River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1901-02-21

! the house was approaching, hut look
ing in the direction whence the sound
came, she saw, standing erect like a
man, a huge black bear.
! She gave a little scream and started
to her feet. For a moment beauty
and the beast stood face to face.
Then, unmindful of her hat, Celia
/ sprang across the stream with
bound. The bear, with widely ex-
tended jaws, showing his great white
| teeth, fell down on all tours, and with
a numbering motion, sped after her,
! breaking down the underbrush that
was in his way with loud cracking
noise Miss Celia, wild with terror.
ran through the forest. Close behind
her came the bear, gaining every
step. The woman's dress was torn by
the brambles. Her hair had fallen
down and was flying in disorder.
Again and again she fell across fallen
| branches that beset her path And
all the time the bear was getting
nearer and nearer. She cried for help
and the dark forest sent back her
voice in mocking echoes. A deep
gully lay before her and at the bot
| tom she saw a winding creek, which
| she knew she could never cross. A
| dizziness was coming over her. Her
| pursuer was only a few feet behind
her. She could hear him painting and
could almost feel his hot breath.
Her foot caught in a bit of withered
moss and she fell. She heard the
sharp report of gun and then
Fdarkness came before her.
"You will soon be all right, Miss"
Jake, the hired man, was kneellng
by her side, moistening her lips with
water from a hunting cup. A few
feet away a big black bear was
stretched out on the green sward. The
/ young woman looked first at the man.
then at the smoking gun, and then at
| the man again. Somehow she pas
disappointed She half wished aer
rescuer had been Grayson. Whsie it
! provoked her to think that This rg.n
with his quiet, Indifferent way, Ted,
with all her fippancy and repartee,
shown his will and his wit to be the
/ stronger of the two, still she could
not but feel her interest growing in
! him. The knowledge that a man is
stronger than a woman at first calls
forth her envy; later it eyokes her ad-
miration. Celia suddenly remembered
that she had not yet thanked this
other man for his timely rescu@.
Il want to thank you, Mister Mis-
| ter" she began.
my name is Jake" said the man.
| Il want to thank yog, Mister Jake,
for your kindness in saving m1f-my
| l."
"Oh, never mind that, Miss, said
Jake.
"But do mind it. | don't * : lrou
you were ever so fine a SHOT as &c, Mi;
that bear"
"Oh, tbs nothing" said Jake, Il
have killed many of them. I nes4r
miss 'em."
At that moment there was a shrill
whistle and a deep, gruff voice called
OUT
Tiara, Tara, get up!"
The black bear arose to his hind
legs, and shaking himself, gave a
| grunt or two and ambled away in the
direction of a picturesque -attired
man who had just emerged from the
edge of the forest. Miss Dorchester
| and Jake looked on in dumb astonish-
ment to see the bear arise apparently
/ from the dead Both turned inquir-
! ingly to the one who had whistled
for an explanation. He evidently I'M
derstood what they meant, for he
| grinned and said:
Huh Me train de bear He dance;
he hop; he run. Me shoot gun; he
make believe fall dead. Bear he run
away, Me hear man shoot gun. Me
scarf bear be dead. But no harm.
Man he no can shoot good Come.
Tara, come, Tara!" and the bear and
his master walked slowly away.
"Quite a romantic rescue"
Miss Dorchester looked up and saw
Grayson standing before her He had
her hat in his hand and as he handed
it to her he said:
"That fellow in the outlandish cos
tune belongs to a band of gypsies
who have been encamped near here
all summer. They are catching bears
and training them for exhibition in
the towns. This one that frightened
you so badly had evidently escaped"
Miss Dorchester made no immediate
reply. She felt very foolish for Gray
son had surprised her in a most ridicu-
lous situation. She tried to smile;
then she cried, and turning quickly
away said, Historically: Il just hate
men!"
After that Miss Dorchester felt diff
ferentlv toward Grayson. When she
sought woman's relief tears-in
the forest that day, the whole nature
of the man seemed to change He be-
came sympathetic and kind He
helped her pin up her torn frock; he
brushed off her hat. and he did many
other little things that consoled her.
On the walk home explanations were
exchanged. A few days after that she