The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1873-12-25

THAT joke of yours, Kate, about the
red and yellow feathers, was excellen mt.
It couldn't have been better managed.
I'll get the boys together to arrange for
the hoax. By 10 o'clock tomorrow
night your gallant greeny will be stand
ing up to his knees in the mud and
water, out in one of the creeks, holding
the bag, and expecting that the rest of
us will drive the snipe into it. But he
will be as likely to see Santa Claus him
self out there as any snipe. When he
gets tired of waiting for the game, and
for us to return, he can sneak off home
alone. It will spoil those striped panta-
looms of his, though, and ruffle his
temper, so that this climate will not be
apt to agree with him any longer"
The just-accepted lover, however, did
not seem in hurry about going, and it
was considerably later in the evening
when he finally bade his betrothed
goodnight" The latter, we should
have explained, was the belle of Helena,
Arkansas.
She was a high-spirited, dashing
young lady, as might be inferred from
the foregoing, and, withal, unusually
handsome. She had numerous admir-
ers, and, as may be imagined, her talk
about lack of company was only a
little mischievous fbbing, craftily in
tended to elicit declaration from him
who had long been her favored suitor
The only reason why she had accepted
the invitation of Raymond for the party
was that she and her friends might
make themselves merry at his expense.
He was disposed to be spoony, and was
so little acquainted with the bluff,
hearty manner and disregard of ultra
etiquette which characterize the peo-
pie of the West, that he was constantly
making himself ridiculous in their eyes,
and therefore was vastly entertaining
to the lively young ladies upon whom
he lavished his attentions, though in q
wholly different way from what he sup
posed.
1t may not be fully understood that
snipe hunts were formerly a favorite
means of humiliating gentlemen from
the East who went West with too dis
paraging ideas about the people resi-
dent there and too lofty ideas of them
selves. How these affairs were managed
will fully appear in the remainder of
our story.
A dozen or two choice spirits were
assembled by Morgan the next evening,
and Raymond, having been notified of
the time and place, was punctually in
attendance, wearing his best clothes
and an air of Importance which seemed
to say, 81 am bestowing a great favor
in consenting to join you;" and SO he
was, for his was the principal and an
indispensable part i'll the farce about to
be enacted
The party proceeded several miles
stream of water in a wild, lonely place.
The wagons were left some distance
away from the proposed scene of opera
tions, which was in low, swampy
bottom.
OF course, everything had been well
arranged beforehand, but to disarm
suspicion, it was proposed by one of
the fellows that they pull straws to see
who should have the privilege of hold
ing the bag. All pretended to agree to
this, except Morgan, who insisted that
the drawing be dispensed with, saying:
L promised the post of honor to our
distinguished friend here, Mr.. Augustus
Raymond, of New York, and 1 intend to
see that he has it.
"Thank you, Mr.. Morgan, for cham
pioning my cause" said Raymond, con-
descendingly. "You may rely upon
me, gentlemen, in whatever post you
assign me. l fatter myself that shall
bag as much game as any of you.
But it has just occurred to me
that we have no guns. How are we to
shoot the snipe without guns? %
"We will soon show you," said one
of the party, Bob Norton. "We are
to form line and drive the snipe down
the creek. while the best man is to
stand in this narrow place holding a
large bag with the open end up stream.
We have sometimes caught hundreds of
snipe alive in that way at single haul,
Did you ever have any experience in
holding bags?"
"No but know can do it. Only
show me where am to stand"
I" You will get your feet wet" sug-
gested another of the party, adding
consolingly, "but they will soon dry
again. Do you think you can keep per-
perfectly still and wait patiently till the
snipe come ?"
"No difficulty about that" replied
Raymond, who remembered that he
had promised Kate the first pick of the
feathers.
"Then you're our man," said Bob,
and turning to Morgan, "You vouch for
the reliability of your friend, I sup
pose?"
"No fear about him." said Morgan
che represents one of the leading no.
tion houses of New York he is true
grit, and 1 warrant he would stand firm
in his place till midnight if it took us
SO long to get the snipe down to him."
Raymond was then furnished with q
large bag, the end of which was kept
open by hoop, and suffered himself to
be stationed where the water and soft
mud were unpleasantly deep, his legs
from the knees down being completely
submerged. He by no means relished
the position, but remembering that he
had promised some of the finest red
and yellow feathers to Kate, and that
Kate's cousin had vouched for him SO
emphatically, determined to stick it
out.
"The water is very cold," he rather
meekly suggested as the practical jokers
We're leaving him. Do you think it
will take very long %
"We can't tell" replied Morgan.
" We may scare up flock in few
and it may take half an hour
or SO. Then, sometimes, they don't
drive well, and that causes delay. But
don't leave or stir till you have bagged
them. for if you should give up and go