The Idaho recorder. [volume] (Salmon City, Idaho) 1886-1927, 1915-04-01
FOOLED THE PANTHER
UNCLE SILL OBJECTED TO FUR
Rs4iNs Her MEAL.
Old Frortl.rsman Naturally oel'snt'
Relating 10 His Crandsn''ar7n
How Narrowly re Escaped
From f1idsous Death.

Uncle pm Joyce Yves down IN
southwestern Missouri on the edge o.
the ozark country lie has .l'sd mere
a great many years Tor be- ls an oia
man nov ard he Ia fun o. entertain.
ing "reminiscences Of the aaFs wheh
that corner Of the state vas atili a.
most wilderness Among me stories
b. loves 10 tell the up~Wmouthea
children OF a more sheltered genera
ton f. this account or ilF by adyeh
ture wlth the animal that all old
frOntlerzmen used 10 call painter.
Uncle BilI sill begin
One day lB the summer Of 1881. !
shouldefed my rife and started Tor
DAYS hunt was bound FOR a small
prslrIe some five or six miles from
home After hunting for deer a spell
without seeing a sign / turned into
smaIl grove ~ walnut oak aud nnl'
harry 10 hunt for squirrels | got
good many ~ them during the morn
ing Once Or twice / stopped 10 listen
10 a queer noise that { could hardly
hear. It was so FAR away II was
tong. quayerins cry that died away
gradually ut il came no nearer,
and finally stopped altogether
When il came noon went to
spring I knew u and ate the lunch
that / had brought with me Then
thought / would so On 10 the prairie
and hunt for wila bees that vas real
Nv what | had IN mind when ! started
nut / felt sleepy, and thought ! would
take a nap first, and so stretched
myself Ia a shady place and fell
asleep.
woke a little later 10 find myself
covered with leaves and small brush.
! was puzzled sure enough for !
couldn't think what could have GOV
cred me up. but decided 10 find out.
First got dead log about six feet
| long laid il where ! had slept, and
covered Il with leaves and brush. /
| looked to whether nv gun was
loaded. and then hid IN q cmmp OF
| bushes some twenty or twenty-five
Yards away after about twenty min.
Uteg ! heard - noise | yeered out OF
| the bushes. aud saw large she
panther coming through the trees
| followed by qusrtcTgroNn cub, She
( cireied round tn mound Of leaves a
/ couple OF times the cub followed
| every action OF It's mother After
| the second round the old panther
! cFouched a. n for q spring She
crouched lower aud lower. and kept
drawing her feet closer together. She
kept her EYES fastened on tile mound
Of leave. all the time. and swayed her
| tail from side 20 side with a SLOW
| regular motion
When she ha9 gathered her feet as
| close together as she could she
/ sprang for tho pile of leaves she
/ landed In the very middle Of the pile
and gave several long, wicked rakss
with her hind feot Then She began
To- smell and scratch in tie leaves. IL
/ didn't take her lonE 70 find out that
there VAS nothing but an old lug
/ there. aud she stopped scratchng aud
began 20 look about | hnuGht that
/ now vas the tlme 10 settle matters
| ! was little W her left and behind
her | caught a sight Just al the base
Of her eur. and fred She gave one
leap and shrll scream. and then
/ lay still
After making sure that she WAS
dead, looked FOR the cub It was
sitting near by on the side ~ 8 lean.
I ing tree splitting and guarIiug apprTIv
} soon pat an end TO that with a riHe
ball never knew man So we'll
/ hunted as ! was without betng hurt.
she probably took mc for dead and
/ covered me 20 Keep other animals
! from Hndiug me white she went after
her cub --i Youths Companion.