The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1899-05-05
away they all went as fast as they could

oOAAC VI CAC1A. OuC CuCy ulu uOC Say
much; there did not seem to be much
to say. After a little they began to rum
mage. Behind the bed the beaver found
hoop with the skin of one of his rela-
tives stretched upon it. He thought it
was his uncle, but he wasn't quite sure.
Then the wolf tore upen big sack and
out tumbled heap of furs of all sorts
and sizes. There was big gray wolf
skin carefully rolled up and tied with
a string and brown minkskin turned
inside out and still showing the shape
of the board upon which it had been
dried. There were otter skins and mar
ten skins and muslzrat skins, and one
dainty little weasel skin that must have
been taken last winter, for it was white
and pure as the snow of January. While
they were looking at them the turtle
came toiling painfully along, and on
the ground outside the door he came
upon the shell of one of his relations.
''What shall we do with them 2" asked
the buck.
Il suppose we ought to bury them,' -
said the bear solemnly; and they care
fully gathered up the skins, carried
them off into the woods and slowed
them away in hollow stump.
'Now,'' said the wolf, with a savage
light in his eyes, "let's go and kill that
trapper."
They all started off in body, but be-
fore they reached the place where the
trapper was lying they stopped. He
had shouted again, and there was some
thing in the sound of the mans voice
that struck terror into their hearts,
even when they knew that he had no
weapon and was chained to log.
Lets watt" said the bear, hoarsely;
"he'n die before long, anyhow
And so they waited. The day wore
slowly away, the sun went down again,
the quiet shadows crept out over the
Glimmerglass and the stars looked
down upon the woods and the water.
The night was very peaceful and beau
tiful, but every little willie there rang
out cry of terror and pain that made
the animals cover and shrink in spite
of themselves. They knew how he felt.
More than one of them had been in a
trap and somehow their anger seemed
to be dying out, and they felt his pain
and his trouble and fear almost as much
as he felt them himself.
The trapper lay awake all that night,
but next day, about the middle of the
forenoon, he fell asleep, utterly ex-
hausted. Fear and the lack of food had
taken the strength and the courage out
of him. The animals drew nearer and
looked at him more closely. His face
was pale and drawn, there were marks
of tears on his cheeks and sometimes
he sobbed in his sleep. They talked
about him in whispers, and the Chip
munk suggested that it would be good
time to pounce ON him and make an end
of him. Yet nobody stirred.
Suddenly the porcupine started up.
I'm going to cut the staple out and
let him CO." said he.
mo, you're not" cried the wolf, an
grily.
''Don't you do it," said all the other
animals; ''he tried to kill us, and now
he can die in his own trap" but nobody
touched the porl<y or tried to interfere
with him as he stepped forward and
mounted the log. They were all afraid
of his quilts, and he knew it. He always
did what he pleased without asking
anybody's permission, for he knew very
well that there was not an animal in the
woods that dared tackle him.
But after their first protest they did
not seem to wish to stop him. They
only sat still and looked on with breath
less interest while he began to gnaw
away the wood from around the staple.
Suddenly the trapper opened his eyes,
and a fierce light came into his face as
he saw the porcupine within easy reach.
Here was food, here was something that
would keep him alive a little long
er, and he caught up a small stick that
lay beside him and slowly and cautious
ly made ready to strike. The porcupine
had his back to him and did not see his
danger; but now the bear burst out of
the bushes with an angry roar, and
planting himself with his forepaws on
the log he glared down upon the terri
fed man. The trapper dropped upon
the ground again and buried his face in
his hands, and the bear stood guard
while the porcupine che!ved and chewed
with all his might.
1t took nearly an hour for the little
yellow teeth to finish their work, but it
was done at last, and the loosened sta
pie fell to the ground. The two animals
backed into the bushes and the trapper
slowly and painfully crawled away
toward his cabin, dragging the trap and
chain behind him. The club saw moth
ing more of him that day, but the next
morning he came to the door just as the
red squirreYwas passing the cabin. The
trap was gone from his foot, and he was
leaning upon a pair of rude crutches.
For moment he stood in the doorway.
looking about him at the woods and the
water that had been his home for so
long, then he hobbled away up the trail.
Often when the Backwoods club gath
ers on Canoe point the animals talk of
the trapper, and wonder what has be-
come of him and whether his foot ever
got well. Sometimes the wolf wishes
that they had served him as he had tried
to serve them, but I think that most OF
them are glad that they let hinge. One
thing is certain-he never came back to
the Glimmerglass.-C Chicago Record.
4 Taxnmeters.e +
An effort is being made in England
to introduce the "taxameters,'' which
have proved useful in Paris inregulat.
ing the pay of drivers. A ''taxameter: