St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1894-04-12
Selected Story.
A DANGEROUS TASK.


nv mothers in Penobscot county,
Me. NV father had been dead two
years then; and as / was the only one
of six children who was old enough
to earn anything it was highly i'm
portant that l should do my best
and keep my place.
was to have eleven dollars
month for the season of six month;
and our family hopes of food and of
clothes for the coming winter hung
much on that prospective sixty-six
dollars. Mothers last words to me
when l took my little bundle and
started for the widows farm were,
Now you must try and stay, Jesse,
even if the place is little hard, for
/ don't know where you could get
another"
She knew we'll that the place was
q hard one, and so did l, but wages
for a boy were scarce in that part OF
the country. l had been hired be-
cause scarcely anybody else would
go to work for the widow, who
surpassed most men as a taskmas-
ter. She drove her help early and
late, and her table was known to be
poor.
Her farm was a new, large, unpro-
ductive clearing in the forest near
the Penobscot river. Guthridge
himself had been a lumberman, and
was drowned while on the drive one
spring. No doubt the widow found
it hard to support herself and family,
but her necessities hardly excused
her rude manners and rough temper.
She always called me out at four
in the morning. and l never quit
work at night until after sunset.
Wet or dry there was always some
thing to be done out of doors, and 1
never stopped for rain.
was her only hand" that sea-
son, and l had to plough, harrow
and carry on her farm with no team
except an old one-horned OK that l
bear trap, and she expected me to
catch a few bears by way of helping
out the seasons crops. When she
thought the farm work was not 60
ing quite fast enough she would
come out into the field to set me an
example, for she was strong, bony
woman. The lectures she gave me
at such times were sharp enough to
make a boys ear tingle.
was out in what she called the
upper heater lot" narrowing for
oats one forenoon when l heard the
widow shouting to me in high key.
Here you, Jess !" she Moderated;
come down to the barn this min
ute! Leave old Brown standin' right
where he is and come quick ~
l obeyed, on the run, and found
her near the great doors of the old
Her youngest child stood in the
dooryard crying Justify, and 1 heard
two calves bawling inside the barn.
The widow put the fork in my hands
and opened the barn door little
Il want you to go in there and
kill that critter that's tackling them
calves - said she.
what is it ?" said l.
Its a lucivee," said she. "He
crawled in under the stills, and he'll
kill them calves"
peeped in and saw queer sight.
A male lynx nearly as large as a
Newfoundland dog crouched in the
empty hay bay before the two
calves, as if he meant to spring at
them, but had not quite worked his
courage up to it. The calves kept
penned there in the bay were bawl-
ing and bunting at the lynx, though
scared nearly to death.
Il don't want to go in there"
said l, alarmed.
You go along in there and put
the fork to him." said she.
II don't believe anybody can kill
him with a fork" l demonstrated.
at needs a gun"
There amt a gun round here"
said she; land while we were send
in off for gun he'd kill them calves.
You are smart young Teller, amt
ye-afraid of a bob cat! You go in
there and fork him before he tackles
the calves!'
81 don't sees I've any call in
there" said l, hanging back.
Start' said she, and grabbed me
by the collar. do as bid We, or
I'll turn We off and tell everybody
you're a coward !"
She pulled the door open a little
farther, showed me INSIDE and put
the fork in after me. But had no
stomach for fighting that lucivee.
Mrs. Guthridge," said l, you let
me come out! I'm not going foul of
that creatureI'
"You kill that cat" she screamed
back to me through the door. "You
shan't come out till you do. I'll
keep you in there till you do kill
him! Kill him now, tell We! Kill
himl"
She was in such passion that 1
was about as much afraid of her as
of the LYNX; so went slowly along
the barn floor and struck the fork
on the low boards that were nailed
around the pit of the hay bay, hop
ing to frighten the animal. 1t turn
ed its head, growing, and glared at