The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1892-03-06
RUNNING FOR TWO LIVES.
A Lads Perilous Journey for Medl-
cine to Heal His Sick
Father. ~
In the Darkness of Night He
Stumbled Onto g Nest
-s If of Bears.
Flying Through the Brush BEFORE the
Enrared Mother Of tho Cubs
Brave Little Ted.
Written for THE HELENA l~NpEPENDENT.i

rWr;tten for THE HELENA I~NDEPENDENTl
~ SEEMS AS IF I COULDN'T BEAR
an it another day." said the mother, 'te
see him suffer SO, and no medl-
cine! He'll die if he don't have
madeleine. | know he willv' and the
~irv narvous little woman broke into sud
den sobs.
Don't mother" said Ted. I'm just so
and get it,"
..You?" abe said.
"Tedr" exclaimed Cathie, in q tone that
implied inpossibilitv. e
AYES. I'll 90 out to the main road-'
"Ied. it's twenty miles to town" said
his mother.
~ know it. But may be there'n be a
team going that way. And soHeeody may
bell be coming back Mt night. ana SO III oe
carried most of the way"
.,It's toe mach for you, Ted" SAID ms
mother, looking down into the little
fteeklsd face, anxiously.
"Its,too much for father if ! DON'T said
Ted firmly.
..Oh, Ted; I'm afraidr' cried Cathie.
Ted was afraid, too. He had never been
out to the main road alone. They had but
lately moved to this littls farm III the depth
Of tho woods, and although in time It was
meant to have a road out, at present there
was only a half-made footpath through the
tangled growth. HI and Cathie that morn
ing had heard ths clear Hoo! hoo! hoo
Of . bear off in tho deeper woods when they
we're out picking wild Strawberries; they
had hurried home, their baskets only half
filled and their hearts in their mouths,
But he knew . still more terrible sound,
the short dry cough and hard breathing
fryn, the other room. Il bracel him to his
purpose. He went and looked in at his
father living half in stnpor--his handsome
Young father who had been his comrade
IN wood and field, who had shared the
birds and trapped the game with nm ana
told him the name Of flower and tree,
whom he had SO admired WHOM he sent the
rife ball home to its mark in the breast
of the soaring hawk, who always seemed
to him the embodiment Of strength and
goodness.
Ted's heart sank as he looked at him
living there like death. I'll don't know.
mother, if I'll syer see i'm again!' he said
huskily, as his mother wrapped in q scrap
Of paper the money and sons directions to
the druggist, and tucked them into tho IN
side pocket of his jacket.
"Yes. you will" she said, choking back
her own tears. IF he gets that medicine
all right he'll come round"
TED" said Cathie. "Tll run with you
a little way. Oh, only think, you're going
to save fathers lifer'
But Ted needed no spur, and no could
run SO much faster without Cathle that she
soon turnod back. He went on down the
mile-long wood-path to the main road as
fast as he could, but the intertwinemsnt of
vines and shrubs perpetaally waylaid him.
and he often had to climb over rocks and
logs.
1t was a delicious summer morning; sun
shot through the branches in great f1seks
and lanes OF light, and the dew with which
everything was drenched sparkled back in
the glow and color of q thousand jewels,
and gave to every lovely wild rose on the
way s new loneliness, to every flre-llly lift
ing its cup of flame a new splendor, to the
great moss-splashed trse-boles a sort of
radiant vsrdure. A bird was singing a loud.
clear phrase of music, q partridge was
drumming, bees were unnmln round him,
squirrels were ehatterlng-tho woods were
full of life. But Ted looked neither to
right nor left; only leaped along over this
stump, round that hollow, across this BOWL
der, through that plashy swamp, delayed
by nothing bat the great trunk of an oak
tree felled by the lightning the night be-
fore, and making an obstruction that he
lost some minutes IN surrounding. Then
he dashed on until at last tbs forest
thinned to q fringe of bircnes, then to a
ragged edge Of jumpers, and no reached
the bars ana the little-traveled main road,
where he had not time to catch his breath
before the weekly stage came numbering by
with & light load. Tho driver let him
climb up beside him. catching hia hand
and drawing him over the wheel almost
without checking the horses' speed.
It was a three hours afive, the greater
part OF it through deep woods, and Ted had
plenty of time TO catch his breath, while the
driver, having aacertained the boys des-
tination, entertained him with stories Of
the dangers of the way, persuaded probably
that boys loved dangers.
"You hadn't orter been going over it
alone, he SAID. II should never think of
footing it without | was armed to the
teeth. | allus hey my gun loaded, ready
for the frat hungry wolf that shows his
12ngs. And the cinnamon bears, they
"Are there-are ~there-many of them?n
asked Ted.
(Which? Bears? Yos, there's some left
allus. You can bear them nooing any day.
An | tell you you Won't want to meet any
thing tiercer than a she bear with cubs
She has an advantage over wolves; they can
tear you tooth and nail. but SO can she;
and she can club yon besides with her big
fiat paws, and she can hug you to
death, too. I'd liefer meet q hungry wolf
than her.
$50 should IT, said Ted.
Pretty tough time, though, old Parsons
had. when Il half dozen OF them wolves got
into the cabin, and he could only jest climb
the ~raitcrs ont of reach of the bowling
pack, and thov'd spring and aprlng and Jest
catch A holt of his feet that he couldn't
draw up. And they'd hey ct him up piece.
meal eff the coach horns hedn't been
heared, an they wuz that fierce then that
we laid out a couple Of 'em with buckshot
before they cleared. But 10 )" continued
the driver. for Ted was pale, ''ye needn't be
gcared at that! That wuz nlnety miles from
here.''
"Oh, I'm not scared said Ted. 'rd
Like 10 meet one of them. / guess I'd put
Il bullet throu@h hl8 eve. At any rate, my
father could And then he confded TO
the driver his fathers state and his hopes
and history: and when they reached town
the driver took him to drive with him and
gave him u dozen oranges which he tied un
IN his red handkerchief, and found a aeat
Tor MIN, after the medicine waa purchased.
with old Alr. Green. q farmer who WAS
hound home@atd, some few miles beyond
Ied's hdTS, but WHO had 50 many last err
rRnds to do and words to say that tho 4ay
bade fair TO slip by, and Ted III desnair set
cut a:aot, only to to oYertaaen at last l.,
the ole farmer.
As they logged along, NJ. Green, who
WAS deaf aud unable to indulge In ,uurl
conversation, begulIed the time by sinc1ns
HYMNS, choosln4 those IF the most SLOW
and dolefut measure, Dobbin timing bl.
steps to the tune with much accutacv.-g s,
that 1t was already past sunset when Ted
full Of trenors over the stage-driver'l
wolves aud BEATS and panthers, siiuuec
sarr,. ypt.t, - .,n+,t Fl ~ a-Iu 49,