Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1899-03-02
had seen il only from, 4 dis lance, curl

knaQs seenlt only from distance, curl
ous1y ss 8 8 ss.
Ishad sat there under the shadow Of
the mountain in the sweet autumn still
ness for perhaps ten minutes, tired,
half: dreaming, half wishing myself at
home, when was suddenly aroused to
life and interest by furious, excited
barking far up the cliff above me and
slightly to my right. At first doubted
my ears. I had never known Plato to
cross into Danger Line by so much
as one step before, and SO. I was at
loss to account for it. And yet that was
Plato's well-known voice heard; there
could be no mistaking it. There was.
something strange, romantic, about it
all, and l was burning with desire to
see what manner of game he could have
freed up there. I remembered my,
mothers warning sand faltered. ii
has been my experience that when a
boy falters in the face Of duty, dis
obedience has scored point and trou-
| BILE is near at hand.
There was my new gun, as vet I'M
tried except at a lifeless target. and.
after all, perhaps twas only a. SOUR
rel. In short, my thirst for adventure
got the better of me, and my deter
mination to follow Plato was fixed.
The next thing to be decided upon was
how to get there. could tell from
his bark that Plato was a considera BILE
distance above me, and the height was
well-nigh inaccessible. But [ was
| young, strong and active, as mountain.
boys are apt to be; and have some
times thought that if a 14-year-old, boy
determined to climb sunbeam he
could almost accomplish the task. The
mountain-side was covered with small
underground, and with the aid Of this
determined to make the ascent. Hold
ing the gun with one hand, slowly
and laboriously I pulled myself up
from bush to bush with the other,
guiding my course by the ceaseless
barking of Plato up above me. At the
end of about an hour of such toll, I
reached the top of the first bluff, where
for a width of something more than
a hundred yards was a level ground,
reaching to the foot of the next bluff
and, with no climbing now to do, it was
l.
Plato.
Coming up to him I found him sta
toned at the end of huge hollow log,
and baying with more animation than
I had ever known him to do before. I
don't know why it was, but as reached
his side something stopped me, as
though strong hand had been laid
upon my shoulder, and my mothers
warning came into my mind. I turned
my face toward home, and for one
moment my conscience twitted me and
my resolution was weakened. But I
shook off the spell and stopped to look
into the hollow log. It was as dark as
night within, and [ could distinguish
nothing. [ then went around to the
! other end, but found that there was
no hollow there. I beatup the log
J and listened, but no sound came forth,
! save the echoes. I could think of moth
ing else to do, SO I knelt down, cooked
my gun and pointed it into the log
pulled the trigger "bang!" rang
out on the mountain air. Instinctively
[ sprang from the log, and almost 81
multaneously with, the shot came an
answer from within, in the most saw
age, the most blood-curdling, hideous
sound, I think, that have ever heard,
and accompanied by noise of scram-
bling out of the log, which filled my
whole being with fright. I had never
known Plato to run from any living
thing before. but he preceded me in
>MMSAs.iW1MMS.Grm 81 I