The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-03-06
MRS. AMES AND THE LIONS.
ALSO THREE LITTJE Pres, a BABT,
IND THE OWkER OF THE POS.
The stery or an ssScitinR EvenipG ter the
YepnR win or = wsedsrsan wbe was
TensperariIH Absent-sneoesalve narnrisea

uoNnb VIII NNbNNsNN-1 WV W
Temporarily Absent-sucossnive Burprises
From the Youths COMPANION,
There had been for days q great are In the for
est up toward Onion Peak. and n strong win
was driving II 30 far toward the settlement o
the Upper Nehalom that some OF the peopl
watched Il with fear. But to Jored Ames
was bringing a small harvest of silver. for h
was q guide as we'll as q freighter on tho river
and FIRE on tho Oregon heights meant game Of
the lower. accessible levels. Jercd had take
two parties Of hunters up the river already. TIC
day he wss away with tho third, and on his re
turn he must deliver three pigs sent TO hin
Tor q settler named Keegan.
Usually Jcrcd's young wife did not fret a
being left alone with tho year.old baby, but nov
the heat and smoke oppressed her imagination
and made her think OF the end OF the world. ant
set her wishing for some neighbor to talk with
The baby. too.swas I'll at ease In the sultry
smoke.scented air. and cried f~retfully as she
tried to rock It to sleep after her early supper.
From her seat, which was under. q pine behind
the cabin, the little woman could SEQ q Ions
stretch OF the path on which her husband must
return from his boat, but she could not see his
boathouse nor the river, 1t was possible that
heart was sore with longing to see his tail form
stridinR toward her. 1t was possible, too, that
somebody. some messenger or hunter. might
freighter, and she watched the path lest some
stranger should take her by surprise.
letting 1t lilo unhugged. on her lap that 1t might
be the cooler. Its crying ceased, and 1t seemed
HsSSu s;;,sGs s1iIsp i, with sbr,d ,ss face ss + IpF froa f, soms her in:
s%tinctive ALARM. and turned to her, clutching
with it, feebls, little hands and burying Its face
affrishted the child, stared down the path. and
there saw u moving thing which instantly dis.
"A dog. she thought. Somebody's dog
its owner is coming for Jered. Whoever 1t is
will have to stay all night, for IT'S too late now
tho man will want supper
She clutched the baby and ut her grasp it
screamed as Il in the widest terror-a, motto
which made her again wonder W at allied it.
into the Kitchen she ran, put the kettle again on
the stove and thrns. in some kindiing; Then
and tried to brush her hair and tidy herself
with one hand while she held the crying baby
It struck her. after a little while, that she
ought to have heard the footstep OF voice or
t tiny io Si hne s slass toward srd t ine d 5uTn OF t 1Ss b eSr
room, beyond which was the open door of the
kitchen, There stood a full.grown cougar. or
She recognized the beast at the first glance,
although she had never ,seon one before, and in
beasts were So eaunt ana d rusty looking. "l WIN
In the next instant:the wild shrek of her baby
reused her to action and she threw her shoulder
against the door just rs the rusty, tawny long
body. crouchcd. The latch snapped down; then
the door shook as II from one blow OF q heavy,
Mduut Hidllet, unu INC MN PARTITION OF uD-
right boards ratified and crcaked. The little
woman. stood in mortal terror and the baby,
which had instinctively ceased to cry, pressed
Its head to her bosom and clutched with trem-
bling hands.
For an instant the partition seemed likely
fierce sweep OF wild claws across the boards,
and then there was a great crash in the kitchen.
s Nothi nS,s out "a. a fa No OF ero rocker c could ,ho 1e Ssr mt for
and cups and saucers. her preserve dishes, her
admired glass pitcher, and probably her treas
all tumbled at once from the shelves fastened
to.the partition. In an instant she was as angry
Courage eo n + Sere eam neq ba "Rsf IN f fSil f force' snd t she puiI hsF
open the door recklessly to scold at the cougar.
He had been frightened badly already; he had
at n bound, but he had not leaped out of the
house. He had gone the other way. His head
the precious crockery fehI. and his leap had sent
him into the front ROOM" where he stood sur
prised, alarmed. awaiting something. dreadful:
into silence by the noise. opened the bedroom
door. she saw in the kitchen looking glass the
ing her. and she screamed at it with such shrilI-
ness that the scared beast shrank into the dark
SPACE between The !IS, chest Of drawers" and the
in the same instant, slipping forward boldly.
The other door and the windows OF that
room were all closed. and now Mrs. Ames felt
that she was mistress OF the situation. The
ture shutfied around uneasiiy inside.
ing my things over,' said Mrs. Ames. aloud and
vengefully, hut whom Tered comes home he
She gazed about at the relics of her beloved
crockery. That awful spectacle made her an
E Gre,hd than 2, eyer yer and then she ememhered a
standing on a chair, she could watch her foe
and taunt him.
Mrs. Ames had ono foo on the chair when a
fearful scream came from the cougar in the
front room, which was instantly answered by
Just such another from a spot not ten feet be-
the open back door crouched q second cougar.
not so large as the first, but rather more evil
~fearfuliy in to look for her mate. She was a
cougar suspecting a trap.
then. desperately cnfolding her baby as il to
and terrifying, screams, and seized in her free
begun to hiss over the fresh kindlinR. Whether
tho screams or the threat OF the kettle, or the
male cougar to flight, no one can be sure. but
the creature turned tail and dashed out of the
Then the little woman shut that door and
bolted 1t and Rugged her baby and kissed 1t and
began to laugh Historically. Frightened as she
funny, and that cougars were as easy to deal
WITH US cats or hens. Hor anxiety for the baby's
f'is n a cougars Gaale SS 4ha her b ret, isae sh not sp to me ee,
ton her formidable kettle of hot water.
But Mrs; Ames was not out of her troubles
vet. She heard n great clawiEg in the front
room. then silence, and she suspected the truth.
Rising on the chair and looking through the
knothole. she saw no eougar-he had climbed
out by way OF the big fireplace and up the enor-
nous chimney. As she stepped down TO the
floor she heard tho muffied fall of the cougars
leap from the top. of the chimney 10 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 courageous after
dark; What were they doingi suddenly sho
saw both OF ihem peering down al her and the
baby. thr pugh a small. uDcurtained wind NV
which was between the roof OF tho shed and
the caves of the house.
Staring at her-both.of .fhem crouching on
the rOof-not fifteen feet away from tho baby!
No wonder the nerves. OF poor little Mrs. Anics
gave way again and she,sank down on a kitchen
chair almost in a faint.
Still she was conscious OF those hungry. star.
ing eyes; and she could not moye-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 its claw forward
and felt the glass, and then began to claw il
softly. as II puzzled at the invisible obstacle.
suddenly both rose; they, had heard pigs and