<42i 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
J November, 
A SHORT CUT FOR 
The miner has been to the nearest settlement. It was 
a long and weary journey, and as he knows a short cut 
over the mountains, he thinks that as it is a bright 
night he will try -the more ragged bnt nearer route. He 
does not see as plainly as you do that there is a slight ob- 
stacle in the road— not a slight one either, for a grizzly 
bear in a narrow mountain path is just the reverse of 
plight. The grizzly is the largest and most ferocious of 
our bears, and is an auimal which, nuless one is well 
armed, and a good shot, had better be avoided, for when 
hungry or if angered it will attack man or beast. Al- 
lium gh so savage, bears will not trouble a sleeping person, 
and hunters knowing this sometimes feign sleep when 
they cannot otherwise escape. The writer once traveled 
in California and New Mexico, where grizzlies were plenty, 
and though they were frequently in camp at night, no one 
was ever harmed. The cooks, who slept on the ground, 
usually put a bag of pork under their heads, which served 
as a pillow, and it was supposed to be safe from maraud- 
ing animals. On more than one occasion a grizzly help- 
ed himself to the pork, hut did not harm the men. An 
old fellow who lives in the Sierra Nevada mountains is 
well known to travelers, lie lives alone, and has his ex- 
citement in fighting grizzlies and Indians. One day he 
was out bunting, and, seeing a young bear, he shot it. 
Before he "could reload his rifle, the mother-bear, who 
was concealed by some bushes, was upon him. The 
hunter Immediately dropped and remained as quiet as if 
he were dead; the old bear nosed around him a while, 
and finding that he did not stir, left him to look after her 
wounded cub. The hunter, after she had been gone a 
while, looked up to see if all was right. The bear saw 
the motion, and to use bis rough way of describing what 
happened, "that ar bar came back, and good gracious, 
[copy muni' SKODKED.] 
HOM E. — From a Sketch by E. Jump. — Drawn ami Engraved far the American Agriculturist, 
how she did chaw."' 1 — The fellow escaped, though ter- 
ribly cut to pieces. The picture is a very pretty one, and 
let us hope that no such fate is in store for our uncon- 
scious traveler. When we leave a well-known, road and 
strike out into a new path in our journey of life, it is 
well to expect obstacles and be prepared to meet them. 
In-door Games. 
Quiet amusements are often much more agreeable (ban 
boisterous, romping ones, and oftrn it is wry desirable for 
the comfort of other members of the family that the 
children should enjoy themselves quietly. Families in 
which quiet games and those requiring thought have 
been introduced, almost always take to them with gn at 
pleasure. A game called Initiation may be played very 
quietly, bnt might produce boisterous merriment. It can 
only be well played when it is new to most of the party. 
It is supposed to represent the initiation of new mem- 
bers into some secret society. Those who know go into 
one room and all but the master of ceremonies stand in 
a row ; the others are excluded, and introduced one at a 
lime as new members. From the time one enters the 
room every motion he makes is imitated, and every word 
he speaks is repeated, until he discovers what the initia- 
tion consists in, and this is all. When one knows, anoth- 
er is introduced, and the former one joins the wise ones. 
Initial Words.— Each one having a sheet of paper and 
pencil, a word is selected containing a good number of 
different vowels and consonants — the best words being 
those in which no letter is repeated. Each one writes 
down as many words beginning with the first letter of 
the word, as can be spelled with the remaining letters; 
none maybe used twice in the same word. Thus the 
word Merchant is selected, and each one writes as many 
good English words as he can, beginning with M, all the 
letters of which are found in Merchant. These are some 
of the words— meat, mean, meant, man, met, mat, match, 
mar, march, etc., etc. Three or five minutes are allowed 
in which to write them, the "time-keeper" calls "time,'' 
and then requests each one of the party to read on™, one 
at a time, the words he has written. The others respond 
" I have it," if they have written the word, or "No," if 
they have it not, at the same time crossing out the word 
on their own sheets. So as each reads in turn he only 
reads those words which have not been already read. 
Finally, every word of one syllable not written by anoth- 
er counts 1 to the writer of it, every word of two sylla- 
bles counts 2, every misspelt word or improper word 
discounts 1. The credits are set down, and the party pro- 
ceed to the next letter, E, and write car, eat, each, etc., 
etc. — proceeding and continuing as described. The game 
may be 20 or 50, or any number, and whoever gets that 
number of credit marks or "counts" first, beats. 
Answers to Problems ami Puzzles. 
The following have sent correct answers : Geo. Maw, 
G. W. Clemmer, L. Jennie Hays. F. T. Seward (866, 358), 
W. F. Rowe (350, 338), Helen M. R. II.. J. B. Bulkley, 
Nannie E. Shinn (333, 353, 35S), M. Howk [353, 35! I, 
'■ Ruralist," Eddie and Elmer Moody. L. A. Duftk-ld, 
"J. G. L.," H. C. Rood, Eva Gray, Mary Donghty, Fan- 
nie A. Darrah (356, 358), J, M. Snyder (35S), J. Chase, J. 
K. Mbran, Rosa L. Miller, M. Belle Rupert, L. E. Shriver, 
II. W. Kay, Mina M. Walker. Mary Bridge, J. Buzbv, 
W. L. Jacobs, Wm. Remolds, Jr.. L. Martin, C. P. 
McAllister, Wm. S. MuiiL-er. E. Van Svckel. Jr., T. B. 
Luce. Will Worden, J. W. Young, J. "M. Wvlie, J H. 
Bare (358), II. Tudor, Geo. C. Green, W. M. Carney. 
