The Florence daily tribune., 1899-08-28
m spot ten feet behind her. shl

turned her head. Well. inside the open
back door crouched second cougar.
not 70 large as the first. but rather more
evil looking. This was the female. She
had stolen fearfully in to look for her
mate. She was cougar suspecting
trap.
Mrs. Ames stared one second ut the
creature. then desperately enfolding
her baby. as II to hide IT. she stepped
forward, uttering terrified and terrify
ing screams, and seized in her free hand
the kettle of boiling water that had just
begun TO hiss over the fresh kindlinR.
Whether the screams or the threat of
the kettle or the forward motion of
Mrs. Ames scared the female cougar TO
flight no one can be sure. but the crea-
tnre turned tail and dashed out of the
kitchen door.
Then the little woman shut the door
and bolted il and hugged her baby and
kissed il and began TO laugh hysteric-
ally. Frightened as she was. she had q
certain sense that il 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 fell
that she could defeat cougar with hci
broomstick not to mention her formid
able kettle OF hot water.
But Mrs. Ames was not ont 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-be had
climbed out by way of the big lircplaci
and up the enormous chimney. As sh,
stepped down to he floor she heard the
muffied fall of the cougars leap from
the top of the chimney 10 the big shin
giles 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 a 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 Is feet away from
the babyl No wonder the nerves of
poor little Mrs. Ames gave way again
and she sank down on IA kitchen chair
almost in faint.
Still she was conscious OF those hun
CRY, staring eyes: and she could not
move-she could barely keep the baby
from falling out of her arms! They
stared so deliberately. so gloatingly.
that ii 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 of the glass, and
then began to claw it softly, as if puz-
zled ut the invisible obstacle. Sudden
ly 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 settler named Keegan, up the Ne
holen river, were those three bouncing
little pigs. He was to deliver, them at
his convenience Now il had been more
convenient to go OFT with the hunting
party that day, and SO Jered had put
the pigs in the covered shed, or store
house in which there was nothing which
they could harm.
The pigs, perhaps scouting the coug-
ars, had begun TO squeal loudly. The
cougars found these sounds interest
ing. Leaping to the ground. they stared
into the storehouse through the chinks
in 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 10 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 pcered down
from the edges at the sides. Now "A
board that finished the top of the slant
Just under one edge of the roof had
been long loosened and hung down.
Looking through the chink. the cougars
saw the appetizing pigs; they clawed
vigorously at the board; il gave way,
and in two seconds both the sinuous
beasts had squirmed through the hole
and dropped into the shed.
Then came a blessed interruptions
loud knock combined with distinctly
human kick at the back door. Mrs.
Ames rose and opened il. There stood
httRuu. Nnt ssltlti W ilp oNlitN pigs.
He had come down the river and up the
path to inquire for them. aud he had al
ready peered into the shed through the
chinks. There the cougars were too
happily engaged to worry themselves be-
canse OF the man. Keegan hnd dimly
seen them by the little light they had
made through the hole in the gable.
''Did Jered take his gun up the river
with him?" asked Keegan.
mo. Well. now. to think never
thought of the gnn," cried Mrs. Ames
II guess III just borrow ii a minute,
said Keegan. Are there any cart
tridges? Goodl Now. II you've got the
spunk to hold light for me, we'll fetch
those cougars" He explained his plan
Mrs. Ames put the baby down on th,
floor in her bedroom and came out and
shut the door. and. trembling with ex-
citement and fear and eagerness, brave
Ix-L L,l,