News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1894-07-19

speed. Now all began to hope that the
team might be slowed up sufficiently
TO allow them to Jump off. They be-
gan to take an interest in young
Eddy's efforts to stop his oxen and
even noticed that Waldo was not
ahead of them. They saw that Eddy
was redoubling his efforts to slacken
up. with a vigorous use of his thick
goad upon the noses of his oxen.
The stick had not left his hand in all
that terrible ride down the mountain.
Then he shouted, "Get ready to jump
when ! tell you, and jump to the up
per side"
A few more cruelty vigorous blows.
Then, jerking the head of the near OK
sharply round, he cried, Jump !"
And with one wild shout the whole
sled load landed in a struggling mass
in the deep soft snow.
Young Eddy, when he saw his sled
empty, let go his hold upon the oxen
and fell backward, through sheer ex-
haustion, but almost Immediately
sprang to his feet again in horror
The worst danger they had been in
tonight was now upon them, for
either one of their former pursuers
or an entirely new conner, had utter
ed his blood curdling scream just over
their heads.
They we're in a narrow opening
only a few feet from the first ledge,
where there was a sheer descent of 90
feet, with a rise of 20 feet of broken
rock above them. Nothing could
save them now from an encounter
with a hungry panther.
Were the poor oxen fated that
night, one and all, to perish that
their precious load might be saved /?
The oxen had made but a few stag
geriDg bounds away, Just to the open
ledge, when they were checked and
sent budding and backing upon each
other again by the sudden renewal of
danger, and the leaders, in their eff
forts to get back to their human
friends, turned completelyround upon
the other yoke, twisting them until
the sled grated over the ledge
Just for a moment the Mortified
young people forgot their own dan
ger as they watched the white
stripes in the leaders faces and
listened to the sound of the sled
runners on the rocky ledge, then
another death threatening scream,
and a huge body shot through the
misty air. There was a frightful bel
lowing and a short scramble of hoofs.
Then sled, oxen and panther disap-
peared, to be heard from hut once
more with crashing thud as they
struck the rocks below.
The suppressed feelings of the straw
riders found vent this time in reg
ular stampede for their homes. The
girls we're crying and sobbing and
Internationally accepted help from
the young men. And all, though it
was midwinter, forgot completely
their lost wraps, caps, hoods and
mittens.
All thought for certain that Wal
dos team must have gone over the
ledge, but only a lew OF the strongest
young men had breath to express
their grief or pity. Their surprise
and joy were about equal, after they
had recovered their breath sufficient
to see, count and remember names,
to find in the crowd of settlers coming
out to meet them every individual of
the first load.
Waldo and Eddy suffered most
from the adventure. Eddy had rheL-
matte fever. Waldo constituted him
self doctor and nurse in general to
him, and they talked ovey many q
time the fearful Incidents of the ride
The two places where the oxen fell
were made the common hunting
grounds of both settlements, and
many a panther, wolf and fox were
killed there before the winter was
through.-Emilie Egan in Romance.