The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1906-06-23
George screamed in alarm. What

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have photograph of one, don't yol
know, that Thompson took?"
We'll, les have that calf" criet
Polly. See il can't be very old, fo
it can hardly waddle away"
And Immediately the three. en-
numbered with ak, spade and lunch
turned in pursuit of the calf.
The chase led along the foot o.
low. rough ledge and beside 6
sWampy rln heaged on one side with
! bog and tamarack. AT the first dash
| Polly ran toward the tamarack. thus
getting between the calf and tina,
cover.
The baby moose was not so help.
lessly young, however, as had ap
peared ct first sight. Time and again
Polly, who was the swiftest runner,
almost had hand upon the calf,
and then by a sudden burst Of speed
1t shot ahead and out Of reach. The
chase grew hotter and more excit-
ing, until suddenly pursued and pur-
sures broke through cluster of
bushes and cut upon a narrow sand
beach, where light waves were rolling
in.
The sand was deep. and the young
moose, feeling its feet sinking, stop
ped and thrust its nose down be-
tween its fore legs.
In a twinkling Polly had thrown
herself upon the calf which. Justify
believing, bounced up and down and
forward, developing Surprising
strength. With Polly clinging round
its neck, the animal plunged and
hinged. dragging her into the water
before the other girls. whom she had
outstripped in the chase, could come
up with her.
Polly, who could swim well in bath
ing-dress, had little fear of the wa
ter, and when the calf tumbled her
over a shelving bar and into the
deep water, she felt no alarm. She
chung to the calf, persistently deter.
mined to conquer and bring it to land.
The little moose proved nearly as
strong. although not quite as unman-
ageable. in the water as on the land. |
Polly's quickly formed plan to turn
the calls head about and force 1t
to land, where George and Anna
could help to secure it, would undoub-
tedly have worked out safely but for
an unforeseen incident
Polly had turned the moose calf ,
about and was steering it partly to-
ward the shore when she heard
shout Of alright from the girls on
shore
She looked up. to see her comrades
fleeing about the beach and a huge
which was unquestionably
the mother moose, splashing toward
her in a shower CT spray.
Polly, hanging to the calf, was not
greatly alarmed, even though the big
animal swan with lusty strokes to-
ward her
She cannot hurt me in the water"
thought Polly. But the powerful
came on with the force of
| steam-launch, her great brown eyes
liked upon her struggling calf, and
wholly lnheeding Polly's black head
oobbing beside it.
When the big moose drove against ,
hem. Polly suddenly felt herself
,orne upward and outward upon the
rest of a wave, and with the be-
lumbing sensation of a hard stroke
lpon her left arm. The COW had
realized that some creature
vas holding her calf, had reared her
elf in the water. and struck blindly
0 be rid of the enemy.
Polly went under and came up,
Then, frantically grasp
ng with her free hand, she found
er fingers clinched in the coarse
air Of the big moses flank, and
here she knew she must cling if
he wished to keep the breath Of
lie in her body.
Instead Of tIrning toward shore.
he COW moose, gathering her calf |
Tithin the shelter of her neck and
boulder, pushed straight away for
ne west shore of the lake. 1t was
bout two miles and a half to the
ense pine woods of the Chippewa
The COW, swimming with powerful
.rokes, did not seem to note the drag I
ehind her Polly, startled now be- t
ond measure. raised her head and i
oked back, to see Anna wringing {
err hands and George frantically
ON the beach. Polly's !
# hand was yet too benumbed t
II use: and had it been otherwise, {
le was now too far out to attempt, S
as she was with heavy 4
lirts, to swim ashore.
So she raised her voice and shout
| directions. S