Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1899-12-20
s a PANTHER9S q
) LOST BREAKFAST

& ~ q lSss1. J. q IL y o. Z III
5 a PANTHER3S Z s
IS LOST BRE EAKFASTia8
@ssssgsHasaasessaasesttaesestasl
: !; 1e-X you may go over and spend
.ssssss - the day with Aunt Lyd-
- s-s.s.:s.. &: d. said Mrs. Mayfeld
to her daughter Mary.
eth fbe back: by sundown, sure,
and if Syoh'ro here by five o'clock
you'll sbes likely ID find me.
Or you can shay oil night with Aunt
Iyddy, ifsyo1 want to. It's too bad
Cousin Mildred should have been
taken; down sick while youriether and
Tom are off with the cattle. But I'll
have to goto her for day. anyway"
. ssWell, good by, mother, +" :, saidfour.
tsens yearsold Mary. ST guess I can.
take care of myself. ], don't believe I
] shall go; to Aunt. Iyddy's, either, -
that is, unless Iget scared some way"
rs kind Of Slonely;s ] guess you'd
better, . said Mrs. .May6eld, Us she
8 started to walk to the cabin of her
married cousin, three miles away
through the woods.
In thas remote corner of Michigan
: there were then only five families;
within, ten miles of the May Ieids',
and Tho neighbors seldom saw each
Z other except on9Sundays, when they
/. all met at the little, 1rough-board
ai3church the valley. Each, household
led an isolated, and self-suficient life;
but when any woman or girl was left,
entirely alolo she felt herself to;bes
almost as completely deserted as was
obinsen Crnsoe. ES,l n - ,i
q Mary busted herself with some
household auties for o while after her
mother Left. Then she went out and
| fed the few clamorous hens, and give
her pet lsmb basin Of milk, 7 be-.
I. ,liaYes Twill go to Aunt Lyddy's, y, she,
said tosherself, looking up at the de-
serted house. .sI.. is So lonesome!
The woods are so still, all around,
that it almost seems as if Iecould hear.
the Wild creatures moving in the brush.
What if a bear or o panther should
hear my lamb bleating in the barn;
shed and come after it? 1 wish the.
little thing would keep still. Doxie,
Doxie, what mekes you cry SO? There,
pet, come out here for a little while,
and see if you won't feel better"
s Mary went into the she'd and
brought the lamb out in her arms
s The little creature h1shea It's cries at
her touch, but it began restlessly
epifing the yaporous, odorous. early
d morning air. Dew still adecked the
Y grass; the shadow of the eastward
wouued hiff fssii across tns pasture
and the barnyard with,a twilight eff
feet. The sum beams had reached the
house, however, and Mary moved in
sfinctiyely toward the patch of bright
ness, with The emblinglambEin her
tsWhy, Do1ie, I never knew you to
act SO! before" she cried. "What
makes you SO frightened, pet? Why,
yny-'
9 As the lamb struggled in her arms.
Mary looked apprehensiyely around;
I was it for fear of something behind
& her? One backward glance; then,
with shrek, she fed toward the
house.
- Crouching and crawling on top of
the barn-yard fence was great, tawny
beast, with catlike head, cleaning
eyes, and long tail that dashed ner-
nously to and fro, as the animal ed.
sYanced. Mary had heard so many.
stories and descriptions of the panther
that, although she had never seen one
before she knew this beast in o mo-
ment.l s3iSs:TS 55Fs..S5I;.
Her ,hear5 was in her month az she
Isnranp for,thGoln,ss ;l, an Kitchen door with
;. the lamb clntsisd a. her3 bosom. Be.
wildered with fright. she did not close
che door behind her but sned upstairs
and into her own chamber. dropped
the lamb ON sthe he'd slammed the
door and threw herself pantinir and
trambi;no eoa;nst T..
Tn ! moment she rsal;zed how fool.
;sb sba baJ bson - nsaloct tbe door
ha1owsSfor I Che T beard, tbs h;s cat bonnd
;nto AZ l;tcben, and comassn;fino mn
the staircase slowly and doubtfully.
It corld climb tree like a Squirrel.
: but it NAV have thought the staircase
too sdspieiously easy. 80
nObi wbaYsbalLi Z do o., sobbedynoor
Marv vring;ng bar-bondsi / ar can,t
,keenbim ont Of berel He'll break down
tb;s thin door in a minute. and eat
= me nn.-and Do.ie tool,
Her eves fell on the narrow window
I n The CHAMBER high iup in the gable,
] iIiook;np ont over the roof of the kitchen.
She snatched chair, ran to the win
dow, climbed up, opened the sash,
and was about to 20 out on the roof
when the lamb bleated. Mary looked
hack