The Farmington times. [volume] (Farmington, Mo.) 1874-1902, 1902-02-27
MRS. DURAND'S ROBE.


Bf ". w. Txf0M6oa.
Ny wife's hgetker essen years old, was
surely IN Ffanee with his mother tsaid
MIR. Larry Dersnd, nf the Ss. kznrtrs
rlnbl, for we had Feseived . cshleKyxm
on their arrival, but his Voice eseued 10
be screaming ca the shore 81 Laha Psxhs-
goaid. Ia the S. Maurice Wilderness ct
QActaee That scream hFst resolved ass
ears "a we padded around btun and iost
hearing u the cAscstes. Ny wife, kneci-
ING in tnc bow 81 ouF small eanoe, stopped
her paddle midway In she act 81 dl2pinG
u and turned her eyes about 10 nse.
They sre always big, "a you knov, bot
they we're twice a. bix then. fhat was
the hrst time had seen her lock SCARED,
and We had hunted together, saat and
west, north aud south, for 1--we years rast.
When ne left New York tso weeks
earlier the voice OF hsx little hfvthsr in
deliriasa 81 pain seemed AIT AOnadinK
In her ears, SHE told me. although be was
80 Gar eonyziescent a. 10 have &aed GA
the BrufiA a fortnight before We left
Tor Quglssa
ibid you hear anything she asked me
COW.
1T was some ,rve ereaking" ] was try
tNt 70 ftAheufN uRf.
"NonssnseI THERE'S no S,ind."
In fact, the Lake was 90 calm that the
ap-siaedown SHORES were as diatines as
the riRht.sids.up ones, except where trous
wailoWcd IN the mirror OF 4, darling king
fisher touched Il with SPREADING cirrles-
White clouds were as iiersY % the lake
as IN the blne above us, and = perfect
silence seemed 10 hold all the scsd be-
tween the epnntcrpsrts, While our csnos
ran on With lesseniag Euu;is 80 We lis
tened tor more than % seconds. Then
tho eAiisiiae, the almost infaHtile sarenfua
came again. sesininR 20 reHch fFefn the lar
opposite shore BY lores 81 some poignant
emotional quality Of sgoaissd weakness.
rhsY snded with short notn iske wall
,hekeA 81 by tsiai-sss or despair.
Ny wife knows the woods. aud now she
aid: III must be q young beaF--a year
hnE-in trap"
'st.S-,gly. Chief Josei"
She took 10 padding without a reply.
She herself had given Chief josef the or
der for 4 hackrobc.
On we wrat NJ a faster stroke thar she
usually seta, straight for the bluff Of the
screams. For intervals Of Aboet minute
tksy fingered in our ears, and then spread
tkr0uEh the blue.
Come right along Up and act hia free, "
said my wife. a. she lAnd.1.
and what wili bis teeth and claws he
doing while I'm sprinEing the trap openf"
asked. when ! had made the canoe So
cure.
Then come and pnt him GA. Of HE
pain"
ssr..s.s.f-. -. l.. YfIt - IA Iii
stay here IN the canoe. u won't do yoa
any good 10 see that bear"
1T might. she F1ii, vita seif.reproach.
Hut, anyway. III never let trap be set
on my account again. CoHsrin
"Bui the old she hear may he ~ there.
and y0u didn'i bring your giB.'
go up at oueci' said ms wife, who had
never imagined that . man with a maya
sine rife could get into serious srsSS.s
with bears
80 up I went; and as my wife always
ebcys my wishes when Im not there, she
got hack into the cAaos and puahss of
few yards TO be ready, a. ! told her,
IN case I might find bears 800 pisniv
on the hill"
Bus there was only the one, young
bear, as my wife had gus-Sed--not cub,
not an infant. but chiA enc Of about
II or IS months. I wish ! could quite
forget that picture Of dependency.
lie mas caught by the rigat forcp4w:
he had dragged the trap till the clog
caught beswsen two snal trees; then he
had pulled the trup back and forth and
round and ruand I'LL The earth was wore
bare Of grass and the twisa and the little
bushes within bic reach we're stripped Of
bark His mouth was down. hising GIN
Gerly 81 the twisted leg and mutieung
most plteoasiy. as u that way Of getting
free wrrc toe unendurahle. Then. az the
ereseendo Of waiiing screams heEah ones
...ore. his heaa was rzss=a toward the sky
as II tire creature were veritahly appeal
ing 10 the Eternal Jadae between man ana
beast.
Al that instant I fred. and he sank
down in death with neuHa Of relief,
do believe. HI did not struggle in the
least. 50 muck lad his strength been ex-
haasted b. the long ordeal. His trapped
lex found 20 be broken and twisted as
a towel Is twisted in wrinsing IT, the
edges Of the ss's,s rad torn the msselsa
49, 49, .sandons TO fibrous pulp.
I went back to the eanOe. told my wife;
'Srhe bear was a yeaFline," and bad no
questions from her.
On the way to camp we passed the
M0ntagnais wigwams, aad ! stopped to
ieli Caief josef Of shooting hz bear.
's0ass good ting satd Josef. II glad
yos keel hcrfn. Hes nos hol' 'nough for
mex good robe for de lady sleigh. but
he's good maybe two dollar Me, 7
hahn had no Iusiy wis bear since De lady
. tai' me Tor trap some good skin. Tud.
der day, what yoa t'inks III find 10 ore
udder trap great BIG paw what de saere
bear he's twiss %. or bite of. maybe--
aEyhow, he's get away. Bsre's dat paw,
lady and be took the hideous rsiie from
hehinA ore % bis wigwAH poles and Of
Tered Il 20 my wife.
She turned swas, hit hard, and 80 pale
that / put my arm around her 20 help
her down 10 the canoe. Wilhoal word
we sssrted--there seemed nothing 10 nay.
nut shea we bad padded a mile she
stopped the stroke and turned her had
over her shoulder with: Leroy. did yea
understand about trapping hstoresA
II didn't raaiire what u meant 10 the
animals."
Elm clad you didnt-or ] shouldn't
| like 10 think I'd married you" che zsias
/ In conclusive tone.
Stnee that day she has never worn fur.
--Yaath's Cc1apAai0n.