The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1891-06-19
CHILDREN'S COLUMN.
TALES OF ADVENTURE TO PLEASE
YOUTHFUL REsDERs-rHE Stall
LION AND THE GRIZZLy-FIGBTINa
PANTHER WITH A FLAT-IRON.
With a Flat-Iron.

with q tfdt-hrOna
Eyes, that's mighty pretty skin,
and powerful big one, as you say" re,
marked Captain John Anderson, one Of
the best farmers and the best hrntsmar
in east Texas. SIT was mighty lively
panther that wore that skin, son, and II
would sound fine to say that | killed
that panther. but it wouldn't be true.
1t Was ia the summer of '63, when this
country wasn't anywhere near as thick
settled as it is now. There was no men
in the country. The men were all gone
to the wan. wai off with the rest. and
Lizzie. hero. was left at home with
John, who was baby about 10 months
old
''She was ironing on the day | started
to tell you about. She heated the irons
at the fire in the big open fireplace, and
the room was so warm that the door
stood wide open. The baby was asleep
in his cradle in the middle of the floor,
and Lizzie was hurrying with all her
might to get through before dark, so as
to do up the evening chores. She had
gone 10 the fireplace and set down the
cold iron. and had just laken up hot
one-scorching hot, too when she
heard q chair move, ever so little. and,
turning suddenly. saw an enormously
large panther-the owner OF that skin,
in fact-stealing across the floor toward
the cradle, his wicked eyes fastened
upon the baby, and his tail waving to
and fro, Just as a cats does when 1t sees
a bird. There was a loaded musket in
the house, but it was in the other room
and there was no time to get 1t. don't
suppose Lizzie ever thought of it, even.
She threw herself between the panther
and sleeping baby and stood with the
hot iron in her hand waiting for the at
tack. For moment the panther was
frightened. and it sprang back with a
snarl. But soon it recovered and began
circling around the room. Lizzie cir
cled with it, a!ways keeping between
the panther and the cradle. This was
kept up for l don't know how long-so
long that Lizzie always insisted 1t was
an hour, but of course it wasn't-and at
last the creature sprang. And that
alert little woman let it have the hot
iron full in its face as it came, and the
surprise and the pain of the burn lone
of its eyes was put out sent it scream
ing to the other side of the room. 1t
was furious. then. and sprang again In
a moment without any preparation.
Poor Lizzie will bear the marks of that
attack to her grave, for the teeth were
sunk in her left shoulder and the claws
tore her flesh fearfully. but she set the
hot iron in its face again, and it fell
away, completely blinded, and running
against the wall here and there, scream
ing with rage and pain.
sand then, sir, that plucky little
woman followed the panther up and
beat its head with the iron until
she had stunned il, and then beat it
till it was quite dead. And then she
tainted comfortably away on the floor
by the side of the cradle. Some OF the
found her there little while
after, and they had all they could do to |
bring her round. They helped her
skin the panther, some of them, and |
she dressed it herself. She had learned |
to dress deer skins, you see. and now /
the knowledge came in handy. The
first time | ever saw John. this tall son |
Of mine-for he was born while | was
off a-soldiering-he was sitting on that
panther skin in the middle of the floor,
and he screamed wOrse'n the panther at
the sight of the strange man in the
doorway. Globe Democrats Hender-
on, Tex, Cor, <reT7Ts'''A. "a, ~ &C.,.
. sa..-s..sssf - -'4ss---