The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1901-04-12

OOlISuly 1 tluuulbS0 AAy Sci 81 -
shot at him, striking his shoulder. He
turned upon me with roar of pain. At
that instant / needed all my nerve. This
time chose tree for cover and waited.
He came on, without halt, straight
toward me. fired again, missing him.
1 was just about to try third shot
when the test came, of which have
spoken"
1.-THE test?" murmurs the society,
breathlessly.
1.-THE test of my courage to which /
had always felt should be unequal.
The thing had dreaded in my forest
yanderings with Jack"
"What?" the society d :mands, with
me voice.
II had raised my rifle when I felt
something futtcring in my hair. |
ancied leader had slipped from my
lat rim. Oh, horror, it was :.,ider--
nd as shook my head violc. - to dis
odge it, it struggled into my car.
81 have never been conscious of hav
ng fired that third shot. Somehow the
life was discharged, and by the same
7 nance the bullet laid the bear low.
Il tainted, and when / came to my
elf, was lying across the bears body,
yith six strange men standing around
he.
"Tcn thousand boiler factories were
work in my brain. Hear the noises.
cried. will no one stop them?'
"And now comes the strangest part
OF my story.
''Thc engineer of Jacks yacht once
got mosquito in his ear. 1t drove him
quite mad before we could find a doctor.
He hung over the yachts side, held
by six of the crew, begging for death.
When the doctor arrived upon the scene,
lie applied IL handkerchief, wet with
ether, to the mans ear, quieting the
mosquitoes struggles and restoring the
Inan to sanity.
Il believed myself in the mans plight,
stark, staring mad, when, upon this
peak of Darien, 500 miles from an am
bulance and surgeon, 1 heard one of
the men to whom I had SO wildly APP
pcaled reply, quietly: Have no fear,
madam, you are in safe hands, for we
are all DOCTORS
They deluged my ear with water
from a nearby stream, which they
brought in tin cup. Finding the
spider still unsubdued, one of the doc
tors asked for hypodermic syringe.
Five were instantly proffered An icy
arrow penetrated, seemingly, to the
scat of the gray matter, still without
effect upon the spider, whose pernicious
activity caused me indescribable agony.
EITHER is the only remedy said,
at last. and as coherently as I could
l repeated the story of the engineer.
Enthusiastically returned the
doctor who was attending to me.
why. of course. Brown, fetch out your
cther-bottle,' and if Brown did not pro-
duce from the depths of his waistcoat-
pocket small bottle of ether, may /
be instantly retired from the presi-
dency of our society. 1t transpired
later that Brown was physician with
an alien hobby-entomology--and car
ried ether with him everywhere to an
aesthetic his specimens.
I'm an instant relief came - suci,
blessed relief as only one who has
passed through an experience like mine
can appreciate.
1.-THE rest of the story is soon told.
When 1 had gathered myself together,
the six doctors presented themselves
to me with due formality. They dined
that night at our camp, on my elk.
Jack was thoroughly ashamed Of
me. For what did the elk and the bear
matter, with the memory of the spider
fresh in our minds?
mo, decidedly" Mrs. Jack repeats.
as the maid fetches her second cup of
tea, Il shall never dare to look a tiger
in the face, after my Waterloo on the
Big Muddy. It would have been
pleasing legend for my tombstone
this:
Zone
To whom the forests were an open book:
VINO Joined to Diana's daring the skill of
her spear
Lies here
Slain by bug in her ear"
Wakeman Botsford, in San
E,>ov~ -