Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-08-21


agely. Then he seemed to fall together and tumble
over backward.
SHE knew very well what had happened This was
= the power of the man. She knew her mate dead.
further sulen heat added to her hate; but it did
not make her reckless She ran away down the slope,
skrted the open at safe distance and closed in
more upon the mans trail good mile farther on She
had got ahead of the ugitive for she could
hear the faint hud thud of his Looping feet. She hid
herself far up tree twenty feet from the trail
and waited.
As the came up, she eyed him with mingling Of
mad hatred and anxious question She saw the bundle
his back writhe violently, and she caught little
growing complaint that came from it. That settled
her policy Had she thought that the cubs were dead.
she might have dropped upon the man from her post
of vantage But the cubs alive. For their sakes
she would take no risks with the man.
When he had passed on, she followed at a safe dis
lance. The strange procession crossed the ridge. 1t
neared the clearing and the cabin. At this point the
panther heard little way back from the trail the
tonk-tonk of cowbe. There was no need of follow
ing the man SO very closely for the moment She
swerved aside, straight, like cat going for milk.
through the thickets, and with burst of intoerabe
fury sprang upon the cows neck There was not even
a struggle for the animals neck broken before it
had time to know what was happening. The desperate
mother tore her victim; but ate of it. Then she
hurried toward the cabin. At least she had tasted
some beginnings of vengeance.
As she reached the edge of the clearing and in
sight of the cabin, the just entering the door,
with the precious bundle in his hands. She the
door close behind him. At this she whmpered uneasy
and started round skirt the clearing and upon
the cabin from the rear.
As she went she caught sight of the two red steers
feeding in the pasture close by the fence She crept up
eng the but too sagacious to reveal herself in the
open. As luck would have it. of the steers at this
moment up close to the fence, to scratch his hide
the knots. With snarl the panther struck at him
through the rails and drew long, ragged cash down his
flank Snorng with pain and terror the steer turned
and raced for home tail in air. and his comrade, taking
the alarm, beloved nervously and followed him.
few minutes later the man came out OF his cabin,
followed by his wife, The steers at the barn door,
place they usually avoided at this season. One of
them shivering and bleeding. The examined
the wound-and understood Turning to the woman.
he said:
THAT there's the mothers work. We must hunt her
down an settle her to-morrer, she'll clean out the
farm"
Letting the frightened into the barn. he waited
anxiousy for the tonkatonk of the black and white
coming home to be MIXED. When she did not
come, that too he understood only too well. and his
wide mouth set itself grmy. 1t looked if those
going to be an expensive pair of cubs.
After dark Late the mother stole close up to the cab
IN. Everything was shut up tight barn. shed, and
house alike. At the doorsil she listened long and in
tenty, like cat at mousehole. Her fine ear made
out the heavy breathngs of the man and the woman
within. 1t also at length distinguished faint little
growngs and gruntings such the cubs uttered only
when they well fed. She prowled round the
house al night the pale flame of her savage and anxious
eyes glowing upon from every direction Then at the
edge OF dawn, she stole away but not far, to hiding
door 1t within that door that her cubs had van
shed.
THE not half-hour high when the man set
forth, and the woman with him, to hunt down the
dangerous adversary they had challenged The woman