Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1906-08-15

Marta Ranlon had her rifle, too, for
under her brothers tutelage she had
become an excellent shot. She was
a good horsewoman and an adept
snow-shoer as well.
When her brother took his stand
on the farther side of the sheep
corral, Marta stood her rifle con
veniently near the kitchen door. AS
she washed the supper dishes she
listened for any unusual sounds from
the corrals.
About nine o'clock her quick ear
caught wild bleating and rush Of
small, stampeding feet. The bear
was among the sheep! She listened
intently, waiting for Dayid's rifle to
speak. There was no report, only
wilder uproar. Marta snatched up
her rifle and ran out cautiously to.
ward the corral.
Meanwhile David had been sitting
on log on the farther side of the
corral, near the break in the fence.
No unusual sounds broke the silence
of the forest night. The sheep were
bedded in open sheds along the front
Of the corral. Now and then little
bell tinkled drowsily. A half-broken
bronco, tied in the log stable not
far beyond, tried every half-hour or
so to kick out, but his hoofs made
only a brief, vicious bombardment on
the logs. David thought he had new
er heard the mountain stream before
the house gurgle and babble SO
loudly over its bonlders. He buttoned
close his fur-lined fustian jacket, for
the autumn highs are bitter cold in
those high attitudes.
The night was brightly, crisply star
lit. The moon, faint, milky bit
Of jaggerdly broken pearl, added no
light to the cold white star brillancy
The peaks stood sharply defined, like
sculptared marble and ebony.
Once David fancied he heard faint,
padded footballs on the old path. He
waited, rifle ready, eyes on the break
in the fence. He could hear his
blood pounding in his ears, but not
another approaching football on the
path. Presently distant crackle Of
underground only denoted that some
wary night wanderer had gone off
into the pines. David settled down
on the log in sore disappointment.
Suddenly the sheep lying under the
sheds heaved up from their straw. 1t
was like tho very ground heaving
and breaking into gray, rounded
waves. Bleating wildly, the flock
stampeded toward his side Of the cor
raj.
David saw the waves-a thousand
sheep-surging madly toward him.
Near the gate, on the ebbing edge OF
the rushing flock, large, dark ami
NAL was knocking sheep right and left
with powerful slaps of his paws. The
willy Big Bear of the Tetons had en-.
tered the corral from the front, while
David was waiting to receive him at
the rear!
But David himself had little time
to realize how the Big Bear had
frustrated his reception program,
for the frightened sheep surged close
about him, thrusting him back to.
ward the fence On they came, knock.
ing each other down and trampline
on the fallen. The onslaught of the
thousand fear-maddened creatures
was so terrific and unexpected that
David was knocked down and
trampled.
The sharp little hoofs cut his hands,
his face. He could smell the very
grease in the wool. He was being
buried alive under the frantic flock.
He was suffocating!
Dimly he heard two rifle reports,
and he wondered duly how his gun
which had been knocked from his
hand, had contriyed to &C off-twice:
Then his whole body seemed burst
ing for want of air. Notes of fame
danced in the black void. His eye
balls felt big and ready to burst.