St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1898-03-23
he srre Int the creature turned tail and


Then the little woman shut that door
and bolted it and Rugged her baby and
kissed it and began to laugh hys-
terically. 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 a cougar with
her broomstick, not to mention her for
midable kettle of hot water.
But Mrs. Ames was not out OF her
troubles yet. She heard great clawing
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
the way of the big fireplace and up the
enormous chimney. AS she stepped down
to the floor she heard the muffled 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 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 small uncurtained win
dow which was between the roof OF the
shed and the caves of the house.
Staring at her-both of them crouch
ing on the rooi-not fifteen feet away
from the baby! No wonder the nerves OF
poor little Mrs. Ames gave away again
,t,a o,.Ir do nj n kftrhPn 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 de-
liberately, 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 obsta-
Gle. Suddenly both rose; they had heard
pigs and on the instant both vanished.
Among the last freight sent up to Tered
Ames with directions to deliver it to
settler named Keegan, up the Nehalem
river, were those three bouncing little
pigs. He was to deliver them at his
convenience. Now it had been more con.
venient to go off with the hunting party
that day, and so Tered had put the pigsin
the covered shed, or storehouse, in which
there was nothing which they could
harm.
The pigs, perhaps scenting the cougars,
had begun to squeal loudly. The cougars
found these sounds interesting. Leaping
to the ground, they started into the
storehouse through the chinks OF 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 root had beer
long loosened and hung down. Looking
through the chink, the cougars saw the
appetiziug pigs; they clawed vigorously
at the board; it gave way, and in two
seconds both the sinuous beasts ha(
suuirmed through the hole and dropped
into the shed.
In vain did Mrs. Ames put her hands
to her ears-nothing could shut out thu
shrieks and squeals and horrid growls
The baby screamed so that she feared i
would go into commissions; and thu
night was falling fast.
Then came blessed interruption =
a loud knock combined with distinctly
human kick at the back door. Mrs
Ames rose and opened it. There stoot
Keegan, the settler who owned the pigs
He had come down the river and up thu
path to inquire for them, and he hat
peered into the shed through the chinks
There the cougars were too happily en-
gagged to worry themselves because o
any man. Keegan had dimly seen then
Ivy the little light through the hole the,
had made in the gable.
Ibid Tered take his gun up the rive
with him ?" asked Keeean.
mo. Well, now. to think l neve
thought of the gum" cried Mrs. Ames.
81 guess III just borrow it minute,
said Keegan. Are there any cartridges
Good Now il you have got the spun
to hold the light for me, we'll fetch thos
cougars" He explained his plan. Mrs
Ames put the baby down on the floor il
her bedroom and came out and shut tn
door, and, trembling with excitement
and fear and eagerness, bravely helpe
Keegan.
She tied bunch OF paper loosely abou
broom handle and sprinkled kerosen
over the torch. She stood on barre
and held this light up to the opening tn
cougars had made in the shed. They di
not dare to spring at the fire. In fact
they had not FIVE seconds to decide O
any proceeding, for Keegan, putting til
muzzle of the double. barreled gun throug
chink in the wall of the shed, shot bot
neatly from a distance of six feet. Tt
charges OF shot passed solidly, like grea
bullets, through the lank bodies.
And then Mrs. Ames surprised an
alarmed the settler as never cougal
could. She went into Mysteries and WE
still wildly laughing and crying at ono
when her husband came up the path, an
held her in his strong arms, and soothe
, the brave little mother to quiet while Il
tired baby went contentedly to Sleep
Youths Companion.
, At recent meeting of the executi,
/. | con NIT rec Of the State Eiremen's acc