Sacramento daily record-union., 1890-07-27

know. However, 1T don't much matter,
| for old Van King has the extra room.
He's on his way ter town to buy powder
an shot instead of-why, Dick, what ails
you? You're pale as a sheet"
| ssOh, Pap" gasped Dick excitedly, as
the situation flashed over him, there's
panther in the back room, live panther
in box. | was going to tell you all
about it, and
"a pantherw cried his father, in amaze
ment. "a panther in the back room.
Why, what do you mean, lad ?'
Dick began to stammer out an explana-
ton, but without waiting to hear the end
his father pulled down his rifle from the
hooks and hurried to the end of the hail.
He tried the door, but the bolt was
showed. More from force of habit than
from necessity the trapper had made all
secure before turning in.
Then he raped gently, calling in low
whisper, "Torpetus, air we there? Git up
an open the door,
A drowsy response came from within,
| followed by shufiiing footsteps Then
bolt ratified in its fastenings, and, as the
tavern-keeper shook the door, puzzled to
find it still fastened, an angry scream was
heard, followed instantly by heavy fall
and scufiling noise
| "Oh, Pap" Dick cried, in an agony of
terror. Hes opened the wrong door in
the dark, an the panther's got him." The
uproar suddenly increased, the old trap
per's voice now mingling with the snarls
of the enraged beast
| Jake threw himself against the door,
but it held firm "No use, Dick" he
groaned. "Its too strong for that. Do
your best, Torpetus," he shouted loudly.
"And now, Dick" he added, 'run, try the
shutter, while l git upon the roof an
open the trap-door."
Poor Dick hurried with all his might
round to the outside, but the one window
that gave access to the room was tightly
barred from within. The house had been
built in time when Indian attacks were
not uncommon, and every part of it was
strong and substantial. With fast beating
heart he listened for brief second to the
loud outcry that still continued within,
and then as voice called loudly, "Dick
Dick ~ he pulled himself into big tree
that stood by the house and dropped from
the overhanging limbs to the roof His
father was standing, axe in hand, beside
an open trap from which came succession
of furious snarls and strange ripping
noise.
"I'm afraid it's all up with him, Dick"
he said, huskily, ''for Pve called him an
he don't make no answer I'd go down, if
| could go through the trap, but"-he
looked ruefully at his muscular bulk
and then at the narrow door cut between
the heavy beams. Dick stood still in mute
| despair. "What shall we do, Pap?" he
cried. Suddenly daring rlan flashed
into his mind. 'Hold ON, Pap" he shouted,
and, throwing himself into the tree, he
dropped quickly to the ground. He was
back in two minutes with big coil of
rope and couple of resinous torches, such
as are used for Devastating at night. He
cut the rope in two with the axe, and,
fastening Que part with nervous fingers
under his arms, he made a running moose
on the end of the other.
Now, pap" he said, brayely, '1et me
down through the trap, quick, and light
that pine torch for me. The panther won't
touch me when Pm carrying fire, an can
slip the rope over his head just as easy as
anything"
His father hesitated. at won't do,
Dick. Pm afraid it's too late, any way.
| Well have to smash that door in with a
| log"
Just then a faint cry for help came from
the darkness below. 'Do your best. Tor
| petus," he shouted down, and then laying
hold of the rope he whispered: $50 ahead,
then, Dick. When you holler Pll jerk
up" The torch was speedily fred and
Dick was lowered through the trap with
| the light in one hand and the noosed rope
| in the other. 1t was 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 fierce
snarling close below him. When he 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 angrily and tearing
with might and main at the old corn husk
mattress from off the bed, which lay in
the mlddleof the floor, under which, coiled
| up in knot, was the unfortunate trapper,
| holding it tightly over his body and utter
ing mufiied appeals for help.
But it was no laughing matter, for
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 supper off Torpetus Van King.
Dick was quick to see this, and, taking
good hold on the moose, he was about to
try 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 burning brightly only
| yard from the mattress.
But the brute was made veracious by
hunger, and with no idea of losing his
| supper, he sprang once more on poor Tor
petus, making the husks fly, and lashing
| the floor with his long tail at every dig.
| For brief second the reddish brown
back was turned toward Dick, and, swing
ing himself quickly to and fro in the air,
he seized his chance and dropped the
moose cieverly over the ugly head.
Onequick, sharp jerk, shout to the anx-
ious watcher above, and then he shot up
ward, letting the rope slip through bis
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
| snatched the rope and hauled on 1t with
all his might shouting down through the
trap, SHOWS your chance, Torpetus; make
a run fur it an be sure ter shut the door,"
Torpetus evidently did make run, for
in an instant the door was heard to bang
violently, and, as Dick dropped through
the tree to the ground, the old trapper
reached the porch with his clothes hang
| ing in tatters and his hands and face
scratched and bloody.
"What kind of dodgers are you keepin'
now, Jake Tobin ?' he demanded angrily.
"It's marcy I'm livin'."
| Mr.. Tobin deferred his explanation un-
til the blazing torch had been put out; by
bucket of water passed up to the roof by
Dick, and then leaving the half-choked
panther to get rid of his hempen necklacs
as best he could, he shut the trap and
came down to the ground just as Luke
Carter and Silas Heck appeared on the
scene.
A general explanation took place, the
sole result of which on Torpetus Van
Kings part was a contemptuous sniff and
a fervent wish that all present might pass
through similar happy experience before
they were much older.
| His tale of his adventure was verv