The Andrew County Republican. [volume] (Savannah, Mo.) 1871-1876, 1874-10-23
Cousins Charles Visit.

It was only a fortnight long, but it
was a very full and pleasant visit.
Every enc liked Charlie, he was so
genial and bright and kind. Nettie's
only trouble with his visit was that
Charlie did like a gun, and her brother
Will and he must needs be off to the
woods a part of almost every day. They
did not seem to find much game at
least no squirrel pie or roast wild duck
came to the table in that whole fort
night. And then Will had Charlie so
much to himself, in his own room, up
stairs, with the door bolted. Nettie
had tried it two or three times, but as
she did not get in, and they came down
presently, she wisely concluded if they
had any secrets she had better let them
keep them and not worry her head.
Especially as cousin Charlie did devote
a good deal of time to her after all.
He told her ever so many stories occa-
sionally a fairy story, but most Of them
"real true, for he had been there him
self and ought to know"
Once he told her about shooting a
golden-winged wood-pecker, for Charlie
was very fond of birds, and knew where
TO look fer them and when to find them,
and how to get them usually, either
dead II alive.
Nettie had her doubts about shoot
ing birds, but they had to die some
time, and perhaps it didn't hurt more
one time than another" She knew
very well how the golden-winged wood
pecker looked, for Will had one in his
room in college not in a cage, but
stuffed, and fastened to a broad bit Of
rough bark, with his bill Just ready to
peck, looking as natural as life. So
when Charlie told her how he shot a
wookpecker, she ventured to say, "Oh!
if Ihad him stuffed, and pecking bark p
Charlie laughed, and said, "But 1
didn't have him myself"
"Oh, you said you killed him !"
$50 did, but, poor fellow, j never
got him. He was up very high, in a
tall tree !; 1 took sure aim, and he fell ;
but he didn't fall far enough. He
caught hold of a twig of a high branch
with his bill, and held it with a grasp
that never let go. He died hanging in
that position, his bill closed on the twig
like a wise"
"Why didn't you climb to him ?"
81 tried but he was too high for
me. I threw stones and stick at him
in vain. He was the first bird l ever
gave up"
"You might have done what aunt
Lizzie and I did about the grapes"
"What was that 2"
"Cut the tree down !"
"No""
"Yes."
"a mighty little tree, 1 guess" said
Charlie, laughing at his contradictory
adiectives.
"No, indeed /; l measured the tree,
and it was Just three feet around. Iou
see We wanted to make her brother some
frost-grape Jelly, for he was sick, and
was very fond of it. 1t was late in the
fall, and the grapes were nearly gone,
so when we set ont determined to find
some, with a hatchet hid in the bottom
of our basket, We were laughed at, and
bantered a little !; and you know under
such circumstances never give
up"
Women ~ said VIII.
"No matter. Big girls, then and
all the more credit. After q long two
miles, and passing many bare swinging
vine branches mocking us with here
and there a shrivelled grape, we sud
denly came upon a large tree on a woody
hillside, whose top was just purple with
big punches of splendid grapes. l
could see whole rows of Jelly, in a
minute We tried TO get hold of the
vine branches, but We could not pull
down any grapes {; neither could We
touch them with a long pole. but we
didn't leave them hanging therel
"'Let's cut the tree down. said aunt
Lizzie, taking out the hatehet, which
suddenly looked very small.
"'If we had an axe said I.
Aunt Lizzie went to a cottage at
the foot Of the hill and not finding an
axe CANA LII. III N $1,000