The herald., 1896-03-03

Isles Many In the crowd were weeping.
With sob the old man flung the rifle to
the ground and fell powerless over IT, His
son ran to lift him up and the grandson
seized the rifle.
Enough he called out in q wild. des-
perate voice. his eyes flashing. Enough!
Shoot. boys! Have done with it!''
The young gypsy ran up to the beast,
put the muzzle close to his ear and fired.
Inc bear fell down a lifeess mass. Only
spasmodic shudder ran through its pawa
ana the mouth opened as II In a yawn.
me banging Of rifles was soon heard In all
directions. mixed with deafening cries Of
the women and children. The light breeze
drove the dense clt I'D Of smoke toward the
| river.
HE has broken loose! He has broken
loose!" was the cry heard suddenly. and in
the twinkling Of an eye the crowd scattered
| In all directions like a flock OF frightened
sheep The Police Captain, the fat drug
gist. Foma Fomtich, boys. men, women,
girls-all were running in deadly fright,
bouncing up against tents and wagons.
stumbling and tumbling over each other.
and yelling like mad, and the bewildered
horses wnirled away the carriages
The danger was not very great after all.
Maddened with fear. the beast, quite a
young dark gray bear, was running with
astonishing ease, piece Of the chain hang
ing down from his neck. All gave way be-
fore him, and he went like the wind in the
direction Of the town. Several gypsies ran
after him with rifles. The few passers-by
on the streets cung to the walls, II they
did not succeed in hiding behind the gates.
The shutters were closed, all living persons
disappeared. and the very dogs vanished.
The bear rushed past the Cathedral up the
main street, throwing himself now and then
from side to side as II seeking hiding place,
but the gates and doors were all locked. At
the stores he was met with deafening yells
by the statesmen, who wanted to frighten
him away. He fled past the bank. school
building. armory Of the county regiment ana
to the other end Of the town.
He then ran out on the country road to-
ward the river. and paused. The pursuers
were far to the rear. but they soon ap-
peared-a crowd consisting no longer Of
gypsies alone. The Police Captain and the
Colonel were driving a droshky, with rifles
in their hands. and platoon of soldierR
kept pace with them.
''There he is!' cried the Captain. '.Hit
him! Firev Shots cracked and one Of the
bullets wounded the beast. In mortal fright
he ran faster than before. A mile from the
town, up the river. stood a large mill. sur
rounded on all sides by small but thick
grove. The animal took this direction, but,
confused by the dams and the arms Of the
river, he lost his way. There was broad
sheet Of water between him and the dense
oak thicket, where he might perhaps find
refuge for time, IL not permanent safety.
but he dared not trust to swimming. Thie
side of the river bank was thickly covered
with a strange kind Of brushwood which
grows only in southern Russia-the So
called 'licium.' The long, flexible, branch
less stems grow so close together that 1t ID
impossible for man to get through; near
the roots. however. there are broad chinks
and passages, by which dogs can make their
way. and. as they often hide there from
the heat and thus gradually widen the pas
sages, a real labyrinth has been formed In
the thicket. Into this the bear plunged.
The millers, looking out of the windows Of
the upper story of the mill, noticed 1t. and
when the pursuers came up. breathless with
fatigue, the Police Captain gave orders to
surround the place. The unfortunate bear
lay deep In the brushwood, the bullet in his
thigh giving him intense pain. With his
snout buried between his paws, he lay mo-
tionless, deafened, maddened with fear. not
even dreaming Of self-defense. The SOL
diers sent one bullet after another into the
thicket, hoping to hit him and thus cause
him to show himself; but 1t was diflcult
matter to get at him In this way. He was
only killed late in the evening. having been
driven out Of his place Of refuge by fire.
Every one who possessed rifle deemed 1T
his duty to lodge bullet in the poor brutes
body. and when the skin was taken off 1t
was SO riddled that 1t was not good for any
thing.-From the Russian. in Short Stories