Year: 1878

away - ANY "Hcfe, eiic Stiu, any Wnere.
wher- nobody can't see me: and we trav
eled on till we come 10 this spot, and as
she wasn't abe to get no fIrther builr
tn cabin, and I've been here ever since.


Mary, she couldn't Re happy nohow,
and could never make her out. One
evening when little Jack was about q
year old, she cal. ed me to her bedside,
for she warn't able to be about then, and
she prayed long PRAYER about me, and
a ked God to bless me and her little
child, and saws she, Nose SAYS she, Il
know as you don't know how you have
harmed me, but l forzive you. Only
promise to make good man Of Jack.
Save SAYS she, till you have enough to
take him to good school to have him
properly eddicated.' And I promised 50,
and then she died all of suddent' Nose
passed his big hand over his eyes, and
sat still for some minutes. And | am
almost ready" he continued, "to take
Jack to school, for / have been a-work
ing and saving ever since, and / must
have nigh on to five hundred dollars in
the bank"


This simple story, told by the rude
man in his own rude way, affected me
greatly. Poor, poor girl Who was she?


where did she come from? These are
questions never to be solved until the
last day. From what I could gather
afterwsrd, l judged that she must have
been woman of education and refine
ment, whose heart broke with the shame
and grief thai hard fate had brought
upon her. It seemed that she had de
; royed everything by which her par
eniage could be traced. Nose showed
me small fragment OF her writing,
which appeared to refer to some ins,ruc
lions about the future training of her
child, as if in a weaker moment her
mothers instinct had overcome her eau
tion. But he had torn the paper, and
only fragment had been found and
kept by Nose. The paper was course,
md the ink and pen evidently home
made but the writing was in free, LADY,
ike hand, the spelling correct, and the
words. such as people of good breeding
would choose.


However, what l had heard made me
feel easier about Jacks future, and
quieted many qualms | had felt about
ny own inability to direct the vigorous


oung mind l had surred to cons ious


less, not without many doubs as 20
what would become of il all after my
departure. Jack WAS now helping his
father in the garden or corn-paich, the
hunting season being over, and 1 OBJ
served that the two had much to say TO
each other in the pauses of their work
| thing which Of itself proved the great
revolution that was going on in their
minds.


One evening about the middle of July


While at work at a picture about half
mile from the clearing. was startled b
the loud baying of the dogs at the cabin.
The noise continued for some time, and
vas so peculiar that after listening for
few minutes | picked up my rifle, and
leaving my sketching things where they
were, ran toward the house. Jack had
been with me during the day, and had
lef me a short time before to prepare
supper for his father, who had gone to


he mills the day before and was expect
ed home this evening.


When I came nearer the cabin be
came aware. from the yells of pain inter
mingled with the fierce barking. that a
fight was going en- between the dogs and
some other animal; but when | arrived
at the clearing a sight met me which
made the blood curdle in my veins.


Close to me lay the carcass of a pig
md bears cub, two dogs lay nearer the
house, and right in front of the door was
large She bear, hung to by the remain
ing two hounds, while right between her
paws, lay our Jack, quite still, his pale
face streaked with blood. 1t seems to
me now a. if had taken in the whole
situation in a moment Of time. / tried


take aim at the beast. but for some
time could not hold my rifle steadily.
finally resied it on the fence-rail and
.ired at her head, but though ! was
within few feet of her, my excitement
and the restlessness of the bear diverted
my aim. She fell as if dead right over
lack, but gathered herself up again in a
moment and limped toward the bushes,
dragging the dogs with her, and leaving
bloody trail behind her. ran 10
where Jack lay. The poor little fellow
smiled when he saw me, and hoped he
was not badly hurt but when / wiped
off some of the blood and dirt with which
he was covered. / found that the bear
mad completely ripped HIM open, break
ing nearly all his ribs with blow of her
powerful paw. He seemed paralyzed in
his lower limbs, aud barely able to move
his arms.


/ lifted him carefully and laid him on
ray bed, washed his ghastly wounds and
covered them with linen torn from my
shirts. 1t was all could do for him. {
saw at a glance that his hours were
numbered. He asked for water, and
drank eagerly, and then he told me thai
he had come upon the bear in the clear
ing, where she was fighting the dogs
who had killed her cub. She had been
After pork, as the carca-s of the pig testi
lied. AS he bad already been seen by the
bear, and there was no tree near that he
could climb, he run for the house. bur
The bear had shaken off the dogs and had
caught him just in front Of the door
This was all he could remember.


Nose who had read the whole story in
the signs outside, came to the bed with
a step 80 light that | was not aware Of his
presence until l heard his convulsive
groan behind me. He pushed me gently
but firmly aside, as if to assert his right
to the position 1 was occupying at his
rhlld's bedside. and kneeling down laid
his head on the pillow by the side of
Jacks. Jack bent loving look on him,
and languidly lifting his head laid it on
the rough face that touched his, perhaps
for the first time in his life.


What seemed to me to be an hour
passed thus without word being spok-
en-. At last, Jack made an effort TO speak
Standing at the head of the bed, 1 benz
down to catch his words. Il want TO
kneeI down." he said, in a tremulous