The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1873-11-13
9SUL5aS 9SL5s5Sss Stories.
TIE PoACHER,s STORY.

THE POACHER'S STORY.
It's worse than gam bling, sir. and it
beats drinking holler. Skittles is entic-
| ing, but poaching is the captain Drop
1t, sir? l could wipe off my score at the
| Growing Cock easier than l could drop
my love of sport; and when 1 says that 1
says a good deal, for the landlord swears
shall die in his debt; and I believe him.
If a fellow takes to poaching, he's done
for as safe as houses. I've been private
sportsman now for twenty year come Mar
tnmas, and I'm bigger old saWney than
ever IN the way of liking 1t. o, Sartlnly,
some gives it up, but not without their
eyes fails 'em. There's old Jacob Greene
the blacksmith, he's retired a good bit
now. He do say it Was because the
Methody man made HIM oneasy IN his
mind; and he's deacon now, and has had
"a call" to preach. But the truth is, The
blinds have down, sir He can't see; and
a good poaeher must be able to hit
black cat at forty yards on dusky night.
Old Jacob Greene, sir, Is like Solomon
now. Solomon, sir, wheu he got SO old
he couldn't enjoy himself the same as he
used, aaid it was all vanity and vexaJion
of spirit No doubt it is vexIng when
fellow tries to carry on the old games, and
can't. aa- rlla
How did I begin the gamer Wei, 1t
wur like this: At eighteen / wur IN ser
vice with old master Thurlstone, at the
Dove Noles; and Viii Oakley wur my
fellow-serVant. a fine strsPping fellow
wur VIII. Gone to Americay now. He
saved his money, sir, and l spends mine;
that's the difference. HoWether, as we
sat on the sheltry side Of a hedge, eating
our bread and cheese, we seed the pllmp
pheasants strut so peert out of the wood
that sklrted the field we Wur narrowing;
and so tame, like our Cochins. Wall
looked at EN- admiring like for minute,
and says he.
Them birds, Rooks'-that's my name,
SIR, You see-"them birds Is like many
silly men, who won't take good thing
when they has a chance. There's pans
full of tommy for 'em IN the wood, and
yet they come dibbling IN our field
wonder" says he, considering a minute or
two, al wonder how they woHld taste
baked?"
/ hadn't no notion, and I said so. Will
sat twirling his bIlly-coek slowly, and |
looking at the pheasants.
81 was a-wondering why you and me |
Rocks, should have to sit IN the ditch !
eating barley-bread and skim-dick, whilst |
Squire Dormer eats pheasants and lives |
like fghting-coek2 Wild animals" /"
saws Will, appointing across the field 10 |
where the pheasants Wur feeding, and a.
stretching oct his fingers ike the Methody |
man when he breaches on the horse
block at the Growing COck-"Wild AMI |
mails was sent for the service of men; they |
was given to everybody not to the Squire |
There's the book of Genesis on that, and /
parson can't deny it, though he'd like to.
There's another thing, too. If you |
Ds,ztra 10 b md hla.
corner of that wood, and floor couple of |
them birds with a big hedge-stake, or If |
We was to shoot 'em at nights, the justices |
would lecture US ike any thing, and swear, |
we was rogues and vagabones, But If |
Squire and his lot wur to make big bag, |
them very justices would say, What no. |
bic sportsnen; what love Of sportP Laws |
is rum things" says he, a-scratching of
his head, "and justices amt no better |
than they should be-
Well sir, | took up uncommon raw /
agin the Squire, and Will soon persuaded |
me to pitch into the pheasants. He was |
mixed up with regular gang Of poachers
at FoOsetown, and easily got a gun,
which we used to hide in dram.
The first night when we went out |
when we left our room over the stables it |
was terrible dark, even for country fellows |
that get used to it. VIII led me over the /
fields to a wood right in front of 'Sguire's |
house. They called it the Belt, sir, be- |
cause it ran all round the home park. A /
nice wood it wur. I had nested in it |
when lad. There were dozens of seuir- |
rels In it. Oncommon cute animals they /
be, sir-brushes away the dry beech leaves |
with their tails, and then turns 'em round |
to pick up the nuts Being go near |
'Squire's house I felt afraid, and said so. /
Never you mind" says Will: "the keep (
ers is away up to the Asps spinneys, and |
we're as safe here as if we was in heaven,
because they don't expect us. Ha'nlt 1
you heard parson say how we looks too /
high for things close by?'
Will sniggered quietly to himself at
the thought of the paTson, l felt very 1
hunksd, for the big hound at the stables
yelped as If he knew we was there. The |
river washed over the ford With a dismal
sound. The toads on the lake croaked |
awful The night wind sounded sad /
among the trees. The great bell at the |
hall rung for prayers. The church clock /
struck eleven. Gradually the hghIs went /
out one by one. was sorry to see the |
last one go.
aLook up there, Rocks" says VIII, |
leading me underneath some trees and |
pointing upwards. I looked as hard as |
could. But, lor bless you, 1t was too |
dark to see even white smock frock.-
"Oh, it doesn't matter" says Will. "You |
keep quiet, hold the bag, and do as tell |
you, and no mistake" VIII put the gun |
to his shoulder and fired twice. In |
minute the quiet woodsswas in an uproar. |
Thousands of wings tapped, Cock pheas-
ants screeched with fright, and the hens |
cried chorus. Blackbirds and thrushes |
wanted to know what was up; and all the |
tiny birds Jwittered like mad. was |
scared almost to death by pheasant
whirriDg close by my ear-hole, and was |
JHst boiling; only Win collared me-
Where are you off to, you fool2D he |
growled, a-laughing TO himself Ike
"Give me the bag" I picked it up, for |
had dropped it in my fright. Will shoves
two birds in it, and strides away to the /
edge of the wood.
It wur a sight, sir, to see him slash off |
across the fields and clear the hedges. |
followed. Right away from the hall we |
went, towards a wood two miles off AS
We run, we heard gates slam, and the
hound had stopped barking; so We knew l
that the 'Squires felix's were out, and that |
the dog wur loosed. When we got to the