The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1904-06-02
running across the kitchen floor and

running across the kitchen floor and
| out to the dooT-rock.
Severa. parties soon went out to seek
the bear, blu: no clue to her where
abouts could be discovered, nor did she
fall into any of the snares that were
set for her. She harvested Dod's water
melons and Wink's luscious cantaloups
in the burned patch later on, and de-
stroyed no end of corn in the milk. In
| the fall she took few fat lambs just
to fortify herself for the winter, which
the harassed farmers were glad to see
set in.
Toward the end of February bod and
Wink started out one morning on snow
shoes; with guns and axes, to go up to
Jacks Ridge to prepare wood for the
| coming sugar season. They worked
through the forenoon, cutting and
breaking up the dead maple limbs,
getting large pile ready. After lunch
they went with their guns away over
the ridge and down into the wooded
valley beyond. hoping to find some
rabbits, and possibly few cartridges.
After tramping for about two hours
they had secured only one rabbit, and
were about to start toward home, tired
out, when they were saluted by fierce
grOwls and snarls close at hand. The
boys were terribly alarmed. They could
not run on snow-shoes, but whatever
the beast was they realized after mo-
ment's panic that it could make but
slow progress through the deep snow
So they stopped to listen.
The growls seemed stationary, and
to proceed from the dense brush of a
fallen hemlock not far away. bod and
Wink determined to find out what
creature was making such fuss and
why it did not show itself.
Cautiously making a circuit, they ap-
preached the hemlock, and after clam
bering over brush and small bushes, in
which they frequently entangled their
snow-shoes, they discovered that the
sounds came from an old, hollow pine
stump. Through small hole above
the roots and half hidden by hem
lock boughs a bears head protruded.
With the white stripe in her face, hel
red mouth, big white teeth and glazing
wicked eyes, she made very ugly pic
tire indeed. The boys had stumbled
upon her den at last.
Some time during the winter small
hemlock had been blown down and
lodged across the opening under the
great pine roots through which, in the
fall she had entered to make her bed.
Snow had drifted in among the hem
lock branches, and what with frequent
rains and the warmth of the creatures
body within, had formed a wall of ice
barring her exit. Her breath had kept
small hole open, and through this she
plunged her head, now that she had
awakened from her long sleep, to re-
connoiter She had scented them from
afar and at once gave voice to her
rage.
Seeing them near, she made frantic
efforts to break through. She dug and
bit savagely at the sides of the aper-
ture, making the ice and hemlock
twigs fly in little showers, all the time
uttering wild and furious cries. The
boys feared she would soon be loose
upon them.
Dropping into their guns small
chunks of lead to serve as bullets, they
approached as near as they dared and
fired through the boughs. The lead
brought redoubled roars and fiercer
struggling. She had now her h cad and
shoulders out. The situation was
alarming. Wink reloaded and fired a
second charge, which took effect in the
shoulder: bod followed it up with a
shot through the head, and the bear fell
back into the cavity.
Some minutes passed before the boys
dared to make close investigation;
but as no further sound came from the
den, they grew brave and went up to it.
The old bear was dead. Enlarging the
hole in the pine stump, bod and Wink
entered her den. The bounty on the
old bears scalp, together with her skin
brought bod and Wink a purse of
money.-Youth's Companion.