Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1899-02-09
BRAVE ALTHOUGH YOUNG.
HOW ARTHUR KEPT CANADIAN
LYNX UP a TREE.
although Under a Fearful Strain. for
Full Hour His Grit and Brav-
cry Kept the Animal Away,
Thus Saving His Life
Thus Saving His Life.

Thus Saving His Life.
family named Beals, who had COMO
from Ohio to Montana, consisted of the
young father and mother, and a bright
boy of six years, named Arthur On
the way from the railroad to the ranch
they had been 10 ned by rather rough
| looking dog. which followed them and
became a member of the family IN
good standing. He received the name
of Tramp
! Their ranch was a lonely valley in
the northwestern part OF the state. In
clearing the ground for his cabin. Mr.
Beals left standing thick branched
fr tree. For q season Mr.. Beals was
obliged to seek employment at the
Own, ten miles away, and left his wife
md boy alone must of the time They
| did not fear for there were no Indians
about. and AS they did not venture in
to the woods, they thought they ran
no risk of encouutering wild animals.
One day when Mr. Reals had ridden
away 10 the town, taking his gun with
him. Mrs Beals, accompanied by Ar
| thur and Tramp. was picking up chips
IN the edge of the woods, when she
noticed queer-looking cat come
around the corner of the cabin. II
was not much larger than an ordinary
cat. and was gray in color. but Mrs
Beals observed that 1t had strange.
hong pointed black ears. which she
afterward described as kind Of wavy
and wiggly"
1t also had n tutt Of grayish side
whiskers' on each OF its cheeks; its
feet and legs were large and strong
and its tail, thick and "srumpy," was
only about half the length of q com
mon cats.
Mrs. Beals had for some time wished
for house cat and her first impulse
was to make friends with this creature,
md adopt il as she had adcp ed T mD.
She did not know but this might be
the kind of cat that belonged to the
| country
Her design was thunrted by Tramp,
however. who. with fierce growl,
rushed ut the eat. II flew from him,
snarliug horribly. and hard pressed,
scurlfed up into the fir-tree Tramp
remained nj the foot Of the tree. bark
Ing
Mrs. Beals took position where she
could see the cat perched on a branch,
All her notion of adopting it fed now,
| for the creature had a most ferocious
aspect. 1t was splitting and snarling
savagely. Nevertheless, she had no
thought of its being any more danger
GUS than a tom -cat--and she had never
thought Of being afraid of a tom-cat.
Indeed. she had but one motive. and
that was curiosity She wanted to get
hold Of the cat, and show ii to her hus-
! band. She could shoot very we'll. bur
there was no gun in the house.
There was, however neighbor OIL
the next section, not more than half n
mile away She would go there and
get a gun ard leave Tramp and Arthur
to watch the cat. SO away she went.
! first putting the axe into the little boys
hands Tramp stuck to his post 1T
the foot Of the tree, still barking. Ar
thur gripped the axe firmly
All might have gone well, If another
animal Of the same kind as the one III
the tree. only larger, had not suddenly
appeared in the edge Of the woods. ana
set up n strange shrek. Tramp al
once abandoned the tree. and chased
this other creature, which disappeared
In the woods
Then the animal in the tree display
ed a marked disposition TO come down.
| II descended to the lowest branch; but
that was so high from the ground that
evidently the creature feared to leap
TO the earth With it's head downward.
'ts claws set in the bark of the tree.
It's teeth exposed. and its voice uttering
/ horrible snarls, ii threatened the little
boy at the foot of the tree
1 Arthur began 10 be scared, but he
had no notion Of running away. He
brandshed his axe bravcly. and shout
ed in a piping voice:
scat, You stay up in that tree,"
The animal stayed, but continued 10
snap and snarl. and now and then
made feints at descending. The boy
kept on hrandishing his axe and shout
ing at the cat rs well as he could.
This went on for long time. Arthur
grew very tired and discouraged. Why
did not his mother come back? She
had surely had time enough Tramp
kept on barking fiercely in the woods
His banks seemed to 20 farther and
1HFlneT away. arthur grew Iai0t ana
sick. He wanted very much to cry.
but Il occurred to him that II ne cried
the cat would know he was scared and
woula come down and scratch and bite
him TO death
II seemed as II hours had gone bv
when The mother at last returned
bringing the gun. At the neiehbors
much time had been lost in finding the
cartridges, SO that she had been gone
more than an hour.
The moment that she came up her
little boy dropped the axe and sank 10
the ground. CRYING pitfully, The ami
nal fed UP into the tree. Mrs Beals
first caught up the child, and had great
difficulty In quietine him: but after a
while be became little ca 'mar, though
still sohhing pitfully, and his mother
turned her attention 10 the animal
~ and hy She caught the CLEAN OF
It's eyes. she took aim. fired. and Ia a
moment the creature came tumblin2
down dead Then. leaving II whore il
was. she took the child into the house
ard rocked him a long time while he