The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-07-07
The Chivalry Of Silas
By PHILIP VERRILL MIGIIELS

/ to look upon her: but the book was
neglected, while she watched him, and
/ her lips quvercd time or two.
With the baby mounted high, and
! chuckling merrily, Jud went forth to
! his work that morning. grinning and
( Joking the little one, sighing and drop
iping a long jaw for himself. Soon she
was babbling in the woods with her
| toys--a headless doll. a badly-warped
napkin ring, and a long row of fresh
chips, clean from the glitterins steel
and yet redolent of the pine. From
log to log went Silas. hewing his way
Vigorously, If not valiantly, and glanc-
ing at the baby between the scudding
bits that flew from the polished edge.
Presently his measure along the log
lwhereon he worked brought him OPP
posite n tree that hid the little one
from sight. Well, he would rush 1t
the faster he thought and he did.
Suddenly, above the noise of his echo
ings blows. came a shrill call:
"Papa Mammal! Papa!"
Like one possessed. he bounded over
a fallen tree toward the baby. And
he nearly reeled with the stroke of his
heart, for out OF the copse swaying
heavily on It's silent feet, came a gaunt
grizzly bear, with blazing, hungry
eyes.
'Hoi!" Jud halloed, in fearful
voice, rushing nadly forward; and he
felt his flesh creep all a-chill at the
size of the monster
1t stopped, leered at him malicious
ly, and swung itself erect, with q
movement at once active and awk-
ward, coming forward to meet him as
IL well aware that he must first be
dealt with.
Without a cign of fear, Jud leaped
straight in front Of the beast, and
swung his az at its head. The huge
brute lodged, saving its skull, but sac
riGcing half Of its left paw. Enraged
with pain. it stood again, and came
at him, CORY and roaring. Again the
the bear warded with his other paw
strike the handle heavy blow that
sent the weapon hurting away, end
over end.
With a tiendish snort the bear closed
i'll. The scream of some one who had
hurried there, startled by the baby's
CALL attracted only q seconds notice
from the animal, but in that moment
Jud whipped out long, keen edged
bowie-knife, and crouched to strike.
Fierce, then, and furious the scene.
Grasping the man about the shout
dcrs, daubing him, chest and neck and
back, with the bleeding paw: tearing
away the clothes and flesh from his
breast and arms, raking him again and
again with it's claw-armed hind feet,
the grizzly seemed very demon In
deed
Into the reeking hairy body the man
drove the steel time after time, but
His stabs We're far too short, the hide
was far too thick, and the bears vital
lty most wonderful. Forward they
trampled,. backward they staggered, in
1 a seemingly endless struggle. Yet 1t
| could last buta.little longer. for the
| man now bled from gashes deep and
i Hong, scored on his arms legs and body
/ his strength waned. and his thrusts
1 with the knife seemed almost useless
Backward Silas went. He knew
| that he should fall in a moment, and
! the thought of what would happen
was maddening. He lungcd again
desperately, stabbing the blade in to
the hilt; he felt the huge brute CULVER
then somebody came and raped a flu
rious tattoo on the back Of the anil
malls head with a rafting umbrella
4 that cracked and bruised In a manner
SO utterly aggravating that the crea-
! ture was glad to drop the man and
turn. Keeling forward, Jud grabbed
! his AK and looked.
Strangest of sights! The Widow
| Harvey was frantlcally avoiding the
lciutch Of the grizzly. and was slashine
with her weapon with a mad, wild en-
ergy peculiar to her sex.
/ An awful sound made the AK as II
Glove the skull of the monster, and
all three fell to carth-two human be-
ings and mountain of great, dead
1 bear.
On the following day, as Silas lay
wounded and bandaged upon lounge
he said to the widow: How did YOU
Happen to Gomez" sttt.
why" she said. willie Millet
heard the baby scream, an went to set
what was up. an he seen We slayin
the demon bear, an, boy-like, run tt
4 my house, it bein' nearest"
i Yes: but"
"An' he'd to go see no harm come
to the baby's knight-an' mine"