Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1893-04-23
AN ALL-NIGHT VIGIL.
A True Story Of the Maine Woods Half Century Ago.

in giving another exactly like IT, Evi.
IDENTIFY they were very much surprised.
Mrs Bear dropped to the ground as
suddenly as III She had been shot aud
both, turning aside. quietly aud quickly
skunk ont Of sight They didn't 90 far
of. though All the rest Of that night |
occasionally heard their crOwlngs, md
once or twice caught plimpses ol them
skulking about through the trees.
Time passed aud 10 seemed so much
lighter / Thought the clouds must have
broken away. and ! raised my eyes 10 the
sky. Sure enough, the stars were out
There were two which seemed Utmost
overhead. And how near. And how
very bright Strange, / thought, only
those two, 30 close together, SO unusually
brilliant, / never had particularly no
ticcd just such stars before Then !
made out the outlines Of The hare
branches of tree. ana saw that those
stars were peeping out from d tree, not
They were not stars. a catnmount
was crOuchpd i'm those branches just
about ready Tor % probably fatal spring
And ! knew well enough Just how the
creature looked. I could see iu imagiua
tion how she gathered for thc leap; how
her long tail was flashing her body, and
cautiously ! backed away keeping. my
ewes fixed upon the two glowing Goals OF
fire, that seemed first yellow, then rru,
green all bright, flashing uuts. AMI
hacked hurl and fast with my iock-kniir
which / had held open since the approach
Of the bears. upon my cudgcl No Time
was 90 be- lost AZ any moment TIE
claws Of that powerful SNOWY little
beast might hc fastened iu my shoulder
and the chances then for my life would
be- slight
Soon ] had roodsizel chunk cut on
from the cudgcl, aud taking straight aim
al U.... L.. ali. ..N q
with all the strength and skin OF my
right arm. Luckily 10 md been trained
Well. sir. that piece of wood hacked
OF jhc end of my Culgol with 70 jack
knife owing 90 good luck something
higher aud better than luck struck the
eat square between the eyes uH she
sprnug toward me, causing her to land,
instead of ON my head almost at my
feet with O horrible ypll and roll oli I'M
to thp SNOW. Still yplpiug Mrs tatn-
mount gathered horscll mp uud limprd
away 40 safe distance sln turned to
look, hut di mot venture back
SDDn ulipr This Etnrs lhp ronl stars
sh0no brightly out aud tho moon That
never before had looked ap good iu mp ne
DO did chat night Before long the moon
passed. the stars i.mmcl. aud Sunday
morning first gray daylight appeared.
The wolves had ceased their cries and mo-
sound had hnru huurl from them for 600
least hall uu hour So luJ myself down
from un tho tree and started tor home.
having taken my Bearing FROM ihr
Before ! bad been long ont of thc
woods. stumpiuE hhurIuusN along, my
feet almost destitute of sensation. NOT
looking about much anxious to reach
| home before strength utterly failed, %
rhury Halle BiIl; ull right are youf'
reached mas oars. uud ! looked up tu spp
ID ..H nv
mr father and uy brothers, and one orr
two from Uncle Johnny kucIuc's place.
A. ] ilIlul lu appear they knew some.
thing had happened aud had started ont.
/ WIS too much used mp tu ulh, hut they
gathered enough about bears md % Wild
,ut tD divide th' party ! WIS helped iu-
/ Goo the sleigh, ana our horHcs heads were
/ turned humcWurd while two ur three
kent uu to arc whore / had passed the
night
Nv footprints iu the snow were traced
! back. Whore / had lrii toe forest they
/ came upon the double footprints of u
| rIulWnuul. showing that thn creature
! had followed me- AN tho way from thar
| fallen tree trunk, through thv woods
! oven to thp road, and then turned back
/ At thr fallen tree beaten paths in the
/ fresh snow showed lllt those TWO brars
/ had trmpcd around iu % circle only a
/ trw rods away from That truc probably
nearly ul ulrht close hy tracks ut
wolves nud ALSO ut panther we're seen.
liy thv llWr we reached home ull u.e
| Ul my limbs was lost aud had lu ip
| helped from lhc Sleigh my frrJ uul my
| leg. too, halfway tO the knees, were
| frozen. Father Thought ia probably
| luso them both. hat ] dilu't ] was uIl
/ right long before spring They were
/ pretty sore, though, for o. long time
/ Why didn't ihc wolves and hears and
/ cainmuuut nud panther eat meg
! That b. question ! never could an
| sWpT