The Portland daily press., 1898-03-11

sense that it was all very funny, and that
cougars were as easy to deal with as eats
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 formidable kettle of hot
water.
l. But Mrs. Ames was not out OF her
troubles yet. She heard great olawing
| in the front room, then silence, and she
suspected the truth. Rising on the chair
and looking through the knothole, she
saw no cougar-he had climbed out by
way of the big fireplace and up the en-
| ormous chimney. AS she stepped down
| to the floor she heard the muffied fall of
the cougars leap from the top of the
chimney to the big shingles of the roof.
| There were two of them outside now
and she dared not opsn 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 crouohing
on the roof-not fifteen feet away from
the babyl No wonder the nerves OF poor
sank down on a kitchen chair almost in
faint
Still she was conscious of those hungry
staring eyes; and she could not move
she could barely keep the baby from fall
ing 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
the glass, and then began to claw it
softly, as If puzzled at the invisible OBJ
stacle. Suddenly both rose; they had
heard pigs and on the instant both van
ished.
Among the last freight sent up to Jered
Ames with directions to deliver it to q
settler named Keegan, up sthe Nehalem
River, were those Ethree bouncing little
pigs. He was to deliver them at his con-
yenience. Now it had been more conven-
lent to go off with the hunting party that
day, and SO Jered had put the pigs in the
covered shed, or storehouse, in which
there was nothing which they could harm
The pigs, perhaps scenting the cougars,
found these sounds interesting. Leaping
to the ground, they stared into the store
house through the chinks in les log walls,
then enlarged some of these ehinks 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 squeezing loudly, kept out of the
way.
The cougars soon began looking i'm
patiently about for ON 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 I'M
der one edge of the roof had been long
loosened and hung down. Looking
through the ohink, the cougars saw the
appetizing pigs; they clawed vigorously
at the board; it gave way, and In two
seconds both the sinuous beasts had
suuirmed through the hole and dropped
into the shed.
In vain did Mrs. Ames put her hands
to her ears-nothing could shut out the
shr1eks and squeals and horrid growls.
The baby screamed so that she feared it
would go into commissions; and the night
was falling fast.
Then came 10 blessed interruption-a
loud knock com ined with distinctly
human kick at the back door. Mrs.
Ames rose and opened 1t. 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 hap
ply engaged to worry themselves because
of any man. Keegan had dlmly seen
them by the little light through the hole
they had made in the gable.
aDlu Jeteu thke Ills gun up TlFeI WILL
him2'' asked Keegan.
.sNo. Well, now, to think I never
thought of the gun p cried Mrs Ames.
t'I guess I'll just borrow 1t minute,
said Keegan. 'fAre there any cartridges9
Goodi Now, If you We got the spunk to
hold a light for me, Wen 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 excitement and
fear and eagerness, bravely helped Kee-
gan.
She tied bunch Of paper loosely about
q broom handle and sprtnkled kerosene
over the torch. She stood on barrel and
held this light up to the opening the cou-
gars had made in the shed. They did not
dare to spring at the fire. In fact, they
had not five seconds to decide on any pro-
ceeding. for Keegan, putting the muzzle
of the double barrelled gun through a
chink in the wall Of the shed, shot both
neatly, from Substance of six feet. The
charges of shot passed solidly, like great
bullets, through the lank bodies.
And then Mrs. Ames surprised and
alarmed the settlers as never cougars
could. She went into Mysteries, and was
still wildly laughing and crying at once,
when her husband came up the path,
and held her lin his strong arms, and
soothed the brave little mother to quiet
while the tired baby went contentedly to
CLAN