Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1875-04-01
of no avail he still said, "I'll have him

| In the stone-heapS and beside the old
| logs and stumps there were dozens of
deserted mouse-nests, each wad of fine
| dry grass as large as quart box. These
he gathered up, and filled the great bias,
| ket
''There," said he, triumphantly, don't
them smell mousey?"
They certainly did; they savored as
strongly of mice as TOMS question of
bad grammar.
| "And don't foxes catch micef" de-
manded Tom, conf IDENTIFY.
Eyes, but don't see how that's going
to catch the fox" said.
| "Well, look here, then, I'll show ye,"
said he Play you's thefox; and play
It was night and You was prowling
around the fields. Go off now out there
| by that stump"
Full of wonder and curiosity | retired
TO the stump. Tom meantime turned
out the mass Of nests and with it COM
pletely covered himself. The pile now
resembled an enormous mouse nest, or
rather a small hay-cock. Pretty soon /
heard low, high-keyed, squeaking
noise, accompanied by slight rustic in
side the nest. Evidently there were
mice in it; and feeling my character as
a fox at stake l at once trotted forward,
then crept up, and as the rustling and
squeaking continued made pounce into
the grass-as / had heard it said that
| foxes did when housing. Instantly two
spry brown hands from out the nest
clutched me with a most vengeful grip.
AS fox struggled tremendously. But
Tom overcame me forthwith, choked
me nearly black in the face, then in
dumb show knocked my head with a
stone.
"D'ye see now?" he demanded.
saw.
| "But fox would bite you," I OBJ
jected.
"Let him bite" said Tom. "I'll resk
him when l once get those two bread
hooks on him. And he can't smell me
through the mouse-nests, either"
That night we set ourselves to put the
st-atagem in operation. With the dusk
| stOne-heaps were and where we had
oftenest heard the foxes bark. Select
ing nook in the edge of clump of
raspberry briers which grew about
great pine stump Tom lay down and /
covered him up completely with the con-
tents of the big basket. He then prac-
ticed squeaking and rustling several times
to be sure that all was in good trim. His
sQueaks were perfect successes-made by
sucking the air sharply betwixt his
teeth
CHOW be off," said Tom, =" and don't
come poking round nor get in sight till
you hear me holler."
Thus exhorted, went to the barn and
established myself at a crack on the
back side, which looked out upon the
field where Tom was ambushed
Tom, meanwhile, as he afterward
told me, waited till it had grown dark,
then began squeaking and rustling at in
| tervals, to draw the attention of the fox
when he should first come out into the
clearing, for foxes have ears so wonder
fully acute that they are able to hear a
mouse squeak twenty rods away, it is
said.
An hour passed. Tom must have
grown pretty tired of squeaking. 1t was
a moonless evenig, though not very dark.
| could see objects at little distance
| through the crack, but could not see so
! far as the stump 1t got rather dull
watching there; and, being amidst nice,
coy straw, I presently went to sleep,
quite unintentionally. | must have slept
some time, though it seemed to me but a
very few minutes.
| What woke me was noise-a sharp,
suppressed yelp. 1t took me a moment
to understand where / was and why l
was there. A sound of scuffling and
tumbling on the ground, at some dis
lance, assisted my wandering wits, and /
rushed out of the barn and ran toward
the field. AS / ran two or three dull
| whacks came to my ear.
| "Got him, Tom?" I shouted, rushing
up.
| Tom was holding and squeezing one of
his hands with the other and shaking it
| NlOltuGly. Ilc Sdlu uSt d WOIu, huo iClt
me to poke about and stumble on the
| limp, warm carcass of a large fox that
| lay near.
| "Bite ye?" exclaimed, after satisfy
| ing myself that the fox was dead.
"Some," said Tom, and that was all
could get from him that night.
| We took the fox into the house and
| lighted a candle. 1t was a "silver-
gray
Tom washed his bite in cold water
| and went to bed. Next morning he was
in sorry and very sore plight. His left
hand was bitten through the palm and
| badly swollen. There was also a deep
bite in the f1eshy part of his right arm,
just below the elbow, several minor nips
in his left leg above the knee and
ragged grab in the chin. These numer-
Gus bites, however, were followed by no
|