Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1913-12-10
BAFFLED The Bear
Exciting Domestic Event In the
Early Days of Vermont.
TALE OF AN ALL NIGHT SIEGE


Warm Reception In Settlers Cabin,
Quick Retreat by the Inmates and
Display of Presence of Mind.
Two Of the first English settlers in
the town Of Addison, Vt, were John
Strong and Zadok Everest. Early in
the fall of 1776 Strong and Everest
had to go to Albany for provisions.
Pioneer women seldom worried. but
for some reason Molly Strong felt un-
easy after her husband had gone. She
and her sons got in a good supply of
fuel and did the chores early.
When they came back to the cabin
the baby was crying for his supper,
and Mrs. Strong gave him a cup of
warm milk and sat him down in front
of the fireplace. She had just vung
the kettle of samp from the fire Wien
she heard noise. Looking round, shG
saw the blanket that served for a door
swing aside as a great bear thrust her
head into the room. The children
screamed, and the bear backed out in
haste, but Molly Strong knew that she
would return.
Quick, childrenT' she said as she
caught up the baby. Climb the lad
der. Let sister go up first. now John
ME, now Frank-hurry, hurryr'
When the others we're safe in the loft
Mrs. Strong climbed up with the baby
and drew the ladder after her. She
laid it across the hole, and then she
and the children sat down and waited.
The floor of the loft was made of
round poles laid closely together, but
not fastened. 1t was dangerous to
move about on it.
Peering down through the pole floor.
they listened and watched for the bear
to come back. They could hear her
moving round the house, and once a
big paw crashed through the oiled pa
per at the window hole. Finally she
came to the door and, after blinking
uncertainty at the fire, walked in. Two
cubs followed her. The old bear pres
emily upset the pan of milk on the ia
bic, and the cubs began to lap it up
eagerly.
I'D like a taste of that myself"
Frank whispered.
$50 would l." Johnnie replied. ''I'm
awful hungry"
Next the bear found the pudding
Kettle and took a mouthful of the boil
ing samp. Jumping back with a cry
of pain and rage, she broke the pot
with swift blow of her paw. and then
sat up on her launches, growing and
whining. and began to dig the pud-
ding out of her mouth. The cubs sat
and watched her in grave wonder
That was too much for the children,
who burst into laughter. Instantly the
bear gave loud roar and rushed to-
ward the hole with the ladder across
1t. Mrs. Strong gave hurried orders:
Get me pole. Frank, quick! Now.
get another. Punch her if she tries to
climb up. Be careful. Don't fall
through"
The baby, awakened by the noise, be-
gan to wall, and Mrs. Strong soothed
him with one hand while with the
pole in the other she warded off the
bear. The little girl chung crying to
her mothers skirts, but the boys each
had long pole and prodded the bear
through the rungs of the ladder. The
big brute finally shuff1ed off toward the
door. She pulled down the blanket
and tore it into shreds; then she went
out, followed by her cubs.
'She'S gOne!' Johnnie said. do
you think she'll come back, motherY
81 expect she will, son, but we can
manage her-if we keep awake"
II won't go to sleep!' groaned John
ME. I'm too hungryp'
Nevertheless, the silent wait in the
dimly lighted loft made them all
drowsy, and before the bear returned
Mrs. Strong knew by their heavy
breathing that the children were
asleep. 1t was near midnight when
the bear came in and renewed her eff
forts to reach the loft. Mrs. Strong
raped her sharply with her pole, and
there was a roar that brought the boys
to their feet.
Dazed and only half awake, Johnnie
ran across the loft. His foot slipped
into a gap between the poles, and as he
fell other poles spread apart. Down he
went into the room with the bear and
her cubs. The bear did not see him
fall, but she faced about at the noise
and started toward him.
Quick as flash. Mrs. Strong brought
her pole down on the nearest cub and
pinned him to the floor. The bear
turned to rescue her squealing off
spring. and Frank drew his brother up
into the loft unframed.
No injury to herself could have
weakened the old bears courage like
the attack on her cub, and although
at intervals she slouched in and out of
the cabin, she made no further at
tempt to reach the loft. As it grew
light, Mrs. Strong, watching through
the chinks in the wall. saw her lead
her cubs across the clearing into the
woods