Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-03-11
Aunt Betty's Story.
BY e. A. MATTHEW'S.

oA N N. MAJ INV D.
This Is the story that Aunt Betty told US
we sat around the great fireplace one
cold night at the end OF winter
when was little girl we lived in Ken
lucky. in the mountain country far from
any town. The woods were full OF game.
and all kinds of wild creatures made their
homes near US. My father would sometimes
shoot a deer. and one of the neighbors used
to brag about shooting at bear. but as no
one else had seen the deed. they rather
laughed at his story.
There were several of US girls and we
were all strong We used to help In many an
outdoor task.
"Oue thing 1 always liked to do. that was
to go with my younger sister to drive home
the cows.
There were two of them, a white one
and a spotted one, and dear little dark
red calf that wandered with them. They
were pastured in the woods. and sometimes
wandered mile or two from home. The
white COW wore bell on her neck so that
we might always known where she strayed.
'One night we had been gathering berries
and playing by the creek. and were SO busy
with our fun that We forgot all about our
work.
I'm the dense woods 1t suddenly grew
dark. and were so frightened that we
hardly knew what to do. OF we started.
jumping at every sound stumbling and run
ming over DuSh ana Driar.
by the time we found the cows it was
so dark that we could not tell one from the
other, but we knew that the white COW wore
the bell. The little red calf was missing.
We hunted and called, and finally decided
to start without her. il getting so
dark that we could scarcely find the way
home. When We had gone short distance
out came a little dark thing from behind a
clump of bushes, and trotted on after the
cows
Hellop said sister Roe, there's the lit
tie red heifer I'm glad to see her. for I
know father would scold US well for leaving
her out In the woods alone
when she spoke the heifer stopped,
turned and looked at us, as If she had no.
ton to go back instead Of following. but
we shouted. and told her to go on and she
dropped her head and started again. Sew
eral times she stopped in the same way
IL she scarcely understood the situation, nd
each time we had to shout and scold to
make her go on.
What makes little Reddy act so queer?'
said my sister I wonder If she is sick or
does she feel herself too big to follow like
a calf any longer?'
Just then We came out upon the clear
Ing. The heifer stopped; we shouted. and
called her. and all at once she sprang to-
ward us and growled!
'Oh. what a scarei
It's bear! It's a bearF we shrieked
and with loud yells and cries for 'Fatheri
Father!' we rushed tumbling over the great
rail fence into the home yard
Sure enough, when father and the rest
came out with lanterns and guns they found
bear tracks, but the frightened creature had
run far into the woods. and they lost the
trail down by the creek two miles from
home They came home without her, but
next day a far-away neighbor shot young
black bear down by his bee hives He had
heard the story Of the girls and the bear,
and was sure that this was our follower
"A few weeks after that he sent me a soft
black rug made from the skin of the pretty
creature, and have 1t still as a trophy OF
my first and only adventure with a bearr'