Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1901-11-08


when he was year old and getting him
back from the bear in exchange for
loaf of corn bread, and who remembered
a lot of things about other relations of
his, as told in The Sun the other day.
had remembered something his mother
did once, he would have had another
entertaining story tn tell, - said former
Cortland county resident. "But even
Darius amazing memory WASH capable
Of that, for when his mother had this
adventure she wasn't Darius mother
yet and indeed WASH L his mother until
two years later. She was then plain
Sally Brighter.
She was going through the woods
one day on an errand 10 a neighbor's, Il
couple of miles from her fathers clear
ing, when she heard Il panther yell, aud
looking back saw the animal bounding
along the path toward her. Sally was
only IS, but she knew enough about
panthers TO be afraid of them. In turn
ing round 10 look behind her she Lad
stopped, and she noticed that the pan
Their stopped too When she started ON
again, the panther followed The faster
she went the faster the panther went.
yelling frequently. Then Sally stopped
again and turned square around in the
path. The panther stopped instantly.
crouching and swaying its long tail.
Sally hurried on again, and the panther
hurried after her. When Sally stopped
and turned again. she saw that the
panther was a great deal nearer TO her
than IT had been when it stopped be-
fore.
sally wasn't half way TO the place
she was going. She saw that at one
more turn the panther's tactics would
have brought the willy beast so close to
her that it would undoubtedly make its
spring. She resolved to make an effort
TO save herself. Before stopping again
she saw Il heavy club ut the side of the
path. She quickly picked it up and aft
ar step or two more stopped and turned
suddenly, facing the panther, which
was now not more than ten feet behind
her. The panther was ready for its
spring, but before il could leap Sally
rushed upon il with a yell that shamed
those the panther had uttered and gave
the savage beast q blow ON the nose
that made everything crack. The pan
Their lowered its head and began to
huetZ6 anu G-dlly
club down again, this time ON the pan
theirs head, and the great cat sprang
one side and ran up n dead hemlock
tree. Thinking that she had scared her
hungry foe from the chase, Sally started
10 run on her way, when she saw the
panther get ready to leap from the tree.
She turned and faced il again Just as
the furious animal sprang- Sally jump
ed aside. The panther alighted ON the
ground at her feet, and quick as fash
and with the force of a trip hammer the
big club descended on its neck. the
panther settled down fat on the ground
under the blow, and two more strokes of
the CLUB ended its career.
sally was pretty we'll frustrated by
this lively bout with the panther and
was wipinG her face with her apron and
taking breathing spell when she heard
great whining in the direction of the
dead hemlock. Looking in that direc-
ton. she saw too good sized panther
kittens tumbling out of a hollow in the
tree trunk. Sally had her spunk up
now. She believed, and no doubt she
was right, that the two baby panthers
belonged 20 the panther that had been
making her journey so unpleasant for
her. anu she made up her mind to have
little more satisfaction by knocking
them on the head too. She was walking
over to the tree TO finish her work when
"a yell that almost made her hair rise
~ o!se on her ears, and looking down
the path she was alarmed to see another
pacther, bigger than the one she had
killed. coming fiercely toward her. This
I si;o get down as the dead ones mate.
She was pleased to notice that his adj
vance was somewhat bampered by the
fact that one of his fore legs was off at
the knee.
! HE was plainly bound for fight,
/ however, in spite of that handicap, and
cGmc right on, yelling at every humpy
bCund nc made. Sally concluded to try
the same tactics on this panther she had
on tho other one, and she set up the
most urearthly yelling and rushed to
meet the ugly beast. This surprised
him. He stopped, but kept ON glaring.
The next thing he knew he got a whack
over the nose that dropped him fiat i'll
the path. Sally didn't give him time TO
recuperate, and in less than five seconds
had his brains scattered to the four
winds. The two young pantbers bad by
this time come out into the path and
were huddled at Their dead mothers
side, licking her and crying most pite-
ously. This touched Sally's heart, and
she determined TO spare the lives of the
kittens and take them home. She stoop-
ed down TO stroke one of them. when it
turned on her. and quick as lightning
sunk the sharp claws of one paw deep
into her hand. Sally then knocked both
Of the youngsters in the head and held
tho unprecedented record of killing four
| pantbers in less than ten minutes. Sally
went on and did her errand and told
what luck she had run against on the
way over. Young Jim Scofeld, son of
the neighbor where Sally had the err
rand, went back with her. and they
| logged the panthers in to Sally's ia