Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1912-02-15


III lowed the trail mnny rods
when her trouble began She
" was not Freckles. and not a
bird OF the line wns going to be fn,'od
into thinking she was. They kept
whizzing from their nests nnd dnrtiug
from all sorts Of unexpected places
about her head and feet with quick
jumping. Before Freckles was half
way to the town poor Mrs. Duncan
was hysterical and the Limberlost had
neither sung nor performed for her.
II wOuldna stay in this place for a
million month"; she had said. and
the sound of her voice brought no com.
fort, for 1t was SO little like she had
thought It that she glanced hastily
about to see il it had really been she
that spoke.
Her chin was quivering like terri
fed cbi!ds. Almost into her face went
Il nghthawk stretched along limb
for It's daytime nap. Mrs. Duncan
/ sprang down the trail, lighting on a
frog. The crOak it gave rs she crush.
ed it sickened her. She screamed wild
ly and jumped to one side. That car
ried her into the swnle. where the
and her horror of snakes returning she
| made a flying leap for an old log lying
along the line She lit on it squarely.
but it was so damp and rotten that
she sank straight through it to her
knees. She caught at the wire az
she went down and. missing raked her
wrist over barb until she laid 1t
open in bleeding cash. Her fingers
| closed convulsively around the second
strand.
She was too frightened to scream
now. Her tongue stiffened. She chung
frantically to the sagEing wire and
finally managed to grasp it with the
other hand. Then she could reach the
top wire. and so she drew herself up
and found solid footing. She picked
up he club that she had dropped in
order to cxtricGtc herself. Leaning
! heavily Oh it, she got back to the
trail
Tho wind rose higher. the changes
/ from light ia darkness we're Lore
abrupt. and the thunder came nearer
and louder. In swarins the blackbirds
rose from the swale and came tiocking
to the interior with clamoring cry,
"T'checE, tcheck" Grackles mar
shaded to their tribal call, "rrall-a ice,
tral!-a-hee." Red winged blackbirds
swept low, calm to belated mates,
"FOl-lOwm me, foilow-me" Huge jetty
crows gathered about her. crying. az
III warning her to fee before it was
everlastingly too late. A heron, fish
ing the nearby pool for Freckles' find.
out frog, fell into trouble with a
muskrat and let out rasping note
Mrs Duncan was too shnken to run
far.
Several bees struck her and were an
grily buzzlng about before she noticed
them. Then the humming swelled L
a roar on all sides. A great. convul
slve sob shook her, and sho ran into
the bushes. now into the swnle. any
where to avoid the swarminE bees
ducking, lodging, lighting for her YER!
life. Presently the humming seemed
to grow little fainter. She found thu
trail again and ran with all her nigh
from few Of her angry pursuers.
And as she ran. straining every mus
Gle. she suddenly became aware tina
crossing the trail before her was
great. round, black body with brow
markings on its back, like painted gee
metrical patterns. She tried to stoI
but the louder buzzing behind warne
II. her she dared not Gathering he
, skirts still higher. with hair hyin
about her face and her eyes almOs
bursting from their sockets, she ra
] straight toward Il. The sound of he
I feet and the humming of the bee
4 alarmed the RATHER, and it stoppe
!, squarely across the trail. lifting II
! head above the grasses Of the swal
! and rafting inquiringly-rattled unit
!. the bees were outdOne.
! Straight at 1t went the panic stricke
! woman. running wildly and u1c0ntro
4 lably. She took one great leap. clearin
: its body on the path. and then dew o
0 with winged feet. The snake, collin
1 to strike. missed Mrs. Duncan an
bs~AAAAn0na - haAs instead The