Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1896-05-30

across my trail came band of elk,
headed by n magnificent bull.
'Cronching behind bowlder, wait
ed have waited 50 often for big game,
from ALASKA to the gulf Jack says
have seen more than he can ever hope
60 scc il be lives 90 be 100 My hand
was steady. Jack often gets buck fever.
] never do | took deliberate aim. The
clk came toward the bullet and dropped
dead without II struggle. Blazing the
trail as i ISiraced il toward camp for
new bcar tracks was not out that
day for bear, and did not care to come
upon one alone, although / had no
thought If shirking the encounter We're
it forced up1n mr.
"a bear in bear Fit is clumsy
creature. In the woods he challenges
your admiration by his clever fashion
of covering the ground without apparent
effort. The one | soon deserted ahead Of
me was numbering along like bunch
Of tumblcwecd, lcngthening the dis
tance between us at rapid rate.
"Foolishly / indulged myself i'll n
shot at him, striking his shoulder. He
turned upon me with n rear Of pain. AT
that instant l needed all my nerve This
time l chose II tree for cover and await
cd He caro- ON without halt, straight
toward me. | fired again, missing him.
/ was just about to try third shot
when the test cane, of which have
spoken.
1.-THE test?" mirmurs the society
brcathlessly.
1.-THE test of my 'uraEe to which l
had always felt should be unequal
the thing l had dreaded in my forest
wanderings with Jack"
"Whatr the society demands, with
one voice.
II had raised my rife, when / felt
something fluttcring in my hair. fan
cicd leader had slipped from my hat
rim. Oh, horror! 1t was spider! And
as shook my head violently to dislodge
it, it struggled into my ear.
~ have never been conscious of hav
ing fired that third shot. Somehow the
rifle was discharged, and by the same
chance the bullet laid the bear low.
81 tainted, and when / came TO my
self l was lying across the bears body,
with six strange men standing around
me-
"Tcn thousand boiler factories were
at work i'll my brain. Hear the noisesn
/ cried. will no one step thcm?'
"And now comes the strangest part
of my story.
"The engineer Of Jacks yacht once
got mosquito in his ear. 1t drove him
quite mad before we could find doc
tor. He hung over the yacht s side, held
by six Of the crew, begging for death.
When the doctor arrived upon the scene,
he applied handkerchief wet with
ether to the mans ear, quicting the
mosquitoes struggles and restoring the
man to sanity.
II believed myself in the mans
plight-stuk, staring mad-when, upon
this peak of Darien, 500 miles from an
ambulance and a surgeon, heard one
of the men to whom | had so wildly ap-
pcalcd reply quietly, Have no fear,
madam. You are i'll safe hands, for we
are all doctCrs.'
'Thcy delugcd my car with water
from nearby stream, which they
brought in tin cup. Finding the spi-
der still unsubducd. one of the doctors
asked for Il hypo dcrmic syringe Five
We're instantly preferred. An icy arrow
penetrated seemingly to the scat Of the
the spider, whose pornicious activity
caused me indescribable agony.
"'Etber?' cheCrfully returned the doc
tor who was attending 10 me. why, of
! course. Brown, fetch out your ether
bottle. And if Brown did not produce
from the depths Of his waistcoat pocket
small bottle of ether may be in
stantly retired from the presidency of
our society. 1t transpired later that
Brown was physician with an alien
hobby-cntomoloGy--and carried ether
with him everywhere TO anasthetize
his specimens.
'In' an instant relief came--such
blessed relief as only one who has pass
ed through an experience like mine can
appr, ciate
"Thc rest Of the story is soon told
When had gathered myself together,
the six doctors presented themselves to
me with due formality. They dined that
night at our camp on my elk.
Jack was thoroughly ashamed Of
me. What did the elk and the bear
matter with the memory Of the spider
fresh in our minds?
''No, decidedly" Mrs. Jack repeats
as the maid fetches her second cup Of
tea, II shall never dare to look tiger
i'll the face after my Waterloo on the
Big Muddy. Itwould have been pleas
ing legend for my tombstone, this:
| "One
| To whom the forests We're IN open book,
Who joined to Diana's daring the skill Of her
| spear.
| Lies here,
Slain by u bug In her car"
Mary Wakeman Botsford in San
Francisco Argonaut.