-'_.. .—--~ -->-‘—-. _ .. -.... 04 Happy. Hollow ‘Bear Hunt I f3); Rufus WcLat‘n field's. “ . AI’PY HOLLOW” was our home, ' an. ideal little poet‘s valley, nestling in the mountains of East Tennessee, and surrounded by splen- did mountain ranges. . The name was most appropriately given to that' h—Ollow. which was happy in fact as in name, where, in com- pany with my boyhood’s boon com-f panion, Plato—a great ugly " brim- dle cur dog, as true and faithful as dumb brute ever was—I have had many an exciting boyish romp and ramble , in the days long gone. = , One morning in the early fall of 1851, while Plato and I were out‘for a raba, bit hunt in the upper end of the H01-' low, I had an experience, which I am in no danger of forge.tting,vuntil life itself is forgotten. It was my. four- teenth birthday, and my father had. presented me that morning with a long coveted treasure in the form of a. shot; gun. It was a single-barrel, muzzle-i loader concern, and would doubt-less be considered quit-e antiquated by boy friends of this advanced age of the breech-loader and the hammerless. At all events, it was entirely up to date then, and I am able to recall few prouder, happier moments of my life than when that gun—I have it yet—— first came into my possession. On the morning in question I had it on my shoulder, feeling like a veritable Na— poleon Bonaparte going forth to con- quer the World. The rabbits must. have heard the . news, however, for, hunt. as he would, old Plato could not start a. single one of them.~ They were ordinarily plenti— ful enough. At length, weary with walking, I sat down at the very foot of the mountain” which formed an almost. perpendicular wall above my head. Just to the-right. of me was the dreaded “Danger Line” of the mountain range—a rocky, bar- ren; desolate stretch or belt across the mountain, with here and there a. cave. sunk in or a huge rock jutting out. When all the rest. of the mountain-sides were clad in the green garments of spring time, or the russet robes of au— tumn, this'stretch of sterile, untim— bered land showed, naked and glaring, like an ugly frown on nature’s face. It was some unpleasant freak in the construction of the mountains that 1 never knew the reason for. but I know that. “Danger Line” was universally avoided, by white and black alike— ‘the latter declaring that it was “hunt- ed," and the former that there were, rattlesnakes, and even worse things,to be encountered there. My mother had positively forbidden me ever to go into that part of the mountain, and hitherto I had seen it only from adistance,curin . ously. ' I had sat there under the shadow of the mountain in the sweet autumn still—g ness for perhaps ten minutes, tired,. half dreaming, half wishing myself at. home, when I was suddenly aroused to life and interest- by a furious, excited barking far up the cliff above me and1 slightly to my right. At first. I doubted my ears. I had never known Plato tot cross into “Danger Line” by so much‘ , ,as one step before, and so I was at, loss to accountforit. And‘yet-thatwas; Plato's well-known voice I heard ; there could be no mistaking it. There was, something strange, romantic, about it- all, and I was burning with desire to. see what manner of game he could have t-reed up there. I remembered my mother’s warning—end faltered. It has been my experience that when a. boy falters in the face of duty, dis- obedience has scored a point and trou- ble is near at hand. There was my new gun, as yet un- tried, except at a lifeless target, and, after all, perhaps it was only a squire: rel. In short. my thirst- for adventure. got the better of me, and my deter— mination to follow Plato was fixed. The next thing to be decided upon was how to get there. I could tell from his bark that Plato was a considerable distance above me, and the height was well—nigh inaccessible. young, strong and active, as mountain boys are apt to be; and l have some— times thought that if a 14-year—old boy - determined to climb a sunbeam he'. could almost accomplish the task. The. mountain-side was covered with small undergrowth. and with the aid of this I determined to make the ascent. Hold- ing the gun with one hand, slowly and laboriously l pulled myself up from bush to bush with the other, guiding my course by the ceaseless barking of Plato up above me. At the 'end of about an hour of such toil. I reached the top of the first blul’t‘. where for a width of something more than a hundred yards was a level ground. reaching to the foot of the next bluff and. with no climbing now to do. it was the work of but a few moments to reach. Plato. Coming up to him I found him sla— lioned at the end of a huge hollow log, and haying with more animation than - l had ever known him to do before. I don‘t know why it was. but as l reached his side something stopped me, as though a strong hand had been laid upon my shoulder. and my mother's warning came into my mind. l turned my face toward Lorne. and for one- moment my conscience (willed me and my resolution was weakened. But I shook 011' the spell and stooped to look into the hollow log. it was as dark as night within. and [could distinguish nothing. I then went around to the other end. but found that there was no hollow 1‘here. l beat upon the log and listened. but no sound came forth, save the echoes. I co'uld think of'noth— mg eta-e to do. so I knelt down, cocked my gun and pointed it into the log, But I was; pulled the trigger and—~“b‘anglf' rang I sprang from the log, and almost si- multaneously with the shot came an answer from within, in the most sav- sound, I think, that l have ever heard, and accompanied by a noise of scram- bling out. of the log. which filled my whole. being with fright. I had never known Plato to run from any living thing before. but he preceded me in the flight this time. As long asittakes to tell it, we were scarcely started when out of the log came tumbling a great, furious, hungry bear, hearing down upon us like the shadow of an awful death. I can shut my eyes now as I Write of it, and feel the shiver of fright of that bloodthirsty beast, nearly 50 years ago. On we dashed, and nearer 'bruin came, the blood streaming from his angry face, where the shot from my gun had taken effect. On, on! and nearer, nearer, and yet nearer the in- furiated creature behind us! And then '—.-horrors! The brink of the great bluff was reached! Straight down— ward, wit-h not a tree, not. 0. friendly bush to aid me—a descent- impossible, even with ample leisure and greatest care! _ ‘ Far down below me smiled the serene beauty of Happy Illdllow. There were the cows, the horses, the sheep, brows- ing quietly, and there was the dear old home with the maple before the door, under whose friendly shade Ihad prob- ably rested and listened tothe music of the mocking birds for the last time. And then mother’s warning came again before me—too latel~distinct and re- proachful. ' To attempt a descent was certain death, and death equally as certain was just behind me. Reloading my gun was now out of the question, and had it not been the shot it carried were too small to do more than further incense my murderous pursuer. Poor old Pluto stood cowering by my side, trembling and whining pite- ously, and in the bitterness of my de- spairing heart I accused him of it all —not dreaming of what» was to follow! The supreme moment had come, and I was almost palsied with fright, with not the strength or the resolution to raise my gun to strike a. last. feeble blow for myself. Within ten feet of me, the bear rose on his hind feet to what appeared to my frightened vision an almost incred- iblc height. He was preparing to spring! I knew the end was come, and I tried to pray. The power of speech, of thought even, had deserted me. As he sprang upon me, I thought to close my eyes, but that privilege, too, was denied me. Another moment and I would have breathed my last, when, as ifbya noble inspiration, all his wontcd courage re- gained, Pluto met the spring and planted his teeth in my assailant’s throat. The bear clinched with him, l , \ _ all} )li CRASHING- nowN. , THE PRECIPICE. and I sought to turn—like a coward—— and fly for my life: but I could move ( at best only a few feet backward, so I weak and unstrung was I. ( The struggle was fierce for a moment, 3 but I saw that all was over for my dear Sold brindle playmate, and I realized ; that. it could be but a question of a. lfew seconds before the mad monster 3 would turn on me. i There was a crash at my fegt, a giv- 5 ing way of the earth! The great rock 1 on which they struggled for life and death had broken loose from its moor- ings carrying the ugliest bear and the no st dog I ever saw, crashing down . the awful precipice, to mutilation and . death below. _ It was the middle of the afternoon , when I, a tired, weak, sick and repent- ? ant boy, reached home to receive the blessings and forgiveness of my fond and frightened parents. At the foot of that bald clifl’, just where-he fell on that lonely autumn day in the-long ago, you can find now-— ; unless impious hands have removed it ——a stone slab on which is rudely chis- eled this inscription: Sacred to the Memory of PLATO, - Who Gave His Life to Save - A FRIEND. Within a few feet of where I am writ-- ’ ing now, snoozing snugly in the even- ing sunbeams, where they playiupon the floor through the open window, is a large and beautiful Maltese cat. coiled upgin restful oblivion to all I am writing, on an immense bear skin, the wearer of which came so near mak- ing an end of me.—Country Gentleman. V“--- _. Fowler Down. First. Doyv—Dev say cigaretteshurts a feller’s lungs. Do yer believe it? Second Boy~.\'-aw; dey don't. hurt yer at. all unless yer dad ketches yelr smokin’ 'em an‘ den dey hurts yer furder down dun yer lungs—Cleveland Plain Dealer. A Closed Incident. “Talking about the Skipper’s home,” began the lank boarder, up...” ‘ “There, there! Don’t ring in any joke about. the'cheese." The’landlady . looked fiercelv.—Syracuse Herald. . out on the mountain air. Instinctively ' - age, the most blood-cunning, hideous run through me, as I felt it at thesight AWFUL ‘does not become possessed of the very TRUE BUFFALO GRASS. It [I \thhout Question the Most Valu- able Forage Plant of the American West. Buflalo grass (Bubilis dactyloides), the true buffalo grass of the great west- ern plains region, is reported: to have been much more'abundlant and more widely distributed in times past than it is at present. Now, however, it is known .to extend from the British possessions southward into Texas, where it is con- sidered an invaluable grass and one of the best constituents of sheep pastures. It has a low habit of growth, rarely more than five or six inches high, and produces numerous creeping and widely spreading branches or stolons, which root at; the joints, each joint forming a new tuft, and in this way the grass often covers large areas with a close mat of fine-leafed herbage, which is greatly relished by all grazinganimals. THE BUFFALO GRASS. As a. winter forage, it is without an equal. The habit of growth of this plant is very similar to that of Bermuda.- grass, but the stems and leaves are much finer and the turf formed more compact. Live rootstransplanted-from Nebraska to the grounds of the depart- ment of agriculture at Washington, D. C., have grown with remarkable vigor, and it may be possible to utilize this most palatable and nutritious grass in portions of the eastern and. southern states. This whole family is extremely val- uable, seeding profusely, and covering every portion of the country where suf~ ficient rain for its-growth may be found at any season. In the mountains awin- ter variety is found remaining fresh, while that '01 the plains andlvalleys is dried by the late summer heats. The whole class is admirably adapted to the requirements of the country, asthey re. main during the warmest months of summer, and until the rainsof the next season come on, in a dried’ form, pre- serving the nutritive qualities through- out.—Journal of. Agriculture. CONSERVE FERTILITY. It II Far lletter to Keep Land ‘luch Than to Starve It and Then Try to Restore It. There is no land so rich as to excuse the farmer for wasting its fertility or, the manure from his live stock. Amy man is much blessed, if he. is permitted to start with a farm of high fertility, for many are the men whose onerous task isthle bringinginlto productiveness of the sands, the deserts, the marshes and the waste places of the earth. Yes, and they do it until such unpromising tracts of land literally “blossom as the rosefi’ . ' “ But the farmer, as has just been said, who can command fine virgin soil at the begin ning should estimate correctly the value of his good fortune. All he has to do perhaps: is to maintain. fertility, - to prevent his fields from depreciating in their stocks of plant food. This isa comparatively simple and easy matter indeed, provided the man so blessed erroneous idea that. he is exempt from universal agricultural law and can waste fertility without suffering the general penalty for such mismanage- ment. ' Good, wise husbandry; the careful saving of manure. and the conservation 1 of fertility are necessary in the more favored agricultural sections as well as where natural fertility is more limited. Even thus early farmers find it profit- able to use the commercial fertilizers upon lands, that. a few years ago were judged to possess “inexhaustible fer- tility.” ‘ Any land will “run out” in time un- der a system of soil robbing; and it is far more expedient. to keep land rich than to first starve it and then attempt to restore it.—l\l. Sumner Perkins, in National Rural. Corn in Hot Countries. The hot countries do not appear to take kindly to our corn. The Central American states which in nine months of ’97 purchased 103.364 bushels. took but 87,333 bushels in ’98; the South American countries which in the nine months of '9’? took 42.500 bushels. took but 32.710 bushels in ‘08; West Indies dropped from 564.450 bushels in ‘97 to 551.056 bushels in ’08; while Mexico. which took 3.719.245 bushels in '90. dropped to 2797.051 bushels in ’97'and to'17.409 bushels in '08, the large reduc— l tion in Mexican purchases being due in l part. however. to better crops in the ' last year than in the two preceding years. ' Keep steady watch of the young horse's feet. for poor feet are about. equal to a dead horse. w 9....-. .— ‘ FIGUIIES‘WITH'VF'INGERS' In Them Was the Origin of the R0- . mun Nume‘rnl'Me-thod of Counting. Hold your hands up before you. palms outward, thumbs“ at an acute-angle. Begin on the left; little finger I; little finger and ring finger, II; little finger, ring finger and middle finger, III; all the fingers of the left hand, IIII‘, and, the. hand and thumb at an acute angle formV. In place of the 1111 you may use the fourth finger from the left, still holding the thumb at an acute angle, and you have IV, says the Philadelphia Times. ' Now pass to the right hand. Hold- ing,the,fl1umb and the: ;hand_ at: i-he sa'riie'. angle E's-"before we have 'v’Ii by using the index and the middle finger- we get VII, while the thumb and the three large. fingers make VIII. Now join the two V’s made by the thumbs, inverting one, and we have. X, or ten. Then use the X with the. last, little finger before it and it- will give IX. The combinations following X are obvious. The forefinger of the left hand, with the thumb at right angles, make a perfect L; the little finger of the left ‘hand curved toward the thumb makes C, the initial of centum (100), and so on with the hundreds. Now join the two thumbs with the fore- fingers, or two Vs inverted, and you have the hieroglyphics complete. Breeding ‘ton-‘wifiie Mei}. ' The majority of poultry eaters like the white meat better than the dark, and the fowl that be'stt suits the mat jorit-y of purchasers has alarge amount of breast. meat. The best, market fowls carry this white meat not only on the breast proper, but well back between the legs. A great deal of the market poultry fails to be thick-meated be- tween the legs, which is a vital defect. Fowls should be selected for breeders whose legs stand well apart, with the. body between them of goodwidth and with a tendency to put on flesh there.— Farming. New Jersey Red Men. TRENTON, Feb. 24.——The Improved Order of Red Men held their annual general council meeting here yesterday. The report of the great chief of records, Daniel M. Stevens of Camden, showed a. total membership in the state. of 16,- 152 and $82,000 paid out during the year for benefits. Mrs. George’s Trial. CANTON, 0., Feb. 24.—No jury will be required to pass on the technical points raised in the prosecution of Mrs. George. Her attorneys say the trial probably will commence within 30 days. NURSING MOTHERS. Particularly Pleat a 'l‘onic Reconstructor. The Mother’s Life andflhild’s Health Depends on Proper Nourishment. Vinol, Wine of Cod Liver Oil, Helps Nourish Like Nothing Else. We Guarantee lts Action. Women who are nursing babies need Vinol. Their strength and entire energies are taxed to the utmost at this critical tune. . Viuol, the modern rebuilder. will enable them to obtain not only sufficient nounslr ment to maintain their own strength. but wnl enable them to get the necessary elements to insure that. the milk which they give to the baby will cont‘aidmll that the little one needs In order that he u‘lay thrive and grow. We guarantee the action of Vinol and will refund the money to anyone who is not sails. whed with tlie'good results that are obtained by its use. Remember Vino! tastes delic10us. PLAISI‘ED’S drug store. 43 Washing. ton St“, So. Norwalk ' EW YOBK,NEW HAVEN a; HABTFOkD RAILROAD. ‘ -Nr.w Yonx Dunsxox. DECEMBER 4, 1898. ’1 wins leave south Normal}: as follows. FOR NEW YORK — Accommodation trains at 9.36, 11:40 a. m., 1.11, 3.04, 4.07, 5.33,6.41,8.11, 10. 20 p. 111. Express trains at 4.55, 5.45, 6.15, (local). 6.55, (local), 7.13, (100211), 7.54, (local), 8.16, 9.03 (local) 9.58, 10.35, 11.35. (local) a. m. 12.47 2.25, 5.10 5.55, 7.55 p. m. For Washing ton via Harlem River 12.53 a. m. (daily) SUNDAYS—Accommodation 9.05 a. m. 5.35, (local), 7.20, (local)10.10 p. m. E) press 4.55, 5.45 a. m. FOR NEW HAVEN AND THE EAST—— Accommodation trains at 6.28, 7.42, 8.46 and 11.42 a. m., 1.12, 2.42, (to Bp’t.) 4.18, 5.27, 6.27, 7.28 (to B’p t), 9 1'5 and 11.15 p. 111. Express trains at 1.11 "1.20 9.11‘,10.05,11.08 a. m., 12.02, 3.05 5.04 (Naugatuck- Express) 7.05, 9:05 p. m '. SUNDAYS—Accommodation 7.42, 9.1‘.’ a. m. and 7.15 p. m. Express 1 11 and 1.20 a. m. " ' ‘ C. T. HEMPSTEAD. Gen. Pass. A gent. News and Opinions __.OF.__ National Importance, The SUN ALQN E' CONTAINS BOTH. I ’2 Daily, by mail .............. $6 a year Daily and Sunday, by mail The Sunday S U N is the greatest Sunday Newspaper .n . 1 the world. .———,———-— Price 50 a copy. By mail $2 a you Address THE SUN, Neuronal - ...$8 a year . GOOD W 01a. PRICES RIGHT A wonderful cleanser for all household work: ' ‘ When you Wash the Baby ' I use the cake of White Glycerin'e loilet Soap found in each pack= age of Ivorine. The fame of Wil- liai::s’ Shaving Soaps guarantees - . . this Toilet Soap pure, delicate, writhing, and healing—It is peculiarly deligl tful for keeping the .ngif'i soft, white, and smooth —- Sou pay for lvorine; we give the soap. ' Alkéfim The J . B. W iiliams Co., Glastonbury, Ct. l l l' E; I ’ The sudden Epidemic of Grip has startled the coun try. The doctors confess they Lave no sure Cure ' for it, and this is seen to be t 1 no in the sudden death : of Garcia and Ex-Senator Brice and the alarming in- ' 1 crease In the death rate. A 3 Brazilian ‘ Balm. I No fatal "disease of Grip was ever known where BRAZILIAN BIL" was promptly Used- It kills the germs, arrests the progress of the disease at once, and takes all the evil effects out of the system: Colds, Grip," Influenza, ‘ 01d Coughs, Asthma .Catarrh, Pleurisv, Bronchitis IT Is A PERFEGTrREMEDY \AAAAAAAN G For Sale by EDWARD P. WEED, Wall Street. WE BECOME SOLE SURETY oN ALL BONDS. If You Want a Bond As Executor, Trustee, Administrator, Guardian, Re ceiver, Assignce or in Replevin, Attachment Cases etc., As a Letter Carrier, As a Contractor, As a: United States Official, As State, County, Town or City Official, As an, Officer of a Fraternal Society As an employee of a Bank,Corporation or Mercantile establishment, ' ' -'- -' ' Fidelity (ll-Deposit Cbmiltlny 'OF MARYLAND, WILL FURNISH IT. a? Don’t Give or Accept Personal Surety. WILLIAM H. BYINGTON, agent, Gazette-Building, - - Norwalk, Conn the GET YOUR Jo: P" AT THE ' GAZETTE OFFICE. f 1an0
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