62 Redruff 



the leaves again in sore distress, and seem so 

 lame that Cuddy made another try to strike 

 her down with a stick. But she moved in 

 time to balk him, and bravely, steadfast still to 

 lead him from her helpless little ones, she flung 

 herself before him and beat her gentle breast 

 upon the ground, and moaned as though beg- 

 ging for mercy. And Cuddy, failing again to 

 strike her, raised his gun, and firing charge 

 enough to kill a bear, he blew poor brave, de- 

 voted Brownie into quivering, bloody rags. 



This gunner brute knew the young must be 

 hiding near, so looked about to find them. But 

 no one moved or peeped. He saw not one, but 

 as he tramped about with heedless, hateful feet, 

 he crossed and crossed again their hiding- 

 ground, and more than one of the silent little 

 sufferers he trampled to death, and neither 

 ■iknew nor cared. 



Redruff had taken the yellow brute away off 

 down-stream, and now returned to where he 

 left his mate. The murderer had gone, taking 

 her remains, to be thrown to the dog. Redruff 

 sought about and found the bloody spot with 

 feathers, Brownie's feathers, scattered around, 

 and now he knew the meaning of that shot. 



Who can tell what his horror and his mourn- 

 ing were ? The outward signs were few, some 



