Show NIGHT WITH THE bean BEAK what a dark wood and what a brown little house rig right ht under the shadow of the tall minnesota pines pineal coming upon q it though after atter long miles of s silent ae nt forests it seemed quite gray and lively and if you went in and saw the bright faced mother and three wild children and after a while the tall father you made up your mind that this was almost a village then thren th en a few rods on and the wood opened out of the clearing where day after day the father worked in his great field of corn and potatoes which hardly needed scarecrows scare crows because the blackened stumps still standing each bach seemed to be one then the lake and the lake which emptied into it and on the other side the maple wood where sugar was made in the spring when the indians came down from the upper lakes lukes in the winter were with lumbermen who camped only a mile or two from them and through the summer they amused themselves ina lna in a way you never would dream of and so the years went on and little betty the youngest came to bo be four years old it was august ar hot bright day and the very height of the huckleberry season now children I 1 want you to do your prettiest today to day mrs brewer said early in the morning if you want your fill of huckleberry pie this winter youve got to get got me a bushel more afore gone 1 I found a place yesterday said jack 1 I bet theres half a bushel anyhow put betty down in the middle an she might fill a two quart pail pall without getting u cupl aply well bring home all you can said the mother and heres your dinners dinner a in i this little pail pall look out for betty shell look out for herself sheb cute as a ida injun iiri 1111 this minute I 1 and jack picked up his basket and started on followed by sarah ssarah andretty and betty in in indian file five or six miles to the best beat huckleberry field would seem a long way to you but the children childrens s brown bare feet never tired before long they passed a little lake stopped there to drink and soon reached t the opening where the berries grew thickest what with finding better and better places and stopping sometimes to watch the scolding squirrels and then to eat dinner difine the day went swiftly by and it was almost sunset when they turned homb with heavy pails and baskets Betty Bettyl Jagged lagged behind for she ached with long stepping and aud jack and sarah grew more and more impatient now betty well just leave you if you sou dont hurry youve got the lightest pail pall come along quie quick kiil kIll said jack I 1 1 I 1 cant I 1 wont go quick if I 1 do dont nai want to and betty half cried come along sal cried jack hurrying on and betty indignant sat down on a log and waited till they were almost out of sight 1 if I know the way just as well as they do 11 she thought and walked on leisurely arely jac jaek jack turned once or twice and seeing her following slowly concluded she would soon overtake them and wenton went on copped AM now and then betty stopped the last time till they were entirely out of sight determined to show she sho did not depend on them at all the shadows lengthened the wood had bad never seemed so dark and at last a little frightened betty called loudly jack 0 jack no answer save now betty ran on hoping every moment to see the two before her she did not notice that she had taken a trail leading off from the one they had gone over in the morning and only stopped on coming to a swampy spot she did not nott remember 0 jack she sobbed turning once more but now darkness was closing in in upon her the forest was thick and close and try as she would there was no finding the other trail over head an au owl hooted she stumbled oni on startled at the sudden sound then tripped over a root in the way spilling the berries all abou about t picked herself up only to fall a again gain caught at a the air as she felt herself going rolled down a oteen decline and la lay at the bottom in a little heap itaas nearly eight when jackard Jac kand sarah walked into the little hou house seand and set their palls pails on the table wheres betty said the mother just behind she come along with us and mrs brewer satisfied told wem them to sit down and eat their suppers wheres betty sald said the father presently coming in ashes coming she keep up with ua us said ack jaek jack privately a little uneasy in his bis mind at the long delay then go out now and help her along in said mr brewer its a poor way for a boy to do to leave a little gal alone in the woods even if she does know the way jack with a slice of bread in his hand went out a little sulky and I 1 mr hr brewer stood in the door looking down therrall the trail trall half an hour went by 1 I dont see the matter said mrs brewer im sort of worried john aint you a mind to eo go out for answer mr brewer took down his gun and started for an hour or more mrs brewer waited growing more and more anxious then she walked down the trail calling now and then coming suddenly at last upon her husband and jack heres Here jaek jack take him home wife im going for old pierre beauchamp he knows every turn and crook ol 01 0 the woods keel keep the firo fire going for its a raw night and the child ll 11 be cold when we br bring her in and dont fret and mr brewer turned down the old trail to pierres cabin I 1 can hardly tell you how the night went by to the poor mother waiting and watching or to the father who with old pierre scoured every part of the woods on each side the trail and by the light ligh of their pine knot torches searched each hollow tree thinking the child might possibly have crawled into one for shelter they shouted and called but morning dawned at last with no sign of bettyann Bett betty yand and the father exhausted and almost despairing sank down under one of the tall tali pines and hid bid his face in his hands suddenly he hefted his bis head dat vay old pierre said as his quick ear caught a slight sound and mr brewer darted off to the left but stopped short and stood with such a ghastly face that old pierre too paused a moment not a stones throw from them flowed a wide deep creek one of the tributaries tributa ries of gull lake and crossed here by an old log thrown over it long ago by the indiana A white birch grew by its side and under it lay betty resting partly against a huge brown bear apparently asleep at the slight crackling in the brush it raised its head and growled low put one paw on the childs dress then as if scenting danger turned about saw the two faces face 9 looking toward it and with a fierce loud growl caught betty in its mouth and darted toward the log vat you do vat yon you do said old pierre as mr brewer leveled his gun you shoots now and mads dat bear den dechi de chi leall gone valt vai aone minute hold you still not cry keep mooch quiet he called to betty not to be feared if you falls in de vater As he spoke the bear had reached the middle of the log and turned now to see if he were followed the small fierce eyes rested a second on the pair and in that second se beconi coni old pierre the best beat shot in minnesota fired without struggle or sound the bear reeled from the log to the dark water belo beio below wandin and in one minute mr brewer had bad dashed in and seized the screaming child de do prettiest shot dis bon gun did ever fire old pierre shouted hugging hla hia gun and dancing wildly about while mr brewer hugged pierre the gun and betty all at once and then ran toward home forgetting all weariness in this great joy they were a happy family that thab day as sitting about the bed where betty lay in state they tried to make her tell when fhe the bear came to her and how she felt III 1 I rolled way down somewhere said betty and sort of went to sleep and then I 1 cried when I 1 woke up because I 1 was waa all scratched an smarty then I 1 heard comin comial and cry any more an it came ani any an snuffed all round me I 1 thought may belt beit be it would eat me up but I 1 cry only I 1 sort of whispered now I 1 lay lai me an it kep kepl amellin sm ellin nie me then it lay down an licked me its tongue was all rough an scratchy it hurt me but when I 1 tried to get away it growled then I 1 kept still an I 1 was so tired an we went to sleep an I 1 remember till it picked me up an ail made me cry coz the teeth pinched me an then I 1 beard heard pierre holler and you got me out of the water do you think this cant be true boys and girls I 1 know it is for betty herself told rne roe the story she is living still and if you are anxious out her real name write to me and I 1 will tell teli el lyou you hearth and cind home |