The Monmouth inquirer., 1925-03-05
Strong Medicine

northern Canada is usually wide. Il
not large. Craig's office was at var
wick. In northern Muskoka, AID a
drive of forty miles was no novelty
to him. He had come to know all The
backwoods roads of the township veil
enough to be able to find his way In
the blacklist night-which, in fact,
he frequently had to do.
He was returning from an ail-day
drive. and returning late, for nightfall
overlook him while he was still q
long way from home. A brilliant sum
mer moon came up. however, as the
sun went down and this was fortu'
nate. for the road required careful
driving. It had been corduroy once.
but was little used. unfenced. uneven
and weed-grown. On both sides the
scrubby pines crowded Into 1.-THE
fringe of the great wilderness that
extends almost unbroken to the north
pole
He was still a couple Of miles from
home when the horse suddenly snort
ed, SHE'D violently, and stopped short
Craig. who was very tired and half
dozing, caught a glimpse OF small
black animal running about on the
road ahead. which he took to be
dog.
STEADY, Peterl" he admonished.
"Get upi What's the matter3"
At this encouragement Peter bolt
ed with a audiences that nearly
threw the surgeon from hts seat
Horse and buggy went right over the
little dog, ana there was q wildly
Dumping dash over fifty yards Of the
rough road before Potter could be got
under control When pulled up. be
still seemed wildly uneasy.
Quieting the horse. Craig looked
back and saw the little black body
struggling In the moonlight He was
sorry. and he felt that he could not
leave the ansmal there to suffer for
hours. He resolved to go back and
chloroform 1t, If. as he believed Il
was badly crushed by the wheels.
There was bottle Of chloroform
IN Ills me1ic.ae-satchei. and he led
Peter 70 the edge Of the woods and
tied him firmly to a tree. Taking
the medicine-case, he startd back,
carrying also an empty oatsack 30
wrap round the animal while admtnis-
tering the drug.
But before he came very near. he
perceived that 1t was no dog. It was
a bear cub, perhaps six weeks old.
and IL made a crippled attempt to run
at CraiglH approach. disclosing that
its hind leg was broken.
The surgeon caught It easily, how
ever, and as Il bit and scratched like
q little fury, he showed 1t into the
empty sack. He had no more thoughts
Of chloroform; he was determined to
take 1t home, cure 1t II possible. and
tame It.
In the sack the little animal strug
gled so amazingly. emitting smothered
yelps and winnings, that the surgeon
had to use both hands for the sack.
He slung the medicine case over his
shoulders by carrying-strap he often
used. and FASTENED toward the buggy
with his squirming burden
The cub yelped and sQualled. Craig
could hear Peter thrashing about. and
now he understood the horses panic.
He was more than halfway to the
buggy when he heard a sudden rapid
smashing in the brushwood. as II
some large animal were plunging
through 1t, and 1t thrilled him, too,
with instant alright. He began to
run Somehow be had not thought
Of It before, but he might have known
that so small cub would not be found
far from its mother.
But he held resolutely to the sack.
He believed that the she bear would
be afraid to come out into the open
road, and, In fact, the crashings rush
seemed to be following him Just In
side the cover Of the cedars. Craig
had almost reached the buggy when
q great dark shape shot into the moon
light like an arrow.
With a single squirt, Craig reached
the buggy, and hurled the sack and
imprisoned cub into II. Gathering up
the reins, he reached tor his pocket
knife and slashed the tiestrap, and
as the excited and terrified horse
went of with bolt, the surgeon flung
himself into the buggy.
Before he ccnld set control OF the
reins. the buggy rocketed over pile
OF logs and slxated on two wheels for
Q dozen yards at the edge OF deep
ditch. Craig was lying half on the
sQuealing cub. and before he csuld
get his balance in the Keeling vehicle.
It tipped over low stump and upset.
Ringing the surgeon into the dead
lower spikes OF greet cedar at the
roadside.
In panic he tried TO hoist him
self up into the tree and out Of sight.
BE saw the bear plunge into the
wreck. There was squeal from the
horse. q fury Of kicking, crash, and
he burst loose and gaIloped up the
road with q trail Of broken straps.
Craig he'd contrived 70 Chamber six
or eight feet up in the cedar. although
he was apeared on the spiky branches
and terribly encountered by the medi-
&c. 49, kNnAs a44ff Aar04u.A sa-.,..H