Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1892-06-16

| the long, small-bore rife, which was
| for many years the favCr.te weapon OF
the American backwoodsmau, and were
| accompanied by vast pack OF dogs of
every possible shape, color and mix
ture: but they We're a determined and
experienced lot of hunters, and in this
| Christmas chase evidently intended
| com bining business with pleasure. and
| energy and purpose was in every eye "a
they divided into their appointed
companies and set out for the day.
Dulin's cabin was left to the care Of
| his wife and only daughter, n girl of
perhaps fifteen years of age, and soon
after the hunters had started away
Mrs Dulin mounted her riding horse
and set forth to visit a neighboring
| matron. living three or four miles dis
tant, giving her daughter directions as
| to the care of the baby, and the prep
aration of dinner at the usual hour, as
she expected to return by that time.
| Sallie Dulin was too well used to the
| life of the woods to fear anything be-
| falling her simply because she was
alone in a cabin a mile or two from
| the nearest neighbours. Everything
| went we'll. and the dinner was simmer
| ing in the fireplace. the baby quietly
Sleeping in its cradle. and Sallie her
| self busily knitting at a stocking, when
suddenly she was startled by a most
unearthly voice from the woods close
behind the house, 1t was cry as of a
maniac in mortal agony: a wild,
| quaver:ng, half-human shrek that fair
| ~ froze the blood in her veins.
| The door of the cabin stood wide
open, and Sallic's first move was TO
| rush to it and close it, fastening it from
within with its heavy wooden latch.
! There was no window to the little
| house, and although she surveyed as
much of the yard as possible through
sundrg places where the .'chinking'
had dropped from between the logs,
| she could see nothing alarming. and, as
the cry was not repeated, she began to
| be almost persuaded that she had i'm
agined it all, when again that blood
curdling cry rose, this time close at
hand, and instantly followed by the
sound OF some heavy body lighting on
the roof, proving that the animal, what
ever IL was, was of no common activity.
! The cabin was rooted, pioneer fashion,
with split .'clapboards" held in place
! by heavy poles. and the movement of
| the animal caused a few of the clap
| boards to be displaced, letting light
i into the semi-darkness of the room be-
low. Sallie had snatched the babe out
of its cradle and stood in the center of
the room. terribly frightened, but
plucky and ready to fly for safety if it
became necessary. Looking up through
the new-made opening in the roof, she
could make out the shape of some huge
gray beast, and a great paw, armed
with terrible claws, striking the clap
boards until they few right and left,
like chips from the AK OF a sl1illful
woodsman.
1t was evident that the panther, for
such Sallie now recognized the beast to
be, was determined to enter the house,
so. quickly stepping to the door, she
carefully raised the latch and stood, not
yet daring to go outside, and yet afraid
to remain too long within. a sudden
slipping of the clapboards under the
panthers feet SO enlarged the hole that
he slipped and fell, much to his sur
prise, rear end foremost, down into the
room. Sallie saw her chance, and as
the panther came in at the roof she fled
out at the door. with the child in her
arms. and closing the door from the
outside as she ran. Once with the stout