The Florence daily tribune., 1899-09-26

evil looking. This was the female. 81
had stolen fearfully in to look for hci
mate. She was cougar suspecting n
trap.
Mrs. Ames stared one second at the
creature, then desperately enfeldins
her baby, as if TO hide it, she stepped
forward. uttering terrified and terrify
ing screams, and seized in her free hant
the kettle of boiling water that had jus
begun to hiss over the fresh kindiinc
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-
ture turned tail and dashed out of the
kitchen door.
Then the little woman shut the door
and bolted it and hugged her baby and
kissed il and began to laugh hysteric.
ally. Frightened as she was. she had .
certain sense that il was all very funny
and that cougars were as easy TO dca
with as cats or hens. Her anxiety fu'
the bnby's life had quite goue-she fsl
that she could defeat cougar with hy
broomstick, not TO mention her formid'
able kettle of not water.
troubles yet. She heard great CLAW
ing in the front room, then silcncg
and she suspected the truth. Rising or
the chair and looking through th
knot hole, she saw no cougar-he hu,
climbed out by way of the big ireplac
and up the enormous chimney. As sh,
stepped down to the floor she heard the
mufiled fall of the cougars leap from
the top of the chimney to 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 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 baby! No wonder the nerves of
poor little Mrs. Ames gave way again
and she sank down on kitchen chair
almost in a faint.
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 it 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 at 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 it had been more
convenient to go off 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 scenting the cong
ars, had begun to squeal loudly. The
cougars found these sounds interest
ing. Leaping to the ground, they stared
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 to 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 peered 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 chinll, the cougars
saw the appetizing pigs; they clawed
vigorously at the beard; it gave way.
and in two seconds both the sinuous
beasts had squirmed through the hole
and dropped into the shed.
Then came blessed interruptions
loud knock combined with distinctly
human kick at the back door. Mrs.
Ames rose and opened it. There stood
Keegan, the settler who owned he pigs.
He had come down the river and up the
path to inquire for them. and he had al
ready peered INTO the shed through the
chinks. There the cougars were too
happily engaged worry themselves be
cause of the man. Keegnn had 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.
"No. Well, now, to think never
.f > /
II guess I'll just borrow it a minute, .
said Keegan. Are there any cart
tridges? Good, Now, if 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 the
floor in her bedroom and came out and
shut the door, and, trembling with ex-
citement and fear and eagerness, brave
ly helped Keegan.
She tied bunch OF paper loosely