Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1898-06-25

hrSt, but rather more evil looking.
This was the female. She had stolen
tearfully in to look for her mate. She
was Il cougar suspectinga trap.
Mrs. Ames stared one second at the
creature, then, desperately enfolding
hey baby as if to hide it, she stepped
forward, uttering terrified and terri
flying screams, and seized in her free
hand the kettle Of boiling water that
had just begin to hiss over the fresh
kindling. Whether the screams, or
the threat of the kettle, or the forward
motion of Mrs. Ames scared the fe-
male cougar to flight, no one can be
sure, but the creature turned tail and
dashed out of the kitchen door.
Then the little womae shut that
door and bolted it, and hugged her
baby and kissed it, and began to laugh
Historically. Frightened as she was,
she had n 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 formidable 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
climbed out by way of the big fire
place and up the enormous chimney.
As she stepped down to the floor she
heard the muflled fall of the cougar S
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 open the door of
the kitchen or any outer door. The
sun was nearly down. She suspected
the beasts would be more courageous
after dark. What were they doing? 1?
Suddenly she saw both of them peer
ing down at her and the baby through
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 fifteen feet away
from the baby! No wonder the nerves
of poor little Mrs. Ames gave way
again, and she sank down on kitchen
chair almost in faint.
Still she was conscious of those
hungry, staring eyes; and sue could
not move--she could barely keep the
baby from falling out of her arms!
They stared so deliberately, so gloat-
ingly, that it seemed that the next
moment they would crash through the
glass and down at her. Now one of
them put it's claw forward and felt the
glass, and then began to claw it softly,
as if puzzled at the invisible obstacle.
Suddenly 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 a settler named Keegan, up the
Nehalem River, were those three
bouncing little pigs. He was to de-
liver them at his convenience. Now
it had been more convenient to go of
with the hunting party that day, and
so Jered had put the pigs in the covered
shed, or storehouse, in which there
happened to he nothing which they
could harm.
The pigs, perhaps scenting the cou.
gars, had begun to squeal loudly. The
cougars found these sounds interest
ing. Leaping to the ground, they
stared into storehouse through the
chinks in its log walls, then enlarged
some of these chinks by clawing ou'
chips and hay and earth, then thrust
in their sharp claws and tried to seize
the pigs. But the pigs, all the time
sluealing loudly, easily kept ont o
the way.
The cougars soon began looking i'm
patiently about for an entrance. They
sprang to the roof of the shed, bu
found no opening there. They peeref
down from the edges at the sides
Now board that finished the top o
the slant just under one edge of thu
roof had been long loosened and hunt
down. Looking through the chink
the cougars saw the appetizing pigs
they clawed vigorously at the board
it gave way, and in two seconds botl
the sinuous beasts had sGuirmet
through the hole and dropped into th'
shed.
In vain did Mrs. Ames put he
hands to her ears-nothing could shu
ont the shrieks and squeals and hor
rid growls. The baby screamed ant
screamed so that she feared it woul,
90 into convulsions; and the nigh
was falling fast.
Then came blessed Interruption
loud knock combined with dis
tinctly human kick at the back door
Mrs. Ames rose and opened it. Their
stood Keekan, the settler who owne'
the pigs. He had come down tn
river and up the path to inquire TO
them, and he had already peered int
the shed through the chinks. Their
the cougars were too happily engage
to worry themselves because of an
man. Keegan had dimly seen ther
by the little light through the hol
they had made in the gable.
"Did Jered take his gun up rive
with him?" asked Keegan.
"No. Well, now, to think I neve
!, thought of the gum cried Mr..
Ames.
81 guess I'll inst borrow it nil
ute," said Keegan. "Are there an
, cartridges? Good! Now if you'y
got the spunk to hold light for M
|, we'll fetch those cougars" He e'
t planned his plan. Mrs. Ames put til
baby down on the floor in her bee
' room and came out and shut the doc
4 and trembling with excitement an