The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1890-06-12
MS nea,i ,us1 rs easy as awning.

MS nead Just As easy as anyrnlng.
His father hesitated. 1T won't do,
Dick. I'm afraid it's teo late anyway.
| Well have to smash that door in with
log"
Just then faint cry for help came
from the darkness below. .'Do your
best. Torpetus, " he shouted down and
then. laying hold of the rope. he
whispered: ''Go ahead then. Dick.
When you holler I'll jerk up" The
torch was speedily fired and Dick was
| lowered through the trap with the light
in one hand and the noosed rope in the
other. 1t was a situation in which "A
gun could not be used. For moment
he hung midway between the floor and
the ceiling, daZed by the glare of the
torch and conscious all the while OF q
fierce snarling close below him. When
ne finally gained good view of the
room by holding the light over his
head his first impulse was to laugh, for
little to his left was the panther,
screaming apgrily and tearing with
might and main at the old corn-husk
mattress from off the bed, which lay in
the middle of the floor, under which,
co;led up in knot, was the unfortu-
nate trapper, holding it tightly over
his body and uttering muff1ed appeals
for help. But it was no laughing
matter, for at every dig of the vicious
claws the husks flew, and if some one
didn't interfere pretty soon the hungry
brute was going to make a supper of
Torpetus Van King. Dick was quick
to see this. and, taking good hold on
the moose, he was about to try a cast
when the beast turned with swapping
eyes and sprang upward. Just in time
Dick dashed the torch down. The
blazing brand struck the panther in
the face, driving him with a howl OF
pain, to the corner of the room, but,
unfortunately, slipping from Dicks
hand it fell to the floor, and lay burn.
ing brightly only yard from the mat
treSS.
But the brute was made valorous by
hunger, and with no idea of losing his
supper, he sprang once more on poor
Torpetus, making the huSkS fly, and
lashing the floor with his long tail al
every dig.
For brief second the reddish brown
back was turned toward Dick, swing
ing himself quickly to and fro in the
air, he seized his chance and dropped
the moose cleverly over the ugly head.
One quick sharp jerk, a shout to the
anxious watcher above, and then he
shot upward, letting the rope slip
through his fingers, but keeping it
tightly stretched in spite of the furious
struggles at the other end.
As he came out on the roof his father
., 1nI -. ,4L
all his might. shouting down through
the trap: ''Now's your chance, Tor
petus. Make Il run fur it, an be
sure ter shut the door"
Torpetus evidently did make a run,
for in an instant the door was heard to
bang violently, and, us Dick dropped
through the tree to the ground, the
old trapper reached the porch with his
clothes hanging in tatters and his
hands and face scratched and bloody.
''What kind Of dodgers are you keepin'
now, Jake TobinP" he demanded.
angrilv. Its a marcy I'm livin'."
Mr.. Tobin deferred his explanation
until the blazing torch had been put
out by a bucket of water passed up tc
the roof by Dick, and then, leaving the
half-choked panther to get rid of his
hempen necklace as best he could, he
shut the trap and came down to the
ground just us Luke Carter and Silas
Heck appeared on the scene.
Feeling uneasy about the safety OF
their prize, they had concluded to re.
turn to the tavern.
A general explanation took place,
the sole result of which on Torpetus
Van Kings part was contemptuous
sniff and fervent wish that all present
might pass through similar happy
experience before they were much
older.
His tale of his adventure was very
thrilling. He had opened the cage by
mistake, and. alarmed by the growls OF
the panther, had staggered back
against the bed and seized the mattress
just in time.
When he heard how he had been
saved he patted Dick on the head and
called him brave boy-a tribute of
praise which Dick accepted rather
obviously, remembering that his for
getfulness had caused all the trouble.
With much skill and free use of hot
irons the pugnacous panther was
driven back to his box, and at day
break the next morning he began his
journey down the river in IL batteau.
Torpetus accepted seat in the boat
as a partial reparation from Carter
and Heck, and Dick watched them from
the shore till they vanished round q
bend.
When the old trapper returned on
foot five days later he stopped at the
tavern long enough to present Dick
with beauty of a gun-a breech-loader,
of courSe-that Jim Ferris declared was
better even than the one he had seen.
The youngster deserved it." he
said, for many man wouldn't a.
taken such risks as that
So Dick got his gun very unexpect-
edly, and the old muzzle-loader that
had served three generations was laid
away on the shelf to enjoy the rest that
belongs TO worthy old age. William
WurrQu GrdYiou In PhiLatic{Dhia Times.