The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1900-01-04
Mary Ann that thought Of her, that
7 prayed for herr


y
BY this time the bears were sitting
In circle all round the tree. Yes,' said
Bonaparte. impressively fixing his eyes
on the German, "a regular. exact cir
Gle. The marks of their tails We're left
in the snow, and measured 1t after
ward. A drawing master couldn't have
done 1t better. 1t was that saved me.
Ii they'd rushed on me at once, poor
old Bon would never have been here to
tell this story. But they came on, sir.
Systematically, one by one All the
rest sat on their tails and waited. The
first fellow came up, and shot him;
the second fellow-I shot him; the
third shot him. At last the tenth
came. He was the biggest Of all-the
leader, you may say. i,f
Wall said. give me your hand.
My fingers are stiff with the cold.
There Is only one bullet left. shall
miss him. While he is eating me you
get down and take your gun. and live.
dear friend, live to remember the man
who gave his life for you! By that
time the bear was at me. felt his
paw on my trousers.
"'Oh, Bonnie. BONNER said the Duke
Of Wellington's nephew. But l just
took my gun and put the muzzle to the
bears ear. Over he fell-deadw
Bonaparte Blenkins waited to OBJ
serve what effect his story had made.
Then he took out dirty white hand
kerchief and stroked his forehead and
more especially his eyes.
SIf ALWAYS affnotS mo RI ra1a fo that
adventure" he remarked. returning
the handkerchief to his pocket. in
grat:tIde-base, vile ingratitude-is re-
called by it. That man, that man, who
but for me would have persisted in the
painless wilds of Russia, that man in
the hour of my adversely forsook me-"
IAe German looked up. YES" said
.tSopaparte, Il had money, had lands.
I said to my wife: There is Africa, a
struggling country. They want capt.
. tai; they want men Of talent; they
, want men of ability to open up that
land. Let us CO.
II bought $4,000 worth of machinery
-winnowing, blowing, reaping ma
chimes. 1 loaded a ship with them.
Next steamer l came out, wife, chill
dren, all. Got to the Cape. Where is
the ship with the things? Lost-gone
to the bottom! And the box with the
money? Lost-nothing saved!
my wife wrote to the Duke of Wei
lington's nephew. l didn't wish her to.
She did it without my knowledge.
What did the man whose life saw
ed do? Did he send me 100000; say,
'Bonaparte. my brother, here is
crumb| No; he sent me nothing.
my wife said. Write l said:
Mary Ann, no; while these hands have
power to work. no; while this frame
has power to endure, no. Never shall
it be said that Bonaparte Blenkins ask
, ed of any man."
The mans noble independence touch
ed the German.
"Your case is hard; yes, that is
hard" said the German, shaking his
head.
Bonaparte took another draft of the
SOUP leaned back against the pillows
and sighed deeply.
81 think" he said after awhile, rous-
ing himself, II shall now wander in
the benign air and taste the gentle cool
of the evening The stiffness hovers
over me yet. Exercise is beneficial"
So saying, he adjusted his hat care
fully on the bald crown of his head
and moved to the door. After he had
gone the German sighed again over his
work:
"Ah, Lord! So it is! Abr
He thought of the ingratitude Of the
world.
Uncle Otto," said the child in the
doorway, did you ever hear Of ten
,ears sitting on their tails in circle?"
"Well, not of ten exactly, but bears
do attack travellers every day. 1t is
nothing unheard Of" said the German.
a man of such courage too! Terrible
experience that!'
"And how do we know that the story
is true, Uncle Otto"
The Germans ire was reused.
THAT is what l do hate!' he cried
Know that it is true! How do you
know that anything is true? Because
you are told so. II we begin to question
everything proof, proof, proof-what
will we have to believe left? How do
you know the angel opened the prison
door for Peter except that Peter said
so? How do you know that God talk
ed to Moses except that Moses wrote
it? That is what hate!'
The girl knit her brows Perhaps
her thoughts made longer journey
than the German dreamed Of. for. mark
you, the old dream little how their
words and lives are texts and studies
to the generation that shall succeed
them. Not what we are taught, but
what we see, makes us. and the child
gathers the food on which the adult
feeds to the end.
When the German looked up next,
there was look Of supreme satisfac-
ton in the little mouth and the beauti-
full eyes.
"What dost see. chicken?" he asked.
The child said nothing, and an ag-
onizing shrek was borne on the after
noon breeze.
30 God, my God, am killed.! cried
the voice of Bonaparte as be. with
wide open mouth and shaking flesh,
NV