Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1872-08-08

bray. A Joe was not wanted for that
any goose could have done it..
My great-grandfather was the fox
that had good many moro lives than
cat NINETY times nine. Cat, indeed!
Those tellers of tarrydiddles make out
that fox once boosted to a cat that
he had ever 50 many shifts to save him
from the hounds, whilst she could only
run up a tree and that, presently,
the hounds came, and the cat ran up
the tree and was saved, whilst the fox,
spite of all his shifts, was killed.
Stuff and nonsense Fiddlededee!
It's all tablet A cat get of, when a
toc came to grief! The cat ,uould have
found herself up a tree, as you boys
sayl But this is disgression-I was
talking about my great-grandfather.
Time after time, year after year, he
ran away, and lived to run again an
other day. He used to take q header
over the precipice, and the hounds that
went after him got smashed
them jolly well right! but my sagacious
pr0av,ts you lazy young scamp, look
it out in your Electromagnetic you've
looked at me long enough to want to
be, in your poor human way, q fox,
and so suppose you think you needn't
take the trouble-well, then, my 13roa-
Gus had his earth Just foot or two
beneath the brink of the precipice, aud
by catching hold of q branch with his
teeth-I wonder we haven't pointed
tails, since we're 30 sharp in general
way Of speakirg-he could swing him-
self into his home, whilst the thick
headed hounds, that think themselves
SO wise, toppled over into Tophet.
After all, the stupid dogs didn't catch
my great-grandfather. The mean hu-
man hound of huntsman, after the
trick had been played scores of times,
was actually cute enough to guess it.
What dolts you human critturs are
So, on spec, he cut off the branch, and
the next time poor great-grandfather
tried his dodge on, he was smashed TO
smithereens. Even foxes are not wise
at all hours.
was born in a wood, Just inside. in
q hole in the hedgebank. Father and
mother used to bring as youngsters
home things at first, but we soon went
out with them at night to cater for our
solves. Oh, what jolly fun it was, in
the dew and the moonlight We'd
come on lot OF plump rabbits nib
bling the corn-of they'd ecurry, this
way and that, but we soon got our sup.
per. The big jack hares were harder
to catch. We used to come on them
siDgly, fioundering about in the fur
rows, with their great ears cooked up.
or else one stretched one way and the
other another. Many good hunt I've
had after q hare. OF he'd 20 at a
splitting pace. All right, old boy I
used to say to myself, go ahead; I
amt going to lose my wind And 80
I'd jog on, just keeping him in sight,
and pounce down on him when he was
blown. Birds, tool partridges-what
feeds I've had off theml Whole broods
OF the juicy young ones I've come
across, sound asleep, smuggling
round their respected papa and mann
ma. Much good their papa was to
them. Snap, snap, used to go, and
kill as many as could before they
woke. Il they once woke, up they'd 90
with whirr, spelling your chances bv
soaring the other broods. You neetlnf
look 80 Mortified. It was as natural for
me to like partridge as it is for YOU to
like pie-I don't mean sresurrection-
pie. Besides, don't men go poachine
as we'll as foxes2 The only difference
is that that the foxes do it more clever
~. used to meet the heavy-footed
iouts out poaching, sloughing along in |
their smock-frocks, and I used to de. |
sP!se them because they made such a
ridiculous row, fancying all the time
that they were very sly and quiet.
And If foxes do kill game, don't We
XII! moles, and mice, and rats as well?
And so We are public benefactors.
Young lamb, too, I used to like, but it |
was not often I could get it. One had
TO get 1t very young, you see, and to !
take precious good care that Mrs.
Sheep was asleep. An angry eve. e.
Pecially these horned ones, was more
than 1 liked to tackle. Grabbing |
geese and ducks, again, was.prime fun.
but l think the primest was getting in. |
to hen house. You may paddock up
your poultry, but if stup1d human |
thieves can steal them, of course foxes
can. Oh, it is such fun! There in
such flutter, and fluster, and a
cackliug when the fowls wake up and
find out who's come to see them. The
only pity is that you can't cut off with
them all: I used to like quality in my
food, and plump puliet is tenlerer
than m old cock but still, when
was sharp-set. I went in for quantity;
and, besides, it was such lark to car
ry off, right before his agitatel wives,
an old chanticleer that q few hours be.
fore had been strutting about rs If he
were monarch of all he surveyed.
I've told You about flesh and fowls-l
don't remember having ever tasted fiat,
>bat / wRs fond OF fxuit NJ You are,