The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1898-10-23

ing of a house dog. Not thing was
stirring in the wods. The gloom be-
came more pronounced each moment.
Presently l head the dogs growl in
queer manner and few minutes later
the quick, sharp report of a charge OF
smokeless from Bettys gun was clap
ping back and forth in the forest.
waited for her to speak, but all was
still. AT first / was curious to know
what she had shot at. Then | got un-
easy Finally, | started pell-mell to
see, leaping along like deer with all
sorts of vague misgivings rushing
through my mind. Presently | got
glimpse of Betty, standing by small
pine and peering intently down among
the rocks beyond the wall. AS I drew
near 1 saw that she was pale and tren-
bling. She turned with a look of relief
as she saw me approaching, unlocked
the left barrel of her gun and sank to
rock.
"I've shot a bear!" she whispered.
her voice tremulous. There he is over
there among the rocks. You can just
get a glimpse of his back from where
you stand
A deep, long drawn sigh escaped her
as 1 stood up on tiptoe and looked.
Sure enough there was a bit of this
black, shaggy coat sticking above
boulder not far from a great dark hole
in the rocks.
/ felt just as much elated as if I'd
killed Bruin myself and 1 sat down by
Betty, took her hand and called her a
brave girl and a crack shot. Then
Betty told me her story
While she was patiently waiting and
just beginning to get bit nervous at
| the stiffness, she was startled by hear
ing the dogs growl. She peered eagerly
about, but nothing was in sight. A mo-
ment later she heard a great rustling
in the dead leaves and just then got
| a glimpse of the top of a shaggy coat
moving down among the rocks. The
nature of the animal flashed across her
mind in moment. Her first thought
was to turn and run, her second to call
for me; but then she pulled herself to-
| gether, broke her gun down, pulled
out the squirrel charges and put7ra
couple of loads of buckshot in their
places. She quickly snapped the gun
| together and cooked both barrels.
| Bruin was still half-hidden, making his
way up to the hill with only the top
of his back in sight. On he came Betty
waiting nervously. Presently he
rounded the corner of a boulder and
started UP the hill straight for her. It
| seemed to Betty she'd never seen so
big a bear before. She raised the gun,
| but as she did so a dreadful fear that
! She might only wound the brute and
make him furious came over her But
the thought that the gun contained
buckshot and that the second barrel
was cooked gave her confidence. On
came. the big brute, swaying from side
to side as he walked and making a
great rustling in the leaves. Betty
glanced along the. polished barrels,
brought the shining brass head on to
the big head. held it firmly there and
pulled the trigger. Through the ~
veil of smoke she saw the brute stop
culver for a moment and then fall over.
roll back among the rocks and shudder
convulsively. She waited for him to
rise, but he did not move, and she
was still watching him when I came
up.
| Rugged Betty again and said all
sorts of things that aren't material in
this story We decided that we'd have
the rug in "our" den and my smoI5
ing room. Darkness was settling fast
and the tree trunks were becoming in
distinct each moment. 1 picked up nav
gun, clambered over the stone wall and
started down the hillside. Rocks, pines
and the poor light kept Bruin from nv
sight for time, but in a few moments
caught sight of the great, black car
eass stretched out, stone dead The
| sight sent a thrill through me.
bounded forward and a moment stood
over the big beast. l bent down. ~
II was a mammoth porcupinei