Los Angeles herald., 1906-04-08

along basket to get the young ones in, and
Joe took his gun in case they should see the
old ones.
On arriving at the woods, one Of the old
owls was seen sitting on the nest. Ben MADE
ready to go up after the young ones
Joe was to capture those, in the swamp;
Taking off his jacket, he tied long rope TO
the bail of the basket, and making moose IN
the end, slipped it on over his hand. IT was
hard climbing up so far, for there were no
branches for the first fifteen feet; and when
about halfway up he slipped, and came
scratching backward to the ground.
Nothing daunted however, and unhurt save
a few scratches, Ben began it over again, ana
this time reached the lower branches IN safety
painting with the exertion. Here he took a
long rest, then went on from branch to
branch. AS he neared the top there were
many limbs dead and very brittle, and Joe
cautioned him about bearing full weight upon
them.
The basket bothered him good deal, dang
ling about among the branches, but Ben at
last climbed into the crotch of tree yard
below the nest
All this time the old owl had not stirred
from the nest; but as Ben approached nearer
eyes distend, till she seemed so fierce, as she
peered over the edge of the nest down so
close to Ben's head that he felt almost AFRAID
of her. But he thought if he might get the
old bird herself it would be profitable CHIMP,
so reaching carefully up over the limb he grab
bed her by the neck.
Well. Ben never knew just how it happened,
but the next moment he was tumbling, over
and over through the branches toward the
ground, down, down, lighting at last in
thick scrub fir, which broke his fall; and from
| there he slipped to the ground.
| For few moments he lay quite stunned,
with Joe,, terribly frightened. shaking, him
and pounding him upon the back to bring
him to- which Ben said hurt him more than
the tumble. Indeed, as strange as 1t may
seem, save being considerably bruised the lad
had sustained no injuries. But his marvellous
escape was due to the fir tree, whose thick,
strong branches let him down gradually.
The old owl had sailed away. and the young
ones were still in the nest in the tree-top.
Ben felt too giddy to try again for them so
Joe volunteered to go up, and in short tune tune
had let down to Ben three owlets odd little
creatures, downy and bg-eyed. Two were left
in the nest as Ben insisted.
"If we could only have got the mother
Bird said Joe, 1--WE could have taken them
ALL then would have had seven-a pretty
good beginning"
In view of Ben's having received SUCH a
joting, it was agreed that they would put off
the nest in the swamp, which was more than
two miles away on the other side of the river,
till the next night. And it was thought best,
too, not to say anything about the accident at
home, for fear Bens father might veto further
hazardous expeditions of the kind And Ben
bore his bruises without murmurng. The
visit to the swamp was, made toward night OF
the next day, so that they might find the old
owl gone for food
| The nest was in a gnarled and ragged old
birch, in the midst of dark cedars and hem
| locks 1t not very high up, and Ben,
though a little lame and sore, brought the
young owls down. There were only two that
could be spared from this nest, leaving the
other pair for the old birds.
| That day, too, Nell had run upon a bobo