Baraboo weekly news. [volume] (Baraboo, Wis.) 1912-197?, 1912-08-01
.SAUK COUNTY
BEAR STORIES
Continued from First Page.)

cooking spoons and forks and the in
evitable wooden paddle for stirring
Indian pudding. Hanging on pot
hooks were smaller kettles of brass and
copper and below the wide stone
hearth awaited the gridirons and skill
lets and bake kettle. Instead of win
dows there were two small openings
cut in opposite ssides of the shanty.
In these wi ndow sash containing tiny
panes of glass would be placed before
the cold blasts of winter. A heavy
blanket hung in the doorway would
give place later to a strong door. In
the farther corner of the room stood
the bed well corded with stout cord
and covered with gay patchwork
quilt. cit looks like home,n the doc
tor declared when the last article was
in place. His wife and baby smiled
assent. It was home.
Not many weeks after their occu-
patton of their shanty, a messenger
came for DR.. Cowles from the village
of Portage some twelve miles distant.
A patient needed medical attention at
once and throwing his pill bags over
his saddle the good doctor hurried
away with brief word of farewell
coupled withsa promise to return as
speedily as possible. 1t was late in the
afternoon of the midsummer day. The
young wife loitered about outside for
time drinking in the beauty of the
surrounding bluffs whose rugged out
lines rose softly blue in the di- lance.
AS the shadows of evening fell, she
sung her baby asleep with no fear of
harm to herself or little one. Before
retiring she set the room in order,
glancing at the smoking hearth to be
assured that the embers of fire
kindled to cook savory pot of beans
were nearly extinguished. Lulled by
the note of bird and insect mother and
babe soon sank into deep slumber.
What aroused her, Mrs. CowIes was
unable to explain. Oppressed by a
sense of danger and with vague con-
seriousness of an unknown presence
she opened her eyes and was horri-
fed to see squatting before the fire.
place but few feet away huge black
bear With a shudder of fear she closed
them only to open them and follow
with fascinated gaze the movements
of the maurader. The moon shOne
brightly through the window opening
throwing radiant track of light
across the room which plainly re-
vealed the bean pot and the bear be-
side it. One stroke of the powerful
paw and the beans were pouring upon
the hearth. The escaping odors hast
ened the BEARS movements. Like a
half famished creature he gul ped down
mouthful after mouthful of the un-
accustomed delicacy. Once pausing he
turned bis head moment toward the
frightened woman on the bed. His
eyes like two frey balls gaZed into
the dark corners of the room. TIem-
bling she pressed more closely the babe
at her side; cry and the bear might
be upon them Stories of hairbreadth
adventures with starving wolves came
to her mind. Would the baby sleep
on? Perhars-perhaps they might re-
main undiscovered, if only-but some
thing, what was it, was attracting the
BEARS attention. A vagrant breeze
blowing gently through the wlndow
opening stirred the folds of the blan-
ket at the door. The BEARS watchful
eyes caught the slight movement.
His strange surroundings made the
animal wary. Once again he turned to
the bean pot. 1t was empty. The
scattered contents were licked clean.
Apparently there was nothing more
to eat and therefore no reason for
tarrying longer. With a contemp-
tuous sniff at the devastated
hearth Bruin turned and shambled
away.
1t seemed to the frightened woman
on the bed that hours elapsed before
she could bring herself to rise and
barricade the doorway. At last how
ever, with every movable piece of fur
niture arranged to prevent further
interruption from unwelcome visitors
she lay down beside the still sleeping
child to await the break of day. The
morning hours brought the DOCTOR.
He listened intently to his wife's reci-
tai of her nights experience, then
without word remounted his horse
and rode away in the direction of the
Garrison saw mill. Before another
night door had replaced the blanket
in the doorway of the Cowles shanty.