Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1911-05-19
Strong Medicine

Inc practlCe OI Vclei ihdiy ouA~
geon in the thinly settled districts OF
northern Canada is usually wide, Il
not large. Craig's office was at War
wick, in northern Muskoka, and
drive of forty miles was no novelty
to him. He had come to know all the
backwoods roads of the township well
enough to be able to find his way in
the blackest night-which, in fact,
he frequently had to do.
He was returning from an all-day
drive, and returning late, for nlghtfau
overlook him while he was still q
long way from home. A brilliant sum-
mer moon came up, however, as the
sun went down ,and this was fortu-
nate, for the road required careful
driving. 1t had been corduroy once
but was little used, unfenced, uneven
and weed-grown. On both sides the
scrubby pines crowded into 1.-THE
fringe of the great wilderness that
extends almost unbroken to the north
pole.
He was still a couple of miles from
home when the horse suddenly snort
ed, SHE'D violently, and stopped short.
Craig, who was very tired and half
doing, caught glimpse Of small
black animal running about on the
road ahead, which he took to be .
dog.
STEADY, Peter!" he admonished.
Get up! What's the matter?"
At this encouragement Peter bolt
ed with a suddenness that nearly
threw the surgeon from his seat
Horse and buggy went right over the
little dog, and there was a wildly
humping dash over fifty yards Of the
rough road before Peter could be goe
under control When pulled up, he
still seemed wildly uneasy.
Quieting the horse, Craig looked
back and saw the little black body
struggling in the moonlight He was
leave the animal there to suffer for
hours. He resolved to go back and
chloroform it, If, as he believed, 1t
was badly crushed by the wheels.
There was bottle of chloroform
in his medicine-satchel, and he led
Peter to the edge of the woods and
tied him firmly to a tree. Taking
the medicine-case, he startd back,
carrying also an empty oat-sack to
wrap round the animal while admins
ter1ng the drug.
But before he came very near, he
perceived that it was no dog. 1t was
q bear cub, perhaps six weeks old,
III cd Of Mt n vsI,YN
at Craig's approach, disclosing that
its hind leg was broken.
The surgeon caught it easily, how.
ever, and as it bit and scratched like
a little fury, he showed 1t into the
empty sack. He had no more thoughts
OF chloroform he was determined to
take it home, cure it If possible, and
tame it.
In the sack the little animal strug-
gled so amazingly, emitting smothered
yelps and winnings, that the surgeon
had to use both hands for the sack.
He slung the medicine case over his
shoulders by a carryingstrap he often
used, and fastened toward the buggy
with his squirming burden.
The cub yelped and squalled. Craig
could hear Peter thrashing about, and
now he understood the horses panic.
He was more than halfway to the
buggy when he heard sudden rapid
smashing in the brushwood, as II
some large animal were plunging
through it, and it thrilled him, too,
with instant alright. He began to
run. Somehow he had not thought
Of 1t before, but he might have known
that so small cub would not be found
far from its mother.
But he held resolutely to the sack.
He believed that the she bear would
be afraid to come out into the open
road. and, in fact, the crashing rush
seemed to be following him just in
side the cover of the cedars. Craig
had almost reached the buggy when
a great dark shape shot into the moon
light like an arrow
With a single squirt, Craig reached
the buggy, and hurled the sack and
imprisoned cub into 1t. Gathering up
the reins, he reached for his pocket
knife and slashed the tiestrap, and
as the excited and terrified horse
went off with bolt. the surgeon flung
himself into the buggy.
Before he could get control of the
reins the buggy rocketed over pile
of logs and skated on two wheels for
a dozen yards at the edge Of deep
ditch. Craig was lying half on the
squealing cub, and before he could
get his balance in the reeling vehicle,
It tipped over low stump and upset,
flinging the surgeon into the dead
lower spikes of a great cedar at the
roadside.
In a panic he tried to hoist him
self up into the tree and out of sight.
He saw the bear plunge into the
wreck. There was squeal from the
horse, a fury of kicking, crash, and