The herald and mail. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1873-188?, 1874-10-23
A Girl and a Gun,

A Girl and Gun.
A short distance beyond the place
where Kate had been left there was o
small by-path and when, still carefully
carrying her gun, she reached this path,
Kate stopped. Here would be a good
place, she thought, to wait for game.
Something would surely come into that
little path, if she kept herself concealed.
So she knelt down behind a small
bush that grew at q corner of the two
paths, and putting her gun through the
bush she rested the barrel in a crotch.
The gun now pointed up the by path,
and there was an opening in the bush
through which Kate could see for some
distance.
Here, then, she watched and waited.
The first thing that crossed the path
was very little bird. It hoped down
from a twig, it jerked its head about,
it pecked at something on the ground,
and then flew up into a tree. Kate
would not have shot it on any account,
for she knew it was not good to eat but
she could not help wondering how peo-
pie ever did shoot birds if they did not
"hold still" any longer than that little
creature did.
Then there appeared q small brown
lizard. It came very rapidly right
down the path toward Kate.
eff it comes all the way" thought
Kate, 81 shall have to Jump"
But it did not come all the way, and
Kate remained quiet.
For some time no living creature ex-
cept butterflies and other insects showed
themselves. Then, all of a sudden,
there popped into the middle of the
path, not very far from Kate, real,
live rabbit.
It vas quite a good-sized rabbit, and
Kate trembled from head to foot. Here
was a chance indeed.
To carry home fat rabbit would be
a triumph. She aimed the gun as
straight toward the rabbit as she could,
having shut the wrong eye several times
before she got the matter arranged to
her satisfaction. Then she remembered
that she had not cooked the gun, aud
so she had to do that, which, of course,
made it necessary for her to aim all over
again.
She cooked only one hammer, and
she did it SO gently that it did not
brighten the rabbit, although he firted
his ears a little when he heard the
"click, click - Everything was SO quiet
that he probably thought he heard some
insect, probably young or ignorant
cricket that did not know how to chirp
properly.
So he sat very still and nibbled at
some leaves that were growing by the
side of the path. He looked very pref
ty as he sat there, taking his dainty lit
tie bites and jerking up his head every
now and then, as if he were expecting
somebody.
81 must wait till he's done eating"
thought Kate. cit would be cruel to
shoot him now"
Then ne stopped nibbling all of a
sudden. as if he had just thought of
something, and as soon as he remem-
bered what it was he twisted his head
around and began to scratch one of his
long ears with his hind foot. He looked
so funny doing this that Kate came
near laughing but, fortunately, she
remembered that that would not do
just then.
When he had finished scratching one
ear, he seemed to consider the question
whether or not he should scratch the
other one; but he finally came to the
conclusion that he wouldn't. He'd
rather hop over to the other side of the
path and see what was there.
This, Of course, made it necessary
for Kate to take a new aim at him.
Whatever it was that he found on the
other side of the path it grew under the
ground, ald he stuck his head down as
far as he could get it, and bent up his
back as if he acre about to try to turn |
a somersault Or stand on his head.
Z L., . -
Kate. How L should like to pat him. |
I wonder when he'll find whatever it is
that he's looking for What cunning
little tail !"
The cunning little tail was soon clap.
ped fiat on the ground, and Mr.. Bunny
raised himself up and sat on it. He
lifted his nose and his fore paws in the
air and seemed to be smelling some
thing good. His queer little nose wig
gled so comically that Kate again came
very near bursting out laughing.
"How I would love to have him for a
pet !" she said to herself.
After shifting short time, the rabbit
seemed to come to the conclusion that
he was mistaken after all, and that he
1idn't really smell anything so very
good. He seemed disappointed, how
ever, for he lifted up one of his little
lore paws and rubbed it across his eyes.
But perhaps he wasn't so very sorry,
put only felt like taking a nap, for he
stretched himself out as far as he could,
and then drew himself up in G bunch,
Is if he were going to sleep.
81 wish he wouldn't do that"
thought Kate anxiously. "I don't
want to shoot him in his sleep"
But Bunny wasn't asleep. He was
He was trying to make up
lis mind about something. There was
10 way of finding out what it was that
le was trying to make up his mind
bout. He might have been wondering
Why some plants didn't grow with their
cots uppermost, so that lie could get at
hem without rubbing his little nose in
he dirt; or why trees were not good to
at right through trunk and all. Or he
night have been trying to determine
7hether it would be better for him to
o over to 'Lijah Ford's garden and try ,
Q get bite at some cabbage leaves, or I
o run down to the field just outside of {
be woods, where he wonld be very I
kelly to meet certain little girl rabbit
nat he knew very we'll.
But whatever it was, he had no sooner 6
Jade up his mind about it than he {