American citizen., 1876-02-26
The Story OF Il Cunning CcOn.

is sure 10 be called "a \ ankee yarn,'' aud
whatever truth there is in it, no one be-
lievcs YOU. ''Give a dog Il bad name, and
then hang him." is a trite but true saying,
and no matter how far the scene of story
may be laid from Yankeedom pure and
simple, if il is American it Is branded as
fictitious, and the teller suffers accord
ingly.
Knowing all this, however, aim going
to run the risk of being disbclieved in tell
ing the following story, for all of which
l can vouch as faithfully as story-teller
can.
was living down South sCme years
ago-that is to say, in Georgia long be-
| fore the civil war began.
DO YOU know what econ is, Possibly
you have some knowledge of the little
gentleman; let me try and add to it, l
won't bore you with scientific names, but
! simply tell you that it is mischievous,
playful animal, rather smaller than fox,
somewhat heavier in build, not so active,
but so much like it that we may, with all
respect to scientific gentlemen who class
it as belonging tn the plantigrade section
! of the carnivorous, call him the fox's
| American cousin.
! l was, as l said, down South, and had
dealings in cotton and sugar, doing a lit
| tie bit of duck shooting for a change, in
| the lagoons. where l also fishcd (g) for
hideous little alligators, denominations for
which had a most wholesome hatred.
| One day Pete, u gentleman of ebony
| countenance, opal cyeballs and ivory
teeth, thoroughly merry darky, who
was my companion in many a fishing
trip, came grinning up TO me with some
thing tied up in pocket handkerchief,
and on opening it there rolled out Il furry
! looking little animal, which proved to be
half grown raccoon, one which, on ar
irving at maturity, was as tame and COM
| Il, Ha v-os hon
some little fellow in his dusIy gray coat,
te-ringed tail, and patch here and
there of white. But it is not of his per-
sonal appearance that l wish to tell, but
his antics and tricks. In the former he
resembled kitten in the way he would
roll over, curve his tail, or seize my
| hand to pretend 10 bite it; in the lat
ter he was Al in the cunning he displayed.
Peter used to say il came natural TO him;
but l have my suspicious that it was my
black friend who taught Dick" as 1
called him, to drink rum and water and
get hopelessly intoxicated thereon; TO
find oysters on the shore with their shells
open, and with one rapid dash of the
paw scoop out the mollusk without getting
caught.
Another of " Dicks" games was land.
crab hunting, and he would chase the
crawling objects to their holes, or hunt
out the sand hole, and then inserting his
paw, he would fish the crab out, seize him
in his mouth, avoiding the nippers, and
then-scrunch!-it was all over with the
crab, while 'Dick" sat blinking with
his bright eyes in thorough enjoyment.
There was not much TO be done with
E" Dick" during the day, when he would
tuck his nose in the warm fur between
his legs, curl up and sleep like top; and
it was not until evening that he would be-
come lively.
10 hin, down To q lapOop on a NOON
light night, and = Dick'' would be in his
glory He would scufile out to an over
hanging bough, then thoroughly assimi-
late himself with it by crouching so close
that you could hardly make him out and
then he would allow his bushy tail TO
droop into the water, moving it very softly
about, and waiting for bite.
He would not wait long as a rule, for
over and over again have stood and
watched him, till / have become aware oil
q slight movement in the water. when,
with a spring that was like lightning,
"Dick" would throw himself ashore and
IN nine cases out OF ten with crab tight
hold of his tail.
Then there would be slight scuffie.
"Dick' would sit up on his hind legs,
with the captive, that had tried hard to
regain the water, hold his prey in his fore
paws, and crunch him up with the great
est of zest, before going to fish for another.
But they were not crabs which always
came TO Dicks" fishing tackle Be.
fore now a little alligator of some eighteen
inches long has seized it, and been shaken
off by "Dick," who evidently did moi
wish for q nearer acquaintance. The Other
creatures attracted were kind of turtle,
alligator turtles we called them, hideous
little creatures, and with a very small
carapace, and long. snaky looking head
and neck, armed with bird like, nipping
| hafoSfa1 IN N I,lacipu u hop
next TO the alligators; but "Dick" liked
them, for there seemed to be a good deal
of succulcnt food contained between theiI
shells. 7 hose fellows are very easily at.
!, tracted 10 " Dicks tail upon his fishing
expeditions; they bit readily, but the re
suit was not all that could be desired.
'sDiclk" would be crouching on a tree
trunk, close over one of the silent, oily
looking, reed -fringed pools. when sudden
ly, as watched, a snaky-like head would
: rise out of the water, followed bya lumpy
shell. Then another and another would
be thrust up, and the owner would silent
. ly paddle to the moving fur, look at it in
tcntly for few moments, and then Ons
would make q grab.
Evidently knowing his customers
, "Dick" would wait patiently to let him ge
! hold fast before making his spring. TheT
off lie would go for the shore or the shadows
, with as big bounce as his muscles would
sustain; out as rule tnc result was ONLY
} loud splash, the turtle fell back into til,
water, and " Dick'' had to resume hi
! | tactics, and generally without success til
a crab came, when, with short bark O
f delight, the clever little animal would Sc
to and feast.
7 When, however, by chance Dick" dit
5 | succeed in getting his prey ashore, ther
? was no fight shown beyond one shar]
e snap made by the turtle, one easily avoid
: cd by % Dick" who would seize the rep
r tile by the back of the neck, and drag til
t soft part piece-meal from between tn
;, shells; for if he was not sharp over hi
e work task was in store for him, the tur
Y tie giving up all hope of reaching tn
t water, and retiring within his hard leatf
s cry carapace.
i "Dick" affords me many an hour
Il amusement, but one evening, when ha'
}, him out he must have been seized with
n desire for freedom. He darted off into til
> undergrowth--as thought in pursuit G
e something and he never came back. Dc
: mesticity was all very well; but Dick s
) motto was evidently, "a life in the wood
J. for me."-Once a Week, (London.)
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