The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1899-09-14


off he went at the top of his speed. l
knew what he was after, and | ate as
fast as l could. He would be back be-
fore long with the whole pack and l
might have to take to the tree again
to get out of their way. But they must
have been farther away than L had
thought, for it was nearly an hour be-
fore l saw them coming, and by that
| time they were too late"
Had you eaten it alp" asked the
Kitten, eagerly.
Goodness, MOI" said his mother
You don't suppose l could eat a whole
deer do you? Now, if you interrupt me
again I'll give you another whipping.
The wolf hadn't been gone but a little
while before [ noticed that the deer's
carcass was hanging lower, The knot
which held it to the branch was slowly
slipping. Probably the wolf himself
had started S when he set the carcass
swinging. l hung on and ate as long
as l dared, and then l climbed up to
my crotch again. ~ gust of wind same
along and the tree began to sway back
and forth. The knot slipped more and
more, and at last it gave way entirely
and the carcass fell to the ground. 1t
rolled over and over down the hill and
tumbled into the lake with a great
| splash.
well, I sat still in the tree and wait
cd to see what the wolves would do. A
little longer and l heard the rustic xnd
| patter of their feet, and then they came
in Sights or 20 of them. They were
not much more than skin and bones,
and they looked as if they hadn't eaten
anything for a week. But they thought
that they were going to have grand
/ feast now. Their mouths were open
and their tongues were hanging out
and you should have seen their eyes
glisten."
The Kittens own eyes were big and
round and he was listening with all his
ears.
"The wolf, who had been there be-
fore, our VOLTS uncle. came first, lead
ing the pack, but when he reached the
foot of the tree and saw that the deer
was gone he stopped short and stood
| perfectly still. His head and tail
dropped and he seemed to shrivel up
and grow smaller. For a minute there
wasn't sound. Then he gave a howl
| and in all my life | never heard another
howl like that. 1t was fear and shame
and despair. 1t was the end of every
thing for him, for he knew tina. in an
other minute the pack would set on him
and kill him. Do you remember how
that man cried when he was caught III
the bear trap the other day."
Yes, the Kitten remembered, and it
made him shudder even now.
well, it was worse than that. 1t
made me tremble so that | almost fell
out of the tree, and hid my face in my
paws and held on with all my might.
| I'm sorry for the Chipmunk when you
had hold of him, if he felt the way that
wolf did"
The Kitten looked guilty. They both
glanced toward the hole and caught
glimpse of the Chipmunk's nose and
the top of his head. He had been listen
ing, too; but he disappeared as quick as
| a wink when he saw that they were
looking at him.
''What became of the wolfe" asked
the Kitten. Did they kill him."
No" said the Lynx. The whole
pack gave a howl of disappointment and
rage, and when [ looked down again
they were all ready to spring upon him,
but Just then came another rifle shot,
the lone wolf dropped dead, and all the
rest scattered and ran for their lives.
The two hunters stepped out of the
bushes. and | heard one of them say:
We'll, | never saw anything like that
before Neither did |, said the other,
and | don't want to see anything like
it again, or hear it, either. / believe
I'll have a nightmare for a week. They
skinned the wolf and pulled the dead
deer out of the water, and in a few min
utes they were gone.
''Well, | learned two lessons that day.
| One was not to boast until | was sure"
"And what was the other?" asked
the Kitten, for his mother had stopped
talking.
81 don't like to kill things as well as
I did when | was young" said she,
speaking rather hesitatingly, as if she
was half ashamed of it. Il have to do it
sometimes, to get enough for you and
| your brothers and sisters to eat, but |
don't enjoy it the way | used to-"
'Do you think you'll remember" she
asked, after a minute.
Eyes, ma'am," said the Kitten, very
meekly.
you'll be careful about boasting aft,
er this?'
eyes, ma am"
"And you won't touch the Chipmunk,
or anyone else who belongs to the Back
woods club?"
mo, ma am"
"Then run along home. It's almost
time for supper. I'll come in a minute"
The Kitten scampered away through
the woods, and the old Lynx followed
more slowly. The Chipmunk came out
of his hole and climbed up onto his log
once more. The sun was getting low
in the west, but the light still came soft
and warm between the trees. The
Chipmunk felt very safe and very com
| Portable and he curled himself uD on a