The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1898-05-26

not so large as the first, but rather more
evil looking. This was the female. She
had stolen fearfully in to look for her
mate. She was cougar suspecting a
trap.
Mrs. Ames stared one second az the
creature, then desperately enfolding
her baby, as if to hide it, she stepped
forward uttering terrified and terribly
ing screams, and seized in her free hand
the kettle of boiling water that had just
begun to hiss over the fresh kindling.
Whether the screams or the threat of
the kettle or the forward motion of
Mrs. Ames scared the female cougar to
flight no one can be sure, but the crea-
ture turned tail and dashed out of the
kitchen door,
Then the little woman shut the door
and bolted it and Rugged her baby and
kissed it and began to laugh hysteric-
ally. Frightened as she was, she had
certain sense that it was all very funny,
and that cougars were as easy to deal
with as cats or hens. Her anxiety for
the baby's life had quite gone-she felt
that she could defeat cougar with her
broomstick, not to mention her formid-
able kettle of hot water.
But Mrs. Ames was not out of her
troubles yet. She heard great claw
ing in the front room, then silence,
and she suspected the truth. Rising on
the chair and looking through the
knot hole, she saw no cougar-he had
n linn haA orIth H,1x 9
and up the enormous chimney. AS she
stepped down to the floor she heard the
muf1led fall of the cougars leap from
the top of the chimney to the big shin
giles of the roof.
There were two of them outside now
and she dared not open the door of the
kitchen or any outer door. The sun was
nearly down. She suspected the beasts
would be courageous after dark. What
were they doing? Suddenly she saw
both of them peering down at her and
the baby through a small, uncurtained
window which was between the roof
of the shed and the caves of the house.
Staring at her-both of them crouch
ing on the roof-not Is feet away from
the baby! No wonder the nerves of
poor little Mrs. Ames gave way again
and she sank down on a kitchen chair
almost in faint.
Still she was conscious of those hun
CRY, staring eyes; and she could not
move-she could barely keep the baby
from Ealing out of her arms! They
stared so deliberately, so gloatingly,
that it seemed that the next moment
they would crash through the glass and
down at her. Now one of them put its
claw forward and felt of the glass, and
then began to claw it softly, as if puz-
zled at the invisible obstacle. Sudden
~ both rose; they had heard pigs and
on the instant both vanished.
Among the last freight sent up to
Jered Ames with directions to deliver it
to settler named Keegan, up the Ne
holen river, were those three bouncing
little pigs. He was to deliver them at
his convenience. Now it had been more
convenient to go off with the hunting
party that day, and so Jered had put
the pigs in the covered shed, or store
house in which there was nothing which
they could harm.
The pigs, perhaps seeming the coug-
ars, had begun 10 squeal loudly. The
cougars found these sounds interest
ing. Leaping to the ground, they stared
into the storehouse through the chinks
in its log walls, then enlarged some of
these chinks by clawing out chips and
hay and earth, then thrust in their
sharp claws and tried to seize the pigs.
But the pigs, all the time squealing
loudly, kept out of the way.
The cougars soon began looking i'm
patiently about for an entrance. They
sprang to the roof of the shed, but found
no opening there. They peered down
from the edges at the sides. Now a
board that finished the top of the slant
just under one edge of the roof had
been long loosened and hung down.
Looking through the chink, the cougars
saw the appetizing pigs; they clawed
vigorously at the board; it gave way,
and in two seconds both the sinuous
beasts had squirmed through the hole
and dropped into the shed.
Then came a blessed Interruptions
loud knock combined with a distinctly
human kick at the back door. Mrs.
Ames rose and opened it. There stood
keegan, the settler who owned the pigs.
He had come down the river and up the
path to inquire for them, and he had al
ready peered into the shed through the
chinks. There the cougars were too
happily engaged to worry themselves be-
cause of the man. Keegan had dimly
seen them by the little light they had
made through the hole in the gable.
did Jered take his gun up the river
with him?" asked Keegan.
"No. Well, now, to think I never
thought of the gun!" cried Mrs. Ames.
Il guess I'll just borrow it minute"
said Keegan. "Are there any cart
tridges? Good! Now, if you've got the
spunk to hold light for me, We'll fetch
those cougars" He explained his plan.
Mrs. Ames put the baby down on the
floor in her bedroom and came out and
shut the door, and, trembling with ex-
citement and fear and eagerness, brave
ly helped Keegan.
She tied bunch of paper loosely
about a broom handle and sprinkled
lrnr . l..