Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1890-08-27

w
ering and scratching at the logs, stood
a large she bear.
The mother of the cubs had followed
them, guided by her keen sense of
smell.
Hal knew that an old bear with cubs
was not creature to be safely trifled
with. BE began to wish that his pets
were back in their hollow log.
Still, there was not q great deal OF
danger; the door was strong. The little
shanty had but one room, and was
lighted by single window 1t was
this window that gave the boy most un-
easiness.
If the old bear should notice it, there
was not much reason why she should
not break through and take revenge
on him who had interfered with her
family.
There seemed to be no way of barri-
cading the window from the inside.
Hal thought with longing of the rife
his father carried; but there was no
use wishing, for he was without a fire.
arm.
In the meantime the old bear had
given up her attacks on the logs, and
lay sullenly watching the door. If she
had moved off far enough for Hal to
pitch out the cubs and close the door be-
fore the outraged mother could reach
him, he would gladly have done so; but
her nose was not two feet from the
door.
AT any rate, his father would be back
by noon, and Hal meant to spend as
cheerful a morning as possible.
He got his breakfast ready, and gave
the cubs another basin of corn-meal.
They seemed to forget the presence of
the old bear, and played about the floor.
so the morning wore away. Noon
came, but no Mr.. Benton. Hal got din
ner for himself and the cubs. 1t was
not as cheerful or as varied a dinner as
he had looked forward to enjoying with
his father, yet his company was unique
enough to make up for some sameness
in the bill of fare
About two in the afternoon, the old
bear, who had kept very quiet after her
first futile attempt at breaking down
the door, began to whine again. Hal
looked out the window, and, to his dis
may, saw that she had been Joined by
another bear.
The newcomer, from his greater size
and heavy build, was evidently an old
male-the head of the family. The two
held kind of conference, and ex-
changed many growls and whines.
The cubs heard them, and in spite of
all Halls endeavors to quiet them, be-
gan to whine in answer.
The two bears had evidently decided
on course of action, for the male,
raising himself on his hind legs, began
TO make the rounds of the shanty. Hal
could hear the animals claws scratching
the logs as he felt his way along
In a few moments he reached the win
dow, and, as his weight fell against it,
the entire sash gave way and fell into
the room. The cubs whined loudly,
aud the old bear, thrusting in his head,
in which his little eyes CLEANED fierce
ly, began to Chamber in.
1t was trying moment, but Hal did
not lose his nerve. His axe lay on the
floor, and, catching it up, he struck
with all his force at the brute's huge
head. But the blow had not been very
well aimed, and the axe glanced off, as
if the bears skull was made of steel.
Bruin set up a howl of rage. He had
nearly succeeded in making his way in.
Hal again raised the axe, knowing
that his life depended on this blow.
This time he struck right back of the
ears, and the blow was fatal one.
The bear made convulsive plunge
and fell into the shanty, but he was
past doing harm and lay quite still,
shaggy mass, on the floor.
Hal raised his axe, expecting to see
the head Of the mother-bear appear at
the window. But his courage was not
again to be put to the proof.
A rihe-shot rang out, and in a moment
his fathers voice called him to open the
door.
The cubs grew up to be the pets of the
lumber camp. The large bear-skin
rugs, which Hal keeps as trophies of his
adventure, also serve to remind him of
two promises he has made to himself
one is to keep firearm by him while
IN the woods; the other, never again to
adopt bear-cubs until he is sure that
they are orphans.-Robert Tyler, in
Golden Days.