The Bellefontaine Republican. [volume] (Bellefontaine, Logan County, Ohio) 1855-1905, 1901-11-22
A PANTHER'S
REQUEST
How Clyde Brown Found a
Fortune and Won a Girl

In large mining town in the far
west there lives George Randolf, a
mining king. who by nature is as stern
and arbitrary as men are apt to be
when they acquire sudden riches. In
addition to his gold. he possessed a
rare treasure in the person of his
daughter Bessie, as sweet seventeen
year-old maiden as ever lived.
Pretty Bessie did not lack for lovers,
and quite as naturally the favored one
was the very one that her father OBJ
jected to.
Clyde Brown was frank spoken, with
an honest, manly face, true, loving
heart and little else.
"Why, Elizabeth" her father al
ways called her that when displeased-
show can you forget that we are de-
scended from the Randolfs of Vir-
ginia? Just little longer, daughter
year or two at the most-and we will
go east AMI live as other people do.
Then my jewel may find worthy set
ting"
Il want no one but Clyde, papa"
protested Bessie tearfully.
But tears made no impression on the
hard heart of George Randolf.
However. he condescended to give a
conditional consent to their union
such an absurd condition that people
laughed and shook their heads, and
Bessie's merry face grew grave.
when you can show the possession
of a hundred thousand dollars you can
have her." he said grimly in answer to
Clyde Browns manly petition. 'Un-
| til then I'll hear no more about It,"
"You can never do it." sobbed Bessie
when they stood alone in the moon
light by the road a few moments later,
while her father watched angrily from
the window. Fortunes are wonder
fully made in these mines sometimes,
but none will fall to u.s.
Don't be discouraged, my precious
Queen Bess," Clyde returned, with all
a liver's unreasoning fondness. "Only
trust in me through all and wait for
| me, no matter what may happen. VIII
you promise me thatT"
| Indeed l will. dearest, You knew
that I would before you asked" she
murmured. "But do not try me too
| much, for father is as hard as a rock. /"
81 must go away for awhile, my
darling. Somewhere in yonder end
less chain of mountains a fortune Is
waiting for me. l feel it-I know ii
as we'll as II it were already in my
grasp" he answered in solemn earnest
| ness.
"God grant that it may be So" she
added.
And then she walked slowly to the
touse, to her fathers great relief.
The next morning Clyde left the
town fully equipped for prospecting
tour, and quite alone excepting the
dately at his heels.
For some time the, prize which he
sought eluded him, but it came to him
at last in a strange manner.
One day. after following the course
Of a noisy, shallow stream into a mar
row valley hemmed in by lofty noun.
tains, he camped at the foot Of q
gigantic tree near the water.
The dogs whined uneasily and shifted
at a hole among the roots Of the tree
but he called them away and went on
building a fire to cook supper from the
loose wood and branches around.
Now that the fire is ready" he
mused aloud, Il wonder if I'll find any
game hereabout." -
AS If in answer half grown deeI
came down to the stream on the oppo
site bank not many rods away.
It stopped, with one foot upraised
and looked at the dogs with startled
eyes. The next instant the report CT
Clyde's rife rang out, the deer leaped
into the air, sprang forward and fell
into the stream, from which it was
soon dragged by the dogs.
! But the echoes made by the report
had not died out among the hills before
another sound aroused them again.
| 1t was the scream of an angry pan
ther from the mountain behind him
and it was instantly answered by an
other on the right and yet another fal
down the valley on the left.
Clyde heaped the dry limbs upon the
fire, and the dogs, usually as brave as
lions, whined piteously as they skulked
close to his feet.
He waited In breathless anxiety fOl
several minutes, but could hear moth
ing except the cracking Of the fire
which now threw a wide circle OF
light, and the night wind among the
| trees. s~s-~
Soon, following a magnetism which
he could not account for. he fixed hi'
gaze upon a tall tree near the base Of
the mountain and encountered the
glare Of two fierce yellow eyes.
A panther was crouching there upoI
a long limb, every nerve of his body ii
) motion as he prepared for the fata
spring.
To aim and fire at him was the i'm
! pulse Of a second and the tawny brut'
: sprang outward, with a snarl Of rag
and pain, and fell squarely into tn
fire.
. There was an unearthly shrek,
, smell of burning hair, a shower o
Goals and lighted wood, then the brut
, stood, wounded and blinded, near tn
tree.
AT him, boys, at him. cried Clyde.
And the dogs closed on him; but
: wounded as he was, he was more thai
a match for them.
He killed one. and sent the other
bowling to a safe distance before thei
master could surely aim the secon
bullet, which quieted him.
He was not m instant too soon, how