Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1897-01-23

her apron OF SWeeI thpDleS, us bnc puTueu
again to the blacl1ness of the forest
path.
Between This cabin and the next tho
distance was but half mile. Her
nerves were now getting sowcll steadied
that She no longer cared for the loom
ing and shifting shadows, till at length
shadow distinctly smaller than the
rest made the underbrush rustic audiblS
with its motion. Her heart gave a
most uncomfortable leap, and she
straightway thought of the wolf which
her husband had spoken of. But, wolf
or shadow, it fled away without menac-
ing her; and she came in safety to the
last cabin between her and home.
Here the neighbors were asleep, and
she had to arouse them in order to beg
another pine-knot. The one which she
had got at the previous house was by no
means burned out, but she feared lest it
should fail before the end of her jour
ney. The sleepy neighbours were aston
ished at her appearance. They threat
cned to detain her by force, when she
refused their invitation to stay all night
with them. But Mrs. Buckler was by
this time n good deal worked up" as
she afterward expressed herself; and
she treated their kind persuasions with
scant courtesy. She almost ran from
the house; but in her apron, among the
sweet apples, she carried the extra pine
knot, all the same.
To ward off unpleasant thoughts, she
kept picturing in her mind the way the
children would enjoy the apples in the
morning. She also thought of the re-
monstrances, tempered with ill-con-
cenled admiration, with which her hus-
band would greet her return. Her
blood quite glowed again as she thought
of the lofty fashion in which she would
make light of it all. Just at this mo-
ment she saw, in the middle of the path
before her, a.large black bear, watching
her curiously.
Her heart stood still, and she herself
instantly followed this example. Then
she reflected that she must appear
calmly Indifferent, if she would hope to
escape. Slowly she moved forward
again. waving her torch; and the bear,
stepping out of the path, watched her
nun uitC uiIbSll VI ei''h
as she vert by. Then he stepped back
into the path and followed her.
Her first and most natural impulse
was to run like the wind for home, but
this, after one startled leap forward,
she checked with mighty effort of her
will. She walked on with swift but
steady steps, watching the bear out of
the corner of her eye, but all the time
clutching obstinately at her apronful
of apples. The bear, very slowly, kept
drawing closer and closer, bent upon at
taclxing, but evidently deferred by
dread of the torch.
But the torch, meanwhile, was burn
ing low; and Mrs. Buckler, in her ex.
citement, failed at first to notice this.
She was holding the pine-knot over he!'
shoulder, as sort of shield against her
pursuer. When, with shaking at the
knees, she realized that it was on the
point of lickering out, she tried hastily
to light the other; and in the effort
some of her treasured apples fell out OF
her apron and rolled behind her on the
path.
AS soon as the bear came to these
apples he stopped and began devour-
ing them with the keenest relish.
"Why!" Thought Mrs. Buckler, with
a sudden tightening of her load of ter
ror; its not me he's after, but the
sweet apples!" and straightway all her
old courage returned.
She paused and took time to light her
new pine-knot deliberately and well.
Then she hurried on; and it was some
minutes before her pursuer was again
at her heels.
And now, so sudden are the revul-
sions of u woman's feelings, she was
concerned only for the sweet apples.
They We're the children's apples; and it
went sorely against her grain to let
bear have any of them. Not until he
had come most uncomfortably close
could she bring herself to again propiti-
ate him; and then she doled out but
three of the precious green globes,
dropping them on the path behind her
with slow reluctance.
The animal took perhaps a quarter of
a minute to dispose of this niggardly
contribution, and then came on again
with sort of hopeful confidence.
mol" declared Mrs. Buckler, firmly,
"you amt goin' to have another one!"
and she fairly broke into run. But
when that heavy, shambling gallop
sounded close at her back, her reso-
luton weakened, and she dropped a
couple more out of the apron. While
the much gratified bear delayed to eat
these, she rounded turn of the road,
and was gladdened by the sight of her
own window glimmering some 200
yards in front.
Calling her husbands name two or
three times at the top of her voice, till
she saw him fling open the door and
rush out to meet her, she hugged the
remnant of the apples to her breast,
flung her torch ut the bear, and sped
like deer toward the house. Whether
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