The Utah County Democrat. [volume] (Provo City, Utah) 1898-1909, 1908-12-19

directly north OF the cabin. As he
stood there debating II he should
return TO the draw" or attempt to
md more direct route TO the hoor
of the guch. he suddenly felt himself
moving. His FIRST thought was that
N earthquake was swaying the
mountain or.that he himself had been
seized with vertigo Then with WHO
thrill he perceived that strip OF
show 200 feet wide and perhaps 500
feet in length was moving down the
geuntain side!
Donald gray eyes dilatsd with sud
cen fear and horror. He was thrown
headlong in the snow, hearing as ne
felt the crunch OF stones that were
being ripped out Of their beds and the
crash and rending of stumps and
roots as they parted from their sock
! cts in the earth. With every purse
| Ieaping in alarm he got to his rect
! topplng and Keeling and shouting fof
/ aid as he glanced about him. The
next instant he was again thrown
headlong, He was upon the back oil
a steed beside which the tabled Horse
of Death was as an insect. Something
went through his brain like sheet
of flame. In II picture OF Sumpter
sitting by the open fire OF pine logs
down in the cabin book In his hand
undreaming of this ruthless monster
rushing down to crush him.
The next moment Donald was again
upon his feet, pitching and clutching
at the air and shouting. In that mo-
ment he saw very amazing thing
though everything was both amazing
3 aud not amazing as in some sort OF IN
b describable dream A hundred feet
! TO the rear Of him, almost at the up
per Tip OF the avalanche, he saw
D bear rolling and tossing on the hurl-
: inc mass. Thrown out of its hibernat
4 ing bed among the rocks or decaying
4 ireeroots, the animal was pitching
y about, nov upon its feet then upon us
back. helpless as fly upon an ocean
surge. Donald never knew why, but
he shouted at the bear, and he never
could recall afterwards exactly what
II was he shouted. He says now that
he thinks he commanded the bear
| not TO roll down upon him, which was
| certainly absurd.
! In his mind were many glancins
| thoughts In such moments the men
! tallty of man sometimes seems as
| diamond with many facets. lie
thought of the Christmas tree TO he
lighted in the parlor at home In Den
yer, Of how tired he was OF corned-
| beef. OF where they would bury him
when they took him crushed and dead
from the snow at the bottom OF the
i rulch. whether or not his school fell
lows n they now saw him would
4 shout slide, Donald. slidel' as they
used TO when he was running the
bases when playing ball, and many
other things, ALL seemingly, In
single moment.
II must have been very short
period In which he was leaping and
tumbling and whlrling about on the
mighty toboggsn. for the avalanche
ran down the mountain side like
swiftly hurrying snake. save that 10
undulations were up and down instead
Of sldewise as with serpent u
seemed to Donald he had scarcel,
drawn six breaths before the snow
4 slide shot from the precipice above TN
- cabin. Swift as was his flight he wa
nd. conscious that the slide had leape'
from the canyon wall for Throughout
a few seconds there was no noise ant
the he seemed being borne upon bed O
cps feathers through space then there wa
I'M a roar as OF mufiied thunder and b
was wlllowing deep in snow.
"lo The mental picture that had fiashe
~ through Oonald's rslnd of his youn
t uncle sitting by the fire engrossed
a printed romance, had been true
the fact Sumpter had awakened
u" the coming Of the avalanche on
'o" when Il neared the brink of the wa
se,, 70 feet above the cabin His boo
dropped from his hand and he made
leap for the door. The next moment
anu hear crashed through the roof al
hen smote the floor in front Of the M
nau leaving the luclless animal llfeles
ens SUMMERS face blanched as he stare
rap AT the strange object, then he thong
eA' of Donald and hurriedly pushed b
Jun way out Of the door. The snow abo
the cabin was up to his neck ana Y
s'ue roof was piled deep with H. but Z
laS bulk OF the slide had leaped clear oy
us's' the little house, heaping the bottc
y W of the gulch to the opposite wall, sol
'onie 500 feet away. The bear had dropp
ral, from the tail of this rushing mass
, 49, rectly upon the cabin
no When Sumpter had got his IRIS
ened nephew out Of the smother
stuff in which he was hounderiag,
"I.u two young fellows stood with ,
a"u faces staring at each other for u
space, then both, seeing what {
'" 80 had escaped, laughed joyously.
'resb Come into the cabin said su
tains ter, I'VE will have broiled bear ST
Ittlo for Christmas dinner! Too IN
i.hnJ snowslides around here now; tor
nome row we win PUT on Tor DeT'vsr---
mind the spring we will come back
vbite tunnel until we strike the vein.'
ana All of which came true.