New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-02-14

We ask live minutes attention 10 dh huNo"'NAN
Of two ladies with badger, the account oil whlcn
we find in carefully edited newspaper printed
and published in the city of St. Louis. In the
consideration OF this subject there are several
things which we must not forget, the first of
which is that the badger is small animal. stand
ing perhaps some seven eight inches high
though it is somewhat wider, being built con-
sidcrably on the architectural design of single
deck East River ferryboat. It's hair is quite long,
ts skin loose and very thick, and beneath this
,bcre is LAYER Of an inch or two Of fat, so that
the real badger or if we may venture to so put
IT, the per Sc badger, is even smaller than would
he supposed from his outside appearance. WIth
these facts firmly rooted in our memories we may
nrocced 10 a careful and unprcludlced consldera-
ton Of the tale in question.
Two young ladies. wives Of cavalry officers,
left Fort Riley. in Kansas, one afternoon recently
for n walk. While returning they were Obliged
70 cross a little canon or ravne. At the bottom
Of this they came 10 n large tree which had peeh
blown down They scrambled up on the tree
trunl, TO get across. They had scarcely done 50
when they heard an "angry growl, and on look
ing ND they saw n badger on ledge OF rocks
above them, the fierce and angered creature
being Just ready for spring We must ho1
forget that the badger never gives vent to angry
prowls unless, possibly, when driven into corner
hv n dog. when we desire to do full justice to
the beast he will fight stubbornly. We must re
member too that the badger is not herce, ana
that on this occasion he could not have been am
rcrrd Let us also keep in mind, in connection
with the expected spring. that the badgers legs
are only some four inches long. Inc ladleS III
first were very much excited, as the animal APP
reared to them as large lion,' an optical
Had 1gsn on
should I've OBLIGED to remind the reader that the
badger lives in burrow rather less than SIN
inches in diameter One of the ladies jumped
down from the tree trunk and ran up on little
lcd,e on the other side Of the rayinc some twenty
feet or thereabouts from the badger. Inc her"c
beast instantly began 10 make preparations to leap
ocross In her Let us not forget that his les
were four inches long. lie began flashing his
loan Sides with his tail We should always keep
clearly in mind the fact that n badgers tan is
four and onc-haf inches in length and OF de-
cidelly rigid nature. II might. perhaps, he con
ycnicnt for the badger 10 sit down on while sur
ycving hillside with n view 10 sinking winter
burrow but IL could never he utilized for shihS
purposes Nor should we forget that the badger
never has lean SIDES. Fortunately the two LADIES'
had their husbands reyolyers with them. soon
tho Infatuated had.cr sent his dark brown body
Nying across the rayinc.' We be- of TIE feaier
70 remember the badgers four-inch legs and two
inches of fat Nor is the American badger en-
dowcd bv nature with wings. AS the badger
leaned. however, each lady fired her revolver, or
AS the account has il. two balls rc'oundcl
through the air The badger fell to the bottom
of the ravine with a broken les. At this point
another badger, evidently the mate Of the hrst
one appcared. with his ears laid back in anger
Truth being our sole aim, let us bear in mind that
the badger, ears are so small that they cannot BIZ
| .acn ot all without brushing away the har. The
| new badger lcapcd up on the ledge I'VE need not
ooain remind the reader of the badgers legs and
General build and seized hold of the lady's skirts
| and began pulling her down the bank, also lash
inc the air with its tail. Willie this was going
| mn the other lady, after several shots, succeeded
in killing the first badger and came to the rescue
Of her friend The badger was too close 10 shoot,
| 80 she " lifted heavy rock and " sent 1t Win
| AL the force both her hands could command 50
| that il crushed upon the creature . back. lh!s
| caused the badger to break from its shrleklnS
| victim. taking away n large monthiul OF DIRE $
| material" and TO turn on its anroyer.' Both
| ladies now began shooting vigorously and finally
! fine infuriatcd monster, with roar which shook
| the everlasting hills, rolled 10 the bottom OF the
ravine with a rumbng sound like an approaching
| earthquake, where 1t died.
| We sincerely hope that the reader has derived
much benefit from these few lines To have done
so. however, he must have kept constantly IN
mind these few wcll-known and indispulablc
| facts First, that the Kansas badger docs not
range the country like man-eaing TIGER looking
| for human victims; second, that he Is small
animal rather broader than lie is high; third, that
| he is always fat to the point of obesity; fourth,
that his legs are very short; fifth, that his ears
are concealed by his long hair; sixth, that he has
no wings or other flying apparatus; and seventh
| that his tail is short and stubby like sweet
potato. rather than long and flexible like gar
den-hgsc. If these few facts were kept continually
in view, the intelligent reader cannot but have
obtained great profit from our article