The Penn's Grove record., 1899-04-07

my mothers warning came into my
mind. / turned my face toward home,
and for n moment my conscience
twitted me and my resolution weak
ened. But 1 shook off the spell aud
stopped to look into the hollow log.
1t was as dark as night within, and l
could distinguish nothing. l then
went around to the other end, but
found that there was no hollow there.
/ beat upon the log and listened, but
no sound came forth save the echoes.
l could think of nothing else to do, so
I knelt down, cooked my gun, pointed
1t into the log, pulled the trigger, and
-"bangl" rang out on the mountain
air. In~stinctively / sprang from the
log, and almost simultaneously with
, the shot came. an answer from within,
i'll the most savage, the most blood.
curdling, hideous sound. l think, that
I have ever heard, and accompanied
by q noise Of s%crambling out of the
log, which filed my whole being with
fright. l had never known Plato tc
run from any living thing before, but
he preceded me in the flight this
time. Long as it takes to tell ii, we
were scarcely started when out of the
log came tumbling a great, furious
hungry bear, bearing down upon us
like the shadow of an awful death. !
can shut my eyesnow as I write of it,
and feel the SILVER of fright run
through me, as l felt it at the sight
OF that bloodthirsty beast, nearly fifty
years ago. On we dashed, and nearer
Bruin came, the blood streaming from
his angry face, where the shot from
my gun had taken effect. On, on.
and nearer, nearer, and yet nearer the
Infatuated creature behind usl And
then-horrors! The brink of the
great bluff was reached! Straight
downward, with not a tree, not a
friendly bush to ca descent
impossible, ever +, nple leisure
and greatest carel
Far down below me smiled the SER
enc beauty of Happy Hollow. There
were the cows, the horses, the sheep,
browsing quietly, and there was the
dear old home with the maple before
the door, under whose friendly shade
1 had probably rested and listened to
the music OF the mocking-birds for
the last time. And then mothers
warning came again before me-too
late!-distinct and ~reproachful.
To attempt a descent were certain
death, and death equally as certain
was just behind ms. Reloadirg my
gun was now out OF the question, and,
had it not been, the shot it carried
were too small to do more than fur
ther incense the murderous pursuer.
Poor old Plato stood covering by
my side, trembling and whining pite-
ously, and in the bitterness of my de
spairing heart I accused him of it all
not dreaming of what was to follow.
The supreme moment had come,
and I was almost palsied with fright,
with not the strength or the resolu-
ton to raise my gun to strike a last
feeble blow for myself.
Within ten feet OF me the bear rose
on his hind feet to what appeared to
my frightened vision an almost in
credible height. He was preparing
to springl I knew the end was come,
and 7 tried to pray. The power OF
speech, of thought even, had deserted
me. As he sprang upon me, l
thought to close my eyes, but that
too, was denied me.
Another moment and 1 would have
breathed my last, when, as if by a
noble inspiration, all his wonted cour-
age regained, Plato met the spring
and planted his teeth in my vicious
assailant's throat. The bear clinchcd
with him, and I sought to turn--like
a coward-and fly for my life; but l
could move at best only a few feet
backward, SO weak and unstrung
was |.
The struggle was ierceforamoment,
but I saw that it was all over for my
dear old brindle playmate, and I re-
allied that it would be but n question
Of a few seconds before the monster
would turn on me.
There was a crash at my feet, a
giving way of the earthl The great
rock on which they struggled for life
and death had broken loose from its
mornings, carrying the ugliest bear
and the noblest dog I ever saw, crash
ing down the awful precipice, to
mutilation and death below.
1t was the middle of the afternoon
when I, a tired, weak, sick and re-
pentant boy, reached home to receive
the blessings and forgiveness of my
fond and frightened parents.
At the foot of that bald cliff, Just
where he fell on the lovely autumn
day in the long ago, you a find it
now-uuless impious hands have re-
moved ia stone slab on which is
rudely chiselled this inscription;