BRAVERY OF A MOTHER GROUSE.
When first I came to the Territory of Washington the desire to explore the mountains to the west of my home near Valley grew upon me, and at the first opportunity, taking ponies and blankets, and accompanied by my eldest son, a lad of seventeen, I set out on a four days' trip into the new wonderland. The summit of the range was reached on the second day, at a point entirely out of the line of travel of either Indians or whites, and when almost at the summit, just as we were passing a clump of bushes, on June 6, 1884, we ran into a brood of little ruffed grouse. My boy was riding in front, a couple of rods in advance, and the first move of the mother bird seemed to be to hustle her babies away from his horse's feet, and just as he rode past she rose in the air and flew directly toward me. I pulled up my pony instantly, and as I sat still she flew straight for my head, rising just above it as she came, and suddenly the boy cried out, “She is going to alight on your head.” It was true, and to the day of my death I shall regret that the unexpected sound of the fluttering of her wings as she settled toward my head for an instant startled me from my composure, and the temptation to glance upward was momentarily irresistible, and, in consequence, my slightly tilting hat-brim frightened her while in the act of setting her feet upon my head; but, swerving lightly to her left, she swung round and settled on the rump of the tired pony under me. The pony stood perfectly still, and slowly, very slowly, I turned my head and looked at her. Beginning in a very low tone and gradually raising my voice, I talked to her and to my boy about her about a minute or two before she fluttered away in search of her babies. Telling her what a graceful little beauty she was, and how we had no thought of hurting either her or her babies, I cajoled her into listening for quite a time, and, tho I am well persuaded that she had never before seen either man or horse, I contend that it was courage, pure and simple, which prompted her to fly in the face of so formidable an apparition in defense of her little ones.—Forest and Stream.