Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1889-10-25
BABY OR PIG MEAT.

THE other night said Stranion,
when you fellows were off at the
outlet spearing whitefish, was think
ing over the various adventures
which have befallen he in my devo-
ton to birch and paddle. 1t sur
prises NE to find what a lot of scrapes
I've got into with the panthers. OF
course, fellows that go every year
into the Squatook woods are bound
to have adventures, more or less.
You may be fought by an old moose,
or have a close shave with some ex-
cited bear, or strike an unusually ugly
lynx, or get spilled out of canoe
when you're trying to run Toledo
falls, but in my case it is panther
every time. Wherever | go in the
woods there is sure to be one OF these
creatures sneaking around. l de
clare, it makes Inc quite uneasy to
think of it, though i have got the
best of them so far. I'll bet you q
trout there are one or two spotting
NE now from those black thickets on
the mountain, and one of these days,
if'I don't look sharp, they'll be get
ting even with me for all the members
of their family that / have cut off in
their sins"
"Oh, you go along" exclaimed Sam.
you are getting sentimental. can
tell you, have killed more trout than
you have panthers and there's no old
patriarch of trout going to get even
with mel"
The speakers were lying about the
camp fire at the foot of the Big
Squatookn lake, in Ontario. There
were four of us in the party, and we
were in the genial mood which comes
after a good days sport and savory
supper.
The night was still, and we were
waiting for story to go to sleep by.
Sans practical remarks went unheed-
ed and in a few moments Stranion re-
sumed:
You see, boys, the beasts began to
haunt me in my cradle, so to speak.
Did any of you ever hear mother tell
that story?'
II haver calculated Willis Butler;
but Sam and | hastened to declare
our ignorance.
VERY well, said Stranion. Willis
shall see that / stick to the facts.
"Oh, boys, I've heavy contract
on hand, them" replied Willis.
But Stranion blandly ignored him,
and continued:
You all have seen the old parson-
age, at the mouth Of the Keswick
river. That's a historic edifice for
YOU? 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 Inc as
a foreordained antagonist.
''One bright June morning, when l
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 on that eventful morn
ing-mother, Snsan and myself.
Il cannot say / remember what
took place, but | have so often been
told it that | feel as if had taken an
active part. Mother and l were sit
ting by an open window, down stairs,
looking out on the front yard, when
suddenly mother called out sharply;
Susan! Susan! Come here and see
what sort of creature this is coming
through the grove.
There was frightened ring in my
mothers voice, which brought Susan
promptly to her side.
Just then the creature which
was long, and low, and stealthy,
reached the garden fence gracefully,
and paused to look about.
With a Mortified gasp, mother
caught me to her bosom and whis-
pered:
Its tigerY'
"'No'm,' cried Susan it amt 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.
1.-The atticr cried mother, wildly.
All the windows down stairs are wide
open
Il need hardly assure you, boys, 1t
didn't take those two women and me
very long to get up stairs. As we
seached the top we heard crash in
the eparlor, and mother nearly squeezed
me to death in her terror for me; but
Susan exclaimed, almost gleefully:
81 declare, if he amt got in the
wrong winderl Parlor doors shutr