The Lebanon express. (Lebanon, Linn County, Or.) 1887-1898, 1893-02-17

q Ration Mountain Hcrirr's TaIu vi tits
warst Shot on Record.
y Ono afternoon while at RADON mountain
\ want over to ths ridge between the Red
| river and the Calientc to look for deer |
spoiled one'srunning, aud being afoot- for
| was less than mile from camp--I hung
u to the branch OF a pine tree, and after
quitting Its throat and performing some
other alterations In its makeup suggested
by the gentle art Of yenerie started to pro-
euro pony 10 puck the carcass To camp.
4 A seventy pound dcer isno trivial pack
age In d rough country, and had no In
eenton OF carrying itmyself
While so returning was walking down
a little valley, the damp bottom Of which
was free from trees and just springing In
the cold, clear rays Of the April sun, to
short grass
Ahead some ten yards behcld an old
cow, emaciated 10 degree and whose far
ing oyes bctokened tho insanity which
seizcs on starving cattle. Shcwas marked
with our ear marks--n swallow fork In
each ear--and concluded to drive hcr up
to camp, where was fodder and feed, and
with three or four days OF that / thought
she would pull through to grass.
But mover had chance TO put my be-
nevolence into effect. The moment she
espied me she danced out in an uncertain
and staggering way, fairly bristling with
rage,
] watched her, supposing 1t would come
to nothing more serious than an attempt
to bully, which failing, she would come
along sedate enough. was mistaken.
| Bracing herself on her four weak legs
she charged with lowered head. / still ex-
pected u halt, but she came on to within
fifteen feet, staggering aud stumbling, a&
considerable speed and fairly atire with
bloody intentions, snatched of my big
sonibrero and sent IL sailing into her face.
The only effect was to bring her head mp
little and abated nothing of her headlong
gait.
As l fully realized that the old she vii
lain meant business ! flashed into rage,
and pulling back the hammer Of the Sharp
rifle carried resolved to bore her through
her addle head and correct her disposition
to quietude for all time.
Matters were coming too fast TO allow
me to take any aim, and ! banged away
with the Sharp as II lay in my hands.
The irate COW was not three feet from tho
muzzle Of the rifle, but how missed her Is
more than ] can tell, But did.
As 1t was she was so cross as to appear
to gather the smoke Of the gun and bring
1t along in her frontlet, and realizing had
missed just had time to escape her horns
iby u quick twist, getting, indeed, a smart
jolt from her shoulder even then,
1t took a tenth part Of second TO nut
another cartridge into the rifle, and re-
hected with ferocious satisfaction that It
would be my turn now, as had no idea Of
making a second miss Of it.
OF course ! confidently counted on her
turning and charging me again. To my
surprise, however, she kept straight on mp
the slight and pine covered hill toward the
divide and never seemed even to cast
thought behind at me.
loyercame an impulse to pump bullet
into her anyhow, and no one having sus-
tained injury, called the battle a draw.
Tho irony Of fate was shown by finding
this old cow who had escaped my bullet
by miracle, dead with her calf, In bliz-
zard which struck the hills two days afser.
The existence Of this calf hid over on the
divide, and my being directly bctwecn tho
infant and the old COW when she saw me,
was no doubt the whole cause Of the war.
] left the two stark In their drift Of
snow, and make no doubt they were highly
appreciated by the buzzard and ths raven,
who that day tapped their wide wings in
those skies. Kansas City Star.