The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1911-12-26

lifted with every yelp of the sheitpoke
 Once he saw lean. shadowy form
 following him and blazed away with
 his revolver. Then. he was frightened
 worse than ever for fear it might have been Duncan's collie.
 The first afternoon that he found
 his wires down. and he was compelled
 to plunge knee deep into the black
 swamp muck to restring them. he
 could scarcely control his shaking hand
 to do the work. With every step be
 felt that he would miss secure footing
 and be swallowed up in that clinging
 sea of blaekness. In dumb agony he
 plunged along. clinging to the posts
 and trees. He had consumed much
 time. Night closed in. The Timber
 lost stirred gently. then shook herself.
 growled and awoke about him.
 There seemed to be great owl boot
 ing from every hollow tree and little
 one screeching from every knothole.
 Nighthawks swept past him with their
 shivering cry. and bats struck his face.
 A prowling wildcat missed its catch
 and screamed with rage. A lost fox OdS eu iiit CSSuutiy IOi itS hdotO. hS
 hair on the back of Freckles' neck rose
 like bristles. and his knees wavered
 under him. He could not see If the
 dreaded snakes were on the trail nor
 in the pandemonium hear the rattle for which Mclean had cautioned him to listen.
 Something big. black and heavy came crashing through the swamp. and
 with yell Freckles broke and ran
 how far he did not know. But at last
 he gained some sort of mastery over
 himself and retraced his steps. When
 he again came toward the corduroy the cudgel fell to test the wire at ev
 cry step.
 Sounds that curdled his blood seem ed to close in about him and shapes of terror to draw nearer and nearer. Just when he felt that he should fall dead before he ever reached the clear ing came Duncan's rolling call. Free kles. Frecklesr' A great shuddering sob burst in the boys dry throat. But he only told Duncan that finding the wire down had made him late. The next morning he started out on time. Day after day with his heart bounding like triphammer he ducked. lodged. ran when he could ana fougnr like wildcat when he was brought to bay. If he ever had an idea of giving up no one knew it. All these things in so far as he guessed them Duncan. who had been set to watch the first weeks of Freckles' work. carried to the boss at the south camp. but the inner most. exquisite torture of the thing the big Scotchman never guessed. and Me Lean with his finer perceptions came only little nearer.
 After a few weeks. when Freckles found that he was still living, that he had a home and the very first money
 he had ever possessed was safe in his pockets. he began to grow proud. He was gradually developing the fearless
 ness that men ever acquire of dangers tO winch they are huufry accuston-c~ His heart seemed to be in his mout when his first rattler disputed tn trail with him. but he mustered cOui age and let drive at it with his clut After its head had been crushed Il ut off its ratties to- show Duncai With the mastery Of his first snak
 uis greatest fear of them was gone. Then he began to realize that wi, he abundance of food in the swan .lesh hunters would not come out the trail and attack him. and he ha his revolver for defense if they di, He soon learned to laugh at the fopp birds that made horrible noises. On
 lay watching from behind tree h. saw a crane solemnly performing l few measures of a belated nupti.. | song and dance with! his mate. k, | alizing that it was intended in .teude
 ness. no matter how it appeared. tn | lonely. starved heart of the boy wen l out to them in sympathy. | When day after day the only thini 1 that relieved his utter loneliness wa 1 the companionship of the birds ant
 beasts of the swamp Freckles turne; to them for friendship. He began b. instinctively protecting the weak anu 1 helpless. He was astonished at tn. | quickness with which they became ae
 customed to him once they learned l that he was not hunter and that tht | club he carried was used more fire | quently for their benefit than his own. He could scarcely believe what he saw. 1 When black frosts began stripping the Limberlost he watched the depart
 ing troops of his friends with dismay.
 He made special efforts toward friend
 illness with the hope that he could in I
 then that he conceived the idea of
 carrying food to the birds. for he saw
 that they were leaving for lack. of it. But he could not stop them. Day