Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1897-06-17
THE WILD NAN
OF ECHO LAKE.

Echo Lake in a hurry; and it is
likely to continue to be the last
trip, so far as | am concerned, and
| think Jim is of the same mind.
Echo Lake is one of the prettiest
sheets of water ever saw, two miles
long, one mile broad and hemmed
in on all sides by sloping hills,
timbered with spruce and pine.
In the very centre is little is
land, not more than fifteen or
twenty yards in diameter, and here
Jim and / built a small cabin, half
n dozen years ago.
Every winter, as soon as the
snow was on the ground, we would
tramp TO Echo Lake, dragging our
sled behind us; and there we would
remain for several weeks, fishing
for pickerel through the ice and
hunting the various kinds of game
that were to be found in the vicin-
ity.
The cabin was snug and warm,
with bunks fitted in the walls. and
nothing was lacking to make as
Those trips were something to
look forward to through the whole
year, and | remember what high
spirits we were in when the last
time we started away from the viii
lage.
1t was a bright December morn
ing, and the snow was crusted so
hard that it bore our weight read
lily, while the sled, loaded with the
guns, blankets and provisions,
seemed to move of its own accord.
1t was q good twenty tramp,
but the sun was still some distance
above the horizon when we reached
the last intervening hilltop and
saw the ice. bound surface of Echo
Lake spread before us.
= Half an hour later we reached
the island. The cabin door was
standing aiar; but everything ap-
peared the same as usual inside.
and we did not give the circum-
stance a second thought.
A roaring blaze was soon shoot
ing up the big fireplace, and the
room grew odorous with fried po-
tatoes and crisp slices Of bacon.
We were ravenously hungry that
evening, and thoroughly worn out,
TOO, for we slept soundly in our
hunks until the sun was streaming
in one little window of the cabin.
Jim was absent all day IN the
neighboring hills, and about the
middle of the afternoon he return
ed, with two pheasants and three
brace of plump quail. In the mean
time / had been fishing for pickerel
through the ice, right in front of
the cabin, and caught a fair-sized
string of fish.
We had some of the quail for sup
per, and after a pleasant chat around
the embers of the fire we turned in
and were soon asleep.
/ was awakened some time later
by a strange cry outside. 1t had
aroused Jim, too, and he was sit
ting mp in mis- bunk.
'It's a wildcat he declared after
listening for moment. Those quail
have brought the creature over here
from the mainland. There are
blood-drops all the way on the
snow
The window-shutter was tightly
closed, but the logs on each side of
the doorway were not fitted togeth-
er very closely, and moving noise
lessly across the floor We dropped
down on our knees and peered out
through the crevices.
It was bright moonlight outside
and We saw the wildcat plainly
enough. The creature was prowl-
ing about the open space in front
Of the cabin. smiling at the snow
trodden ground.
'I'll give him more than he bar
gains for said the Jim, as he took
his rifle from the pegs over the
door. open the shutter the least
little bit, Ned, and don't make
more noise than you can help
l was just rising to do as Jim re-
quested, when the wildcat uttered
fierce snarl and crouched low. as il
for spring, bis head turned to-
ward the thicket of bushes and
young timber that skirted the edge
of the island.