Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-06-26
B0NNY BEESICKLE.
A Story for Boys.

Copyright, 1897, by the Bacheller Syndicate.)
Written for The Evening Star.
Upon a bruad. fiat span of the Sierra
Nevadas stood a little cabin. 1t stood SO
near the edge Of the road that its door
fright have opened on the highway, had it's
narrow little porch not interviewed. A Gag
giEg gate connected post, at the other
end Of the cabin. with a fence across the
road. presenting barrier to all who travel
Ell that Way. At the top appeared. in clum-
sy letters, an inscription that explained it's
purpose-"Toll Gate"
Out OF the doorway one summer morning
came tall, thin woman, who gazed for a
moment along the winding, deserted road,
then went around to the rear of the house.
Bruce" she called, Bruce"
Here. aunty," returned the voice Of a
boy, here in the she'd" y stout young fell
low, with the clearest and brightest of
eyes, came quickly to the door,
III Warran',' said his aunt-a queer cid
dame from Scotland. we're tinkerin' that
worthless aud beesickle. What CARS We
waste yere time? It's an auld thing, and no
sic bonny heesckle.''
Its better than no bicycle at all, by a
long start" responded Bruce, ''and I'm oil
ing her up
Il doobt it isna better than yere buiks,
morning?'
on, aunty. I'm getting awful sick of the
DOCKS, these ire warm days. I'll study to-
night. 4e ken I'm needing the air, and be-
sides"
He stopped abruptly, for a distant shout
made both his aunt and himself turn quick
~ around, to search the road and then the
NH; with quick and practiced eyes.
Man on horseback, said the lad in n sec
ond, ION the Geiger trail:' and he pointed
to canon winding sharply down at an an
gle to the road and to the left
FROM where they stood they saw that the
win perspiration. His rider was urging
MIN forward, however at a ,lesperate
Speed though the way was rough ami dam
gerous A second later the horse lurched
across &c ITS rider. Then it lay still among
the bouders. s
WIN cry of alarm the boy and his aunt
ran forward, over the rocks and through
Tue pruSh, scrambling ana climbing yo,lny
Bruce far IN the Il ad. 1t wa, only a m nu;s
unlil ne reached the place
oretched on the earth lay the rider, an
p PARE, unconscious. his face deathly
neck broken ~"
Inc man gave groan ard moved. Bruce
was down beside him on the instant The
of agony. ~ A"-A
"oh. oh! you're terribly hurt"' cried the
boy; you're HI rt!''
Go-to Fremont-for men," moaned the
Woihaed rider "Cave-in the Geiger-
twenty mners-Tm all right--in a minute
horse?" "
"A cave in the Geger mine?" cried the
don't mean-buried?''
yes! cried the man, attempting to rise.
and falling back. .'You'il have 10 go-do
you hear? How's the horse?'
Dead said Bruce.
The rider painfully rose to his knees.
Go on, them" he cried in a voice made
snrll by pain. They'll all die before yeh
can walk it. but we've got to try! Not a
horse In twenty mile. Git out !-Git a start,
What We waiting fer?'
but Bruce had started already.
Inc mind of the boy began to work with
electric quicsncss as he ran. 1t was TWEEN
ty-nVe miles by the nearest trail to FIRE.
mont; it was thirty by the road 1t was a
long upgrade TO the summit, then down
though sand and rocks and winding can
ons Not horse in twenty mi!es"-but
his wheel was there. He ran to the she'd
and rolled the old-fashioned machine from
ITS place.
AS he came to the front he was met by
his aunt She had left the man a moment
whlie she ran to get water.
An, laGdie. moo, yere IA gang to wastit
yere time wild yer aud beesickcle?' she
cried. from the doubts of her heart. Ma,
ma, Brucie, laddie. it's no use"
Il We got to ride" he answered Didn't
ye hear him? Twenty men in the Geiger,
and she's caved.' He mounted and started
on the second. Away toward the noun
tains wound the road, with a level grade
and hard-packed surface for mile or
so: then commenced a gradual climb, where
the dust was thick and the sun beat down
on rocks and cliffs and occasional patches
of manZanita and chincopin
He had started bravely: but when three
or four miles Of the grade had been done
young Bruce was breathing holly and his
throat was dry. He stopped at a spring,
refreshed himself and tciied on upward as
fast as he could.
In an hour he arrived at long course of
sand. and was obliged to get off and push
the wheel. Only the thought of the miners
imprisoned in the tunnel nerved him to the
effort now necessary to proceed.
Mile after mile. alternately walking and
riding, he Travelled. AT length he reached
the front of the final ascent The road
here was hard, and it twisted through COW
erS Of brush, young timber. and the alders
that grow where the ground retains its
dampness In patches, here and there, lay
snow still unmelted.
Filling his lungs with the keener. fresher
air, the boy spun along at clip that made
him hopeful. Suddenly. as he whirled
around a curve, he found himself confront
ed by queer round little creature plump
in the middle of the track. In a second
out cry and he knew-as he fell. wheel
and all-that the cub of a grizzly bear was
the cause of his disaster
He had barely had time to mount again
before the thing he expected came to pass
"a roar rent the air. crashing was heard
in the brush, and the mother of the squeal-
ing cub rushed forth in pursuit.
There was nothing for it now but to
"scorch," and scorch he did. He threw
himself forward and pedaled like an en-
sine, desperately, furiously, while the bear
came tearing on behind. For d space the
read was easy, and he gained; then the hill
doomed up ahead, and he knew that to take
that track was hopeless. He cast glance
to the rear; fearful mouth, lolled open,
and the big beast throwing up pebbles and
earth as she clawed her way along in the
race made terrifying and rever-to-be-
forgotten picture.
Then, like an inspiration. came the re-
of the 'two-mile cut off"
through the brush in the gap" 1t was
just narrow trail and the manzanita hard
ly parted for its width: yet its tread was
hs I'd and it was slightly down grade-any-
how, 1t afforded his only possible chance of
escape.
All this he realized in second. In
moment more his keen, sharp eyes had dis |
covered the rift where the trail '.struck
off, and his wheel was headed for the
unknown things beyond. AS he entered the
brush the grizzly gave roar; scarcely
more than fifty yards behind, she dashed |
through in pursuit.