The Forrest City times., 1899-07-07
Mrs. uiri.eon saw that they would

| Auu nave you loTSOttth tuc raven thdt perched on our roof no longer ago than Wednesday week? I fear its visit will bring us no good. The day before your poor father was lost raven perched upon the house-top and crooked dismal ly. It was an ill-omened bird.'
 "I saw two ravens the same day, and don't you remember how hard it froze that night? and found three foxes in the trap next morning. No won der the black fellow crooked so the other day; suppose it was because it was cold"
 Jan said this very seriously, but there was shrewd humor in his black eyes.
 His mother sighed. She was think ling of stout Ulf's fate, and the ravens visit had filled her mind with dread | foreboding.
 | However, after breakfast was over, she told Ilse that she might put on her eider-lined jacket and scarlet cloth hood, and go with her brother. The child needed no second bidding, and by the time Jan was ready she was pre- pared for the journey.
 Mind and let nothing befall your sister, Jan," enjoined the widow. as the children, hand in hand, walked away from the door, the boy carrying a sharp hatchet in his hand, the only weapon he had. Lead her carefully over the ice, and return as early as you can"
 | "Yes, yes, will,' replied Jan. "We will get back by noon; and don't worry, mother; I don't believe the raven meant anything"
 They skipped away, talking and laughing merrily. Their mother stood and watched them as they went across the snow-field watched them until green spencer or Ilse's scarlet hood, and then, uttering sigh, she returned to her household labors.
 The place where Jan's traps were set was at some distance from the hut. He had several set, indeed, near the sea, for seals, and only the second day be- fore he had been lucky enough to find Il big fellow in one of them.
 But the traps he was going to visit | this morning were set for wolves, arc tic foxes, and smaller animals that sometimes were seen in that cold north ern land.
 These traps were nothing like those with which the boys of New England are familiar.
 | Jan did not have single steel trap ! in his possession. His traps were made mostly of ice, something after the prin- ciple of the colleague and the figure four combined, or perhaps more like big box-traps.
 He had spent five days in the early winter in making them. For bait he used fish for seals, and for foxes noth- ing less than cheese made from old Mans milk.
 The preceding day and night snow had fallen and it lay pretty thickly on the ice, but in many places it had blown off and the children had no trouble in advancing.
 After having passed half mile or so, they turned around cliff and lost sight of the cottage. The traps were q half-mile further on, and they pro- ceeded toward them in as direct a man. ner as they could, only turning from their course to avoid the deep drifts, and usually finding path over the ice that was free from ice and slippery as glass. In some places, however, this path was so narrow that they could not walk abreast
 When they had nearly arrived at the traps Jan noticed several large tracks in the soft snow. He paused a moment to examine them.
 ! Keen as a young Eskimo, he knew at once that they were made by a bear, and also that they must have been left there since the snow stopped falling. Perhaps the dreaded animal had visited his traps. He might even be there then, and would it not be dangerous to keep on?
 The brave boy looked around with a sharp, eager eye, but he saw nothing of any animal in sight.
 He stood and listened, thinking the bear might already be close at hand. Nothing was to be heard. Possibly Bruin had wandered far away by this time, and at the thought Jan concluded to go on.
 It was only a few steps now to the traps, or, as they might be called, ice houses, where he hoped at least to find a fox or marten entrapped.
 They had all been securely set. and with bait that was peculiarly attractive to the fur-bearing animals of that re- zion. The first one he arrived at he found undisturbed. But the second !, An, that one was sprung! He knew it even before he saw the fallen bar.
 There must be something in it, then.
 He ran forward in his great excite ment, leaving Ilse to trudge along more slowly. The trap was occupied.
 He lifted up the block of ice that formed the entrance. and there lay a great gray fox, looking gaunt and fierce, but harmless enough now, for it was cold as a stone.
 While engaged in skinning the dead animal, he heard an exclamation from his sister.