The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1891-02-07
A story Of the Ohio Settlements.

Tom Blossom was good natured,
nearly always whistling, except
when creeping after some wary game
like flock of turkeys, and it was
not often that he came home with
nothing in his game bag. He soon
came to know the Muskingum for
est like book we'll read. Its trails
we're like turnpikes to him, and all
knew that he stood in no danger of
losing his way.
In building the cabin Tom had
stipulated that he should have the
'loft" to himself, and was permitted
to fit it up as he saw fit. It was not
long before he had adorned it with
trophies of the hunt, such -as-anE-
lers, coon skins, turkey feathers and
the like. The only window in the
attic looked toward the west and
across one end of the clearing. It
was about fifteen feet to the ground
and Tom had made q long ladder
felled sapling with sticks nailed
across-which reached from the
window to terra frma.
In the summer time the window
was not protected at all, but during
the winter a piece of creased paper
served to keep out the cold as we'll
as let in the light, very primitive
window, but it was all the settlers
had those days.
Il saw the big tracks down in the
gully again to-day" said Tom Bios
som to his father as the latter came
back from neighbor's "log raising"
some ten miles from home. "They
are uncommon big for a painter,
but that's just what made 7em."
"Did you lose them?' asked the
settler, who knew that his boy was
as good trailer as there was in the
country.
II follered 'em two miles over the
toughest ground along the. Musking-
um, an they went into lot of tim
ber, where l lost 'em, an had to
trudge home without shot"
Toms accent showed how bitter
his disappointment had been, but
when his father said that may be
the "painter" would come back and
give him chance later on, he took
hope and after a while clambered
up the ladder and went to bed.
"If I'd only got one shot" sighed
Tom, looking toward the gully from
his window. "In all my life / never
saw such tracks for a painter. He
must be bigger than Josh Ruggle's
dog. | couldn't begin to cover the
prints with my hand. He may
come back and somebody may get
bead on i'm. and then I'd lose i'm
altogether. My luck will be to lose
the animile, for he evidently found
nothing in the gully an went home
disappointed"
The young moon, just three days
old, was climbing the tree tops be-
yond the window when Tom heard
a whistle at the edge of the clearing,
and with cry of "Dick Chambers,
I'll be bound !" he took up his rifle
and made his way down the outside
ladder.
Sure enough, Dick Chambers, a
boy of his own age, and their near
est neighbor, was waiting for him.
Dick had seen the large footprints
in the gully, and had come to ac-
quaint Tom with his discovery.
"They look uncommon fresh near
the smooth rock" said Dick.
What, near the smooth rock?"
echoed Tom.
THAR war no tracks thar this
morning. Let's go an see."
The boy Nimrods sailed forth,
crossing the clearing, and soon
reached the spot where Dick point
ed at the ground in triumph. Tom
got down on his knees and looked
for a moment with all eyes. Sud-
denly he gave a prolonged whistle.
He's come back, Dick" said
Tom, rising. The old feller is in
the vicinity, an if We"
Toms sentence was cut short by
the cracking of a dry twig, and the
boys, looking up and in the same
direction at the same moment, saw
outlined against the new moon the
head and shoulders of the panther.
For q minute they seemed to forget
their guns, and stood like statues,
las if the apparition had deprived
them of motion. The head was
very large and fierce looking, and
from Toms mental calculation the
animal could not be more than 20
PAGES distant.
Shooting after night is a very de-
| ceiving sport. You are liable to
make a poor shot, especially when
you have to depend on the light OF
the moon. Young though he was,
nobody knew this better than Tom
Blossom, and when he raised his
rife it was with some misgivings.
though he resolved to make the best
shot Of his life. .
Dick Chambers held his breath
while he waited for the crack Of
Toms rifle, and when it broke the
stiffness of the night and the pan
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