The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1897-02-12

the boy. "for the last man who tackled
one in the mountains got badly hurt:
and l shouldn't know where to set my
traps to get one If ever I have the
luck, though he added, as he started
to go. '1'll remember not to take his
scalp"
ooh, l hope you'll catch one right
away said the impetuous young lady.
eff you do, bring it here and the money
is yours
In the hurry of the double work
which the 10y was undergoing. and the
worry of the bill hanging over tho head
of his mother, he soon forgot the incident
completely, He tried hard to think of
some eXpedient whereby the sale of his
fathers watch could be avoided, but the
times were bad and money scarce. To
add to the i'll fortune, his traps were
found empty, morning after morning.
He got fine large bait. one evening.
from the butcher. pulled his traps from
The ground, dragged the meat through
the brush to cnticc any prowling ami
mails, and set his quick little snappers
6 6hi"' al " ''"s" '"''''e ''' '"'' "' '''
Early OH the following morning. Law
renee shouldercd his club. and fastened
to the foothills. The weather WAS cold
er. he began to feel the need of warm
er clothing; in fact. he and his mother
needed a number of things beyond the
purchasing power of his meager salary.
halt was lying he was quite amazed to
find that both traps had nipped the
claws of animals of some sort, and We're
dragged off in the usual way. Near at
hand he found his captive number one,
a miserable, almost hairless coyote, too
utterly cowed to raise its head.
"Poor beast. you can 60. said the
1oI NJ f1n
trap he released the creature, which
limDed away in the brush in a marvellous
hurry.
Bringing back the trap he threw it
down, and started carelessly along the
trail of the other drag. Over rocks,
through bushes, down hill and up. 1t
went-a surprising distance, for general
rods with the weight gouginy out the
soil at every inch of his progress.
Suddenly, just as the boy came around
Il clump of brush unusually dense, a
huge form launched itself toward him,
and a fearful roar vibrated through his
ears. His club. which swung loosely in
his hand, was rudely struck away, and
he lodged barely in time to save himself
from being flung to the earth by the
weight of the monster lynx that had
leaped to slay him.
AS it was, the hound of the boy had
fallen short. and the maddcned creature,
that rose in. spite Of the trap and weight
that dangled from it's massive paw. held
to his clothing for the second of time
necessary to spring again at his throat.
battle to the death was on in all i'll
slant. The arms and chest of the black
smith lad>were swelled to their greatest
tension. With a twist that wrcnched
his shoulders he tore the claws of the
raging beast from his neck and dashed
it partially away.
But tho animal rose again like fury,
tearing at his shoulders and arms rip
ping away his garments, and began to
try to sink it's fangs i'll the flesh of his
hip.
Boy and beast staggered back together,
and the dragging weight of the trap got
caught in the stubborn branches of Il
bush. The crea ture, however. gave Il
tremendous lurch that parted the chain.
1t was now free of most of it's hindrancc
and might have escaped with ease; but
it chose to fight.
With ali the force Of that fierce, hcavc
on the boy. He was overthrown. but
struggled, first to his knees. then to a
knee and a foot, and fought like Il giunt
SEEING the paw that was still caught in
the trap and fetching it under his leg,
he gave it a wrench of such, terrible
force as to snap the joint. -.
With u howl of rage the creature re-
doubled it's efforts; the paw had been
simply useless before, but was now Il
source Of added fury. Lawrence was
again pressed to the earth, battered OH
the side of the head, his arm ripped
down till the deep-clawed cash gaped
open and bled like a spring.
He was now Infatuated himself: he
felt a gush Of strength incredibly great.
He grappled with the brute with dcs-
perate recklessness, and over and over
down the hill they rolled, for ut least a
rod. When they stopped his hand came
sharp and heavy, Embedded III the sand
This he wrenched from the ground, and
fetched mighty blow at the head Of
his raging foe. The IA Rpell stone str11nlS