Show Sam Hardings T By Trophy Duke Cuylcr Among the first who built their cabins on the shorq of the beautiful Osslpeo lake was a nan by tho name of Sam Harding Alone with his wife and child ho had threaded tho forest that lay between be-tween the settlements at Dover Point and the lake and once arrived upon Its banks he built his cabin and set about his work at onco of clearing up a homestead For many years there had been suspended sus-pended from a smokestained beam above tho broad fireplace a trophy of the early days he had spent on the shoro of tho lake It was an Indians scalp So long had it hung there that It was as dried and smokebegrimed as tho beam Itself Few there were of his visitors who remarking it failed to Inquire why it was thus preserved To these he did not fall to tell Its history as wo shall do now We will give it In his own words so the reader may Imagine that he is sitting In tho cabin of the old pioneer pio-neer with tho strange trophy suspended sus-pended before him You ask mo why it Is that I keep that thing in the house Well I will tell you When I first came up hero to settle set-tle on the banks of the Ossipce It was a howling wilderness for miles and miles on every side I hadnt but one white man for a neighbor and he llyed two miles away down at tho foot of the bay ° But I had plenty of another kind Thero were wild beasts and savages on all sides and there were times when they both gave me lots of trouble With tho beasts I could get along pretty well When they got too neighborly I would spend a few days in hunting and got them thinned out so that for a time I could live In peace But with the redskins it was different dif-ferent It want no use to try and thin them out although there was times when I had to try my hand at It My plan was to keep on tho right side of them if I could but I could not al ways tell which side that was The wore mighty uncertain You novel could tell for a certainty when they were friendly to you or when they were waiting for a good chance to take your scalp A big bear one which I judged by his track would weigh at least tOO pounds had been Into my corn and tho way ho had finished it was enough to make anybodys temper rise It seemed as though the critter had trampled down and destroyed a good five bushels of It There was not any trouble in following fol-lowing tho trail he had loft behind for his feet wore as big round us a peck measure and you could see where ho had planted em a half dozen I I rods ahead Tho valley became narrower and I narrower as you went up until l at last the rocks came so close together that they shut out the sunshine and a kind of twilight filled tho place I had Just made up my mind that I should find his bcnrshlp not far from hero when all at once I heard a deep growl only a little ways afore me Tho next minute I saw hImhe had seen mo and was sitting up on end to give mo a hugging when I come near enough It was a good chance for a shot and bringing my rifle to bear I took good aim for the spot right between his fore shoulders and fired The next moment he was kicking among the dry leaves giving up tho ghout I knew that there would be no need of another shot so I Illd not stop to load my rifle again but rushed right up to tho spot I wasnt long in getting there and when I did I found that there was somebody before meA me-A redskin a fellow I had had some trouble with before was standing over the bear who was jest gasping his last and tho varmint had sent an arrow into it and I knew In a moment that ho meant to claim the carcass for his own But I had no Intention of being cheated out of my moat In this way so I walked up to the bear and whipping out my knife cut Its throat Time redskin looked as ugly as pizen and in broken English wanted to know what I did that for the bear was his and ho was going to have It ho said I showed him that it was ray bullet bul-let not his arrow that had killed it but that did not maL tho matter any bettor rWhlto White man let It alone or Injun have hIs scalp ho cried as ho drew his knlfo Youll have to take it first you thieving redskin said I I had not hardly got the words out of my mouth before ho sprang upon me But I was ready for him 1 knocked aside his hand which he meant to twist into my hair For about a minute it was as hard a tusslo as ever I had In my life but at last I managed to trip him up and down we wont across tho carcass of tho bear As good luck would have it I came uppermost and tho next minute min-ute I plunged my knife to the hilt into his heart That did for him nhd I rolled his carcass off the bear and went to work nsklnnlng the unlmal I took as much of the meat asI could carry and the scalp of the redskin and started for homo When I got thero 1 hung the scalp up where you see it and It hasnt boon moved since |