 The night was still, and we we're waiting for story to go to sleep by. Sams practical remarks went unheeded, and in few mo- ments Stranion resumed: s.
 "You see, boys, the beasts began to haunt me in my very cradle, so to speak. Did any of you ever hear mother tell that storyrs
 II haver' ejaculated Willis Butler; but Sam and hastened to declare our ignorance.
 Every well," said Stranion. willis shall see that stick to the facts" 4
 "Oh, boys, I've heavy contract on hand, then," replied Willis
 But Stanion blandly ignored him, and con tinued:
 the mouth of the Keswick river. That's historic ediaoe for youi Therein was born. There were more trees round it then than now.
 "At the mature age of 10 months moved away from that neighborhood, but not before the Indian devil. as the panther Is called in that region, had found me out and marked me as foreordained antagonist.
 "One bright June morning, when was about months old, and not yet able to be much protection to my young mother, my father set out on one of his long parochial drives, and we were left alone-no not quite alone; there was Susan, the kitchen girl, for company. That constituted the garrison of the parsonage on that eventfui morning mother, Susan and myself
 "I cannot say I remember what took place, but have so often been told it that feel as if l had taken an active part. Mother and were sitting by an open window, down stairs, looking out on the front yard, when suddenly mother called out, sharply:
 't'Susanl Susanl Come here and see what sort of creature this is coming through the grove'
 ''There was frightened ring in my nsoth- CTS voice, which brought Susan promptly to her side
 "Just then the 'creature,' which was long, and low, and stealthy, reached the garden fence. It mounted the fence gracefully, and paused to look about.
 "With mortified gasp, mother caught me to her bosom and whispered:
 Its tigerp
 'No'm,' cried Susan, it ain't no tiger; but it's an Injun devil, which Is pretty nigh as bad.' And she ran and slammed down the window.
 ''The noise attracted the brute's attention. He glanced our way, dropped to the ground and crept stealthily to the house.
 The attic!' cried mother, wildly. AM the windows down stairs are wide open
 II need hardly assure you, boys, 1t didn't take those two women and me very long to get up stairs AS we reached the top we heard @ crash in the parlor, and mother near ly squeezed me to death in her terror for mo; but Susan exclaimed, almost gleefully:
 I declare, if he ain't got in the wrong winderl Parlor door's shut'
 By this time we were on the attic stairs, and the door at the foot of the stairs-a solid, old fashioned, country door-was safely bolt cd behind us.
 That door was the only means of access to the attic, and on the head of the stairs we all sat down to take breath Then in mo- ther the anxious housewife began to reap pear
 What was that the horrid brute broke in the parlor, Susanr she queried.
 :" Must a been them dishes on the little table by the winder, ma'am,' responded tho girl. =
 'And then we heard @ chatter again, as tho beast in springing out of the window knocked the fragments of pottery aside.
 "In a few moments he found another en- trance. The soft pat, pat of his great furry feet could be heard on the lower stairs. He was evidently hungry and much puzzled at 7 our sudden disappearance.
 "We could hear him sniffing around in and out of the bedrooms, and at last that soft, persistent tread found its way to the attic door.
 "How he did sniff about the bottom of that door, till the blood of his prisoners ran cold with horrorl Then he began to scratch, which was moro than they could stand.
 "Terror lent them invention, and mother put me into basket of old clothes, while she helped Susan drag heavy bedstead to the head of the stairs. This bedstead efRectuRlly blocked the narrow stairway. and when they had piled a chest of drawers on top of it they once more felt secure
 "Al this trouble was unneeded, however, as that door. opening outward, was an in- surmountable barrier to the panther.
 "ln few minutes bestole away, restlessly. Then we heard some flower pots, which stood on the window ledge of the front bedroom, go crash on the steps below. The Indian devil was getting out of the window.
 "Now, the attic in which we had taken refuge was lighted by two windows-a small one in the gable, looking out upon the barn yard, and the other, very small sky light, reached by sort of fixed step ladder from the attic floor.
 "As soon as mother heard the animals claws on the side of the house she thought of the skylight, and cried to Susan to shut 1t.
 ''The skylight had an outer shutter of wood, which was closed in winter time to keep the heavy snowfall from breaking the glass.
 ''This shutter was now thrown back upon the roof, and the inner sash was raised few l. A-4