Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1896-04-25

WAS LYING ACROSS THE BEARS BODY.
The thing had dreaded in my forest
wanderings with Jack"
"What?" the society demands, with
one voice.
81 had raised my rifle when I felt
something fluttcring in my hair. I
fancied leader had slipped from my
hat rim. Oh, horror, it was spider
and as shook my head violently to dis
lodge it, it struggled into my ear.
II 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.
II tainted, and when l came to my
self, was lying across the bears body,
with six strange men standing around
| me.
"Ten thousand boiler factories were
at work in my brain. Hear the noises,'
I cried. Will no one stop them?
"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 doctor.
He hung over the yachts 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, quieting the
mosquitoes struggles and restoring the
nan to sanity.
81 believed myself in the mans plight,
stark, staring mad, when, upon this
peak of Darien, 500 miles from an am
bulance and surgeon, 1 heard one of
the men to whom I had so wildly ap-
pealed reply, quietly: Have no fear,
madam, you are in safe hands, for we
are all doctors'
"They deluged my ear with water
from a nearby stream, which they
brought in tin cup. Finding the
spider still unsubdued, one of the doc
tors asked for hypodermic syringe.
Five were instantly proffered. An icy
arrow penetrated, seemingly, TO the
seat of the gray matter, still without
effect upon the spider, whose pernicious
activity caused me indescribable agony.
Either is the only remedy 1 said,
at last, and as coherently as I could
L repeated the story of the engineer.
Enthusiastically returned the
doctor who was attending to me
why, of course. Brown, fetch out your
ether-bottle,' and if Brown did not pro
duce from the depths of his waistcoat-
pocket small bottle of ether, may |
be instantly retired from the presi-
dency of our society. 1t transpircd
later that Brown was physician with
an alien hobby-entomology--and car
riSd ether with him everywhere to an
aesthetize his specimens.
"In an instant relief came such
blessed relief as only one who has
passed through an experience like nina
can appreciate.
"The rest of the story is soon told.
When l 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 ot
me. For what did the elk and the bear
matter, with the memory of the spider
fresh in our minds?
mo, decidedly" Mrs. Jack repeats,
as the maid fetches her a second cup of
tea, 81 shall never dare to look tiger
in the face, after my Waterloo on tho
Big Muddy. 1t would have been a
pleasing legend for my tombstone
this:
Zone
To whom the forests were an open book;
Who Joined to Diana's daring the skill OF
her spear ="
| Lies hereHi
Slain by bug in her ear"
Mary Wakeman Botsford, in San
Francisco Argonaut
g. W. M. Reynolds selected MAS