Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1901-08-03
CHAPTER THREE

',pa5H''' was just nelnS born on the
Little Pierre. nine
MATS old. was dreaming with his round
head onsthe soft coat of Jules and his
slfmaits3s. torn and scratched by black
teaSgbushes. The two odd friends
passed. maIch of their time on The
taoiIsSIalhSfle alone. and it frequently
hapnepesl tbat they were out in the
woodsln long after midnight. This
time FiSnte was trying to solve the
question &fswhether the sky overhead
was the sppter of the universe. II
surely looked 50. Jules was asleep
The poortfeaflire had thick coat and
had been led aJiyely chase that dav nv
his emerge TIC master. They had lain
down to tesI asd to watch the moon
come up. ana jules had fallen asIeep
while Pierre using him for pillow
made a closesstudy of the stars. In
this attitudas:hour after hour sliprol
away till tEeS, moon was high. ana
midnight WAS, not. far away.
Suddcnly-@the bear raised his hend
and gave Il neeuliar whistle
Pierre feeesnized it as a danger
signal. he listened but all he couId
hear was the rattling of mut,lcd
wheels on the rocky hillside road down
tae valley Then over the brow of q
knol, came low dray hauled bv a
rairof horses, and heavily loaded. A
man walked ahead in the road. and
another drove the team. 1t came
slowly down the hill. and another an
peared on the knoll. Then another and
another I'll! six long. low. dray-likc
wagons. all heavily loaded with goods
that were piled under old sail-cloth
We're climbing the hillsides.
Pierre Sat NJ III Charm! Never hud ~
seen any tllnG like it. So many lpnd.d
wagons travelling stcalthilN through thu
countryside at night cotI,i mean Nm IN.
thing. They were the teams ~ M NJ r "i.e
SnuGGicrs. Little Pierre had often listened
WIN unSilnS nerves and interested ears
70 me tales that his father told at the
hti'rtI!aiuc at night concerning the dcs-
Pcta;r chances taken by the smuggIers in
ordcr 10 Eet liqGor through TO the IN
Siato towns. Ills mother had come Of IN
III III, Qnrhcc family nf total abstainers.
ana had taught her boy the dangers N
men WI" drank fiery waters He hud
come up I" nine years with 4 horror Of
'nt"Mcarts- His father kept a bottle uf
"'d rye on the Top shelf of the huttery.
|" lee used in case Of accident. often the
boy had climbed the shelves To look at
Il with fearful eyes.
The wagons advanced until the boy ana
tired horses. Then they softly crept down
by the stump fence ana watched the
teams hlc past
Tell YOU what" said one ~ the
SmuSSiers. II think that the county dep
HtN Sh'rlffS will be after us tonight |
amt lookin' for no trouble. but | ain t
Sonter have big cargo of stuff taken
away from me when | know it.
Twouldn't surprise me at all if the
shcrffs rose up from behind any OF
these fences and with two rev"ivcrs lev
cllcd at us demanded our surrender
We'll erowlcd one who was called
Flatfoot O Brien. ''if there are any revolt
Ners used tonight there will j." some on
orr side. This lot vi contrahand il worth
over a cool thousand and amt Gonttr be
seized While | m alive. III shoot the cuss
that tries il, They are getting too risky
them sheriffs are.
The temperance cranks are back of it
Curse the temperance crowd" NUT
tered Flatfoot . Brien, they drink a.
much as anyone.
But we can't gct this stuff through to
| Wutcrvillc. tonight. of course. said the
| trst speaker. and it Is time We were
| planning where we shall hide II till to-
The teams stopped on the mountain
side and the men gathered in tn" road
| in front "t the spot where the caNtSdr"p-
| t"rS lay among the blackh"rrioS and
| cldcrhcrrN brush. There WIS u long con-
sutation during which it bccam" APP
parent that Flattoot OBricn WAS the
| loader IF the smugElers and that the
stringent enforcement of the Maine law
against the sale Of intoXicants had
forced the dealers to use the rough ard
| desperate smuggIcrs to haul liquor
| through the county at night to supply
| the up"nUntry towns and villages.
one of the men WAS in favor OF hiding
! ih" stuff in a barn up the road while
another wanted it hid in cave IN the
| mountainSidc. Flatfoot q Brien was III
/ favor Of simply hauling the stun INTO
one Of the mountain clens and leaving II
| All loaded among the bushes TIL the next
| night when they might continue their
| journey. This was decided upon. and tn"
| train moved on. None of the men saw
the shadowy form OF a little iad in blue
| "N"ralls and felt hat that kept apac'
| with the train as it moved along tn
| road None Of them saw far enough mt
| tn" paStur" by the way L" distinguish
| tn" hGkin@ form of AN eNtrdordlnarily
| large Maine black bear that moved Win
great strides across the sheep pastures
| ANA OYER the stones and stunsi@- HN m
! shoulder of the bear walked the boy, his
right hand sunk into the thisk iur 81
| the creatures neck and the othtr carry
| ing Grub with which ne sometimes
checked the monster when he wanted nm
+" 80 slower.
There seemed t" be a good ana tHendli
| feeling between tn bear ana me lad
| Once when they disturbed WIG beai
| who WAS rU ioNing = feast of young l'tmi
| In the pasture and the angry strange
made At Pierre as if To knock him over
| Iii" tame boar. thai cuffed the auddIlou.
N!l! fellows ears ana sent MN apou'
his business.
over the hollows Hay 4 fine. white mlS'
that opk"d like tn. surface OF htiit lake:
| as it shown in the moonlight. once ol
twice whom the SmuCglers passed lohetA
farm houses a light appeared az Il WIN
dow. but as soon as the inquisitiNe idffli-
er found rha1 it vas the weekly Calval-
cddr Of the rum SmugClcrs the iGht wa
cNtincuishrd ana the family sat p"hkil+
in their uiGht-gowuS till the SmuSElefS
ana th"iI rumhlnE wagons We're tar o.
| their way. They knew il was not Sal'
to interfere with the men. ScNcrd
farmers whose temperance IDEAS ma
| he'd them To complain about the hduiins
| of liquor over the public roads AT hlSht
had been awakened to find their BARNS II
namcs. ~ their cattle dying OF poiSohi
| The Main" law. ALWAYS more or less q
| farce. did not protect the honest iirine
| who dared to let his indignation betrd!
| him into complaining about the shhuS
Cling Of liGuo".
1t was late that night when the team
turned from the country road into the ole
| wood oath and were lost in the shadow
that fell over the edge of "A great bum o
| the mouI tain. In the pine ShrubberE :
| little WAY from them stole Pierre ana NJ
| friend. They watched the teams rou'dty
| Up in the centre of an Ola culuow.n'
They wondered much as the men Dun
! their campfire and put pot OF coiiee =
| steam over it. Then, when Inc horst
| had all been hidden in the forest and "
eastern sky began to grow llSnter ~
| men ,.IIrlpi themselves III their srtd