Show S TO au PAUL M E f tm WAS cht willas ie and 0 VJ children had just finished their celebration the house was is llen with christmas decorations and tlc alc glorious tree still lighted stood glimmering in its loveliness Gran grandma grandizia diria had promised to tol them their a chr istman story und and they then were now seated coated about her anxiously nw alting fr fir tier lier to begin after removing her glasses and leaning back costly cosily in tier her aini chair she beg began air thus T arwas vas back in the lie early days of Mio rican history when the country ws yet rough and gilld A poor family had come collie out west and had built themselves a to log cabin in tile the midst of a deep forest now it happened th that at on the alia day before mother and father were obliged to go to town some twenty miles distant joe and little twill were left at home alone joe was nine years old and ruth was only six ather father F had set up the tree which lie hail had cut ut from tile the forest and the children were to trim it in readiness tor for e kar WJ i A christmas eie ee they were vere kept busy all day stringing popcorn and cranberries and making cornue cornucopian cornucopias oplas they were cry happy and did not mind being alone until it grew dark the then they became uneasy they carried in ilie he nights supply ot of wood bolted the heavy door and sat very close to the lire waiting anxiously for their parents but it grew later inter and later and they lid did not return the nightly sounds of the forest frightened them they huddled closer cloer together while little litte ruth shook with tear fear finally they became so cold and sleepy that they crept into bed forgetting all about lunging up their stockings for santa onus claus pretty soon joe was awakened by something putting pulling tile the quilt from them lie he did not dot wish to frighten his little sister so he lay itly very verli anict listening but as the quilt now had entirely als disappeared lie quickly jumped out of bed and returned with a lighted candle what do you suppose lie saw A huge furry paw thrust the wide cracks of 0 the afie log ing cabin caan lie ile was too terrified to scream hut but lie had an idea hushing to the next room he found a large laige spike and a hatchet lie ile quickly nailed the paw fast to the log this caused the animal which proved to be an enormous pa panther rither to tn lot let out one of the most dreadful roars ever heard it shook the whole cabin and of course awakened little iett e ruth at the same time together they rushed tor for their la fa pistol and joe shot the animal dead ills father lind had skillfully trained hini him in marksmanship for just jast such an emergency as this the they were now too frightened to go back to bed so they sat up until morning when their parents finally arrived they were horrified when they learned what had happened but were glad to find their children nilve alive and very proud of their brave little boy but the best of 0 all ail was that there was a reward of one thousand dollars offered tor for the capture of tills this ver vera panther so you see this was the best christmas they had ever had santa claus does not often place so much money in one little stocking E it 1927 27 by western ne piper union |