The Youths Companion | Page 3

from being shy and
silent, as at first, they giggled and chatted like a couple of silly white
girls. They spent a good deal more time and money at Gorman's than
they would if it hadn't been for the whiskey, but finally they started to
go back through the woods.

"They went chattering and giggling to the tree where the pappoose had
been left. Then suddenly their noise stopped. There was no pappoose
there!
"This discovery sobered them. They thought at first the fellows around
the store had played them a trick by taking it away; but by-and-by the
Red-Sky-of-the-Morning set up a shriek.
"She had found the board not far off, but no pappoose strapped to it,
only something that told the story of what had happened.
"There were bear tracks around the spot. One of the prints showed only
two claws.
"The Red-Sky-of-the-Morning went back to the camp with the news;
the other squaw followed with the jug.
"When the Water-Snake-with-the-Long-Tail heard that his pappoose
had been eaten by a bear, he felt, I suppose, very much as any white
father would have felt under the circumstances. He vowed vengeance
against Old Two Claws, but consoled himself with a drink of the
fire-water before starting on the hunt.
"The braves with him followed his example. It wasn't in Indian nature
to start until they had emptied the jug, so it happened that Old Two
Claws got off again. Tipsy braves can't follow a trail worth a cent.
"Not very long after that a woman in a neighboring settlement heard
her children scream one day in the woods near the house. She rushed
out, and saw a bear actually lugging off her youngest.
"She was a sickly, feeble sort of woman, but such a sight was enough to
give her the strength and courage of a man. She ran and caught up an
axe. Luckily she had a big dog. They two went at the bear.
"The old fellow had no notion of losing his dinner just for a woman and
a mongrel cur. But she struck him a tremendous blow on the back; at
the same time the pup got him by the leg. He dropped the young one to

defend himself. She caught it up and ran, leaving the two beasts to have
it out together.
"The bear made short work with the cur, but instead of following the
woman and child, he skulked off into the woods.
"The settlers got together for a grand hunt; but Old Two Claws--for the
tracks showed that he was the scoundrel--escaped into the mountains,
and lived to make more trouble another day.
"The child? Oh, the child was scarcely hurt! It had got squeezed and
scratched a little in the final tussle; that was all.
"As to the bear, he was next heard of in our settlement."
The hostler hesitated, winked his one eye with an odd expression, put a
fresh quid into his cheek, and finally resumed,---
"A brother-in-law of my uncle, a man of the name of Rush, was one
day chopping in the woods about half a mile from his house, when his
wife went out to carry him his luncheon.
"She left two children at home, a boy about five years old, and a baby
just big enough to toddle around.
"The boy had often been told that if he strayed into the woods with his
brother a bear might carry them off, and she charged him again that
forenoon not to go away from the house; but he was an enterprising
little fellow, and when the sun shone so pleasant, and the woods looked
so inviting, he wasn't one to be afraid of bears.
"The woman stopped to see her husband fall a big beech he was cutting,
and then went back to the house; but just before she got there, she saw
the oldest boy coming out of the woods on the other side. He was alone.
He was white as a sheet, and so frightened at first that he couldn't
speak.
"'Johnny,' says she, catching hold of him, 'what is the matter?'

"'A bear!' he gasped out at last.
"'Where is your little brother?' was her next question.
"'I don't know,' said he, too much frightened to know anything just
then.
"'Where did you leave him?' says she.
"Then he seemed to have gotten his wits together a little. 'A bear took
him!' said he.
"You can guess what sort of an agony the mother was in.
"'O Johnny, tell me true! Think! Where was it?'
"'In the woods,' he said. 'Bear come along,--I run.'
"She caught him up and hurried with him into the woods. She begged
him to show her where he was with his little brother when the bear
came along. He pointed