St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1875-03-19
flor hr children.
The Fox Trap.

and squirrels. making plenty "f game
for Reynard.
There were red foxes, "cross- grays"
and "Silver grays;' even black foxes
were reported. These animals were the
pests of the farm-yardS. and made havoc
with the geese, eats, turkeys ANA chick
ems In the fall of the ear. particular
" after the frostS, the clearing> were
over-run by them night and morning.
Their sharp. cur-like barks used often
to rouse us. and of Il dark evening we
would hear them out i'll the fields.
housing" around the stone heaps.
making Il queer. squeaking sound like
il mouse. to call the real mice out of
their grass nests inside the stone heaps.
This. indeed. is a tavorite trick of Key
nard. At the time of my story, my
friend Tom Edwards (tcn years of age)
and myself were in the turkey business,
equal partners. We owned Il flock of
thirtv-one turkeys. These roasted by
night in Il large butternut tree III front
of Toms house-in the very top of 1t,
and by day they wandered about the
edges of the clealings i'll quest of beech
nuts. which were very plenty that fall.
All went well till the last week in
October. when on taking the census one
morning. Il turkey was found to he miss
ing: the thirty-one had become thirty
since nighttall the previous evening. Ii
was the first one we had lost.
We proceeded To look for traces. Our
suspicious were divided. Tom Thought
it was 1.-THE Twombly boys" netariouS
Sam in particular. | thought it might
have been an owl. But under the tree.
in the soft dirt, where the potatoes had
been dug. we found toX-trackS, and two
or three ominouS little wadS of feathers.
with one long tail feather adritt. There
upon we concluded that the turkey had
accidentally fallen down out of the but
trInut-had II tit. perhaps that
its tiuttcringS had attracted the attcn-
ton of some passing fox. which had
forthwith. taken it in charge. 1t WIS
as We regarded II. one of those nntOI-
tunatc occurrences which no care oI!
our part could well have forc>ccn. and
il casualty such a> turkey raiserS are
unavuidahly heirs To. and we bore ON
loss with resignation. We were glad
to remember that turkeys did not often
fall off their rou>tS.
This theory received something of Il
check when our flock counted only
twenty nine the next morning. There
were more fox tracks, and Il great many
more feathers under the tree. This put
a new and altogether ugly aspect on
the mattel No algebra was needed ia
figure the outcome of the turkey bust
ness at this rate. together with ON
prospective profits. in the light of this
new fact. Ii WAS clear tlat something
must I've done. and at once. too. OF ruin
would swallow up the poultry firm.
Rightly or wrongly, We attributed
the mischief to Il certain ''>iivcr gray
fox that had several times been seen il
the ncighhol hood that autumn.
1t would take far too much space Il
relate in detail the plans We laid ano
put in execution to catch that fox dur
ing the next two weeks. | recollcct
that we set three traps for him to NJ
pup"> and that we borrowed a fox
hound to hunt him with. bur merely
succeeded in running him to his hurroW
in Il nrighboring rocky hillside. whcnc,
we found it impossible to ii>lndge the
willy fellow.
Meanwhile the fox tor foxes had
succeeded in getting two more "f the
turkeys.
Heroes. it is said. are born of great
crises. This dilemma of ours developed
Toms genius.
III have that f"X." he said. whcI
the traps failed and when the hound
proved of no avail. he still said: III
have him yet.
1 .,-l-n,l 'En,, -.,iI a.,
would show me He brought two
hu>hcl basket and went out into til,
fields. In the stone heaps. and hcsid,
the old logs and >tumpS. there wert
dozens of deserted mouse nests. each :
wdd of fine, dry grass rs large aS quart
box. These he gathered up. and filled
the basket.
There" said he. triumphantly. "don'
them smell mnu>ey -
They did. certainly; they >aVored IL
strongly of mice a. Toms question %
bad grammar.
And don't foxes catch mice - de
mandcd Tom. confidently.
"Ne> but | don't see how that's go
in~ Ia catch the fox" ! said.
"Well. look here, then: I'll show
We" said he "play you's the fox: an,
play twas night. and yon wa> proving
around the fields TO off. now. ont
there by that stump.
Full of wonder and curiosity, retired
to the stump. Tom. meantime. turnc,
ont the mass of nests. and with 1t com
pletclv covered himself The pile now
rcScmhlrd an enormous m"use-meSt. ol
rather Il small hay-cock. Pretty >ool
| heard Il low. high-keNcd. Squeakin.
noise. accompanied 10y Il slight ruStl,
inside the nest Evidently there wer,
mice in it: and. feeling my charactel
as fox at stake. at once trntted for
ward, theu crept up: and. as the rust
ling and squcaking continued. made ;
pounce into the gI;tS>-;S had hear,
it said foxes did when mou>ing. In
Stantly two spy, brown hands from or
the nest clutched me with il most vengc
full grip. As Il fox. struggled tire
mendously. But Tom ovelcame m,
forthwith. choked me nearly black il
1 the face: then. in dumb show. knocke,
my head with Il stone.
..D'ye see now ," he demanded.
saw.
"But fox would bite you," | OH
iected.
Let him bite said Tom: ''Ill risl
him when once get these two bread
hooks on him. Aud he cant smell M
through the mice-nestS. either"
That night we set ourselves to pu
the stratagem in operation. With til,
dusk we stole out into the field wher
the stone heaps We're. and where ",
had oftenest heard foxes bark. Select
ing nook i'll the edge of Il clump q
raspberry hriarS which grew about
great. pine stump. Tom lay down, an,
| covered him up completely with tn
contents of the big basket He thel
practiced squeaking and ruStling sew
eral times. to he sure that all was il
: mnnl iiiLIl IIiS .nlnnl.S A.-ll.I.