Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1877-07-25

round and jerked about was enough
to make a monk explode with laugh
ter while doing penance. | rested my
hands on either knee and laughed till
tears rolled down my cheeks. The
merriment was all on my side. Mar
tin was silent as death save when the
buck in some extraordinary and des,
perate leap twitched a grunt out of
him. Between my paroxysms | ex-
horted him it was my time to ex-
hort. "Martin y 1 shouted, chang
on; that's your deer. l quit all claim
to him. Hang on, say. Save his
tail, any how"
Whether Martin appreciated the ad
vice, whether he exactly saw where
the 'laugh came in" | cannot say,
and he could not explain. Still | am
led 10 think that to him it was no tri-
fling affair, but a matter which moved
him profoundly. AT last the knife
was jerked from his teeth, either be,
cause of the violence OF his exertions
or because he had inadvertently loos-
ened his grasp en- it. Be this as it
may, Martins mouth was at last open
ed, and out of it were projected some
OF the most extraordinary expressions
| ever heard. His sentences were
slngularly detacaed. Even his words
were widely separated, but brought
out with great emphasis. He aver
aged about one word to jump. If
another got partially out it was sud
denly and ruthlessly snapped off in
mid utterance. The result of his ef--
forts to express himself reached my
ears very much in this shape {:
-will-you-be-e--d she'd
Ive--got-you Pll-hold-d-on-
till-your--ta -tail-comeq-of-t. Jump
p,p-be-d-d dashed-Pve-- -got-you
uu" When the contest would have
ended, what would have been the re-
suit had it continued, whether the
buck or the guide would have come
off the winner, it is not easy 10 say.
Nor Is it easy to speculate, for the
close was speedily reached, and in an
unlocked for manner. The deer had
led off some dozen jumps out OF the
circle of light, and [ was beginning to
tl''"l- that he had shaken himself loose
from bis enemy, when all at once ne
emerged from the tog with Martin
still streaming behind him and made
straight for the river Never did I
see a buck leap higher or project him
self farther in successive leaps. The
Saranacer was too much put to it to
arliculate word only Il series OF
grunts as he was twitched along re-
vealed the state ofhis pent-up feelings.
Past me the deer flashed like a feath
cred shaft heading directly for the
bank. "Hang on. Martin !! l scream
ed, sobered by the thought that he
would save him yet if he could only
retain his grip-"Hang to him like
death !" He did. The buck reached
the bank, and gathered himself up for
a desperate leap he flung his body IN
to the air. | saw a pair of legs swing
widely upward and the rcd face ot
Martins head downward and reversed
so as to be directly towards Inc by the
summersault he was throwing, disap-
pear like wanning rock in the fog
overhanging the river. Once in the
water the buck was no match for his
foe. I hurried to the edge of the
bank. Beneath me and half way
across the river, desperate struggle
was going on. Martin had found his
voice and was using il as if to make
up for the lost time. In moment .
surgling sound reached my ears and l
knew that the deer's head was under
water and shortly, in answer to my
hail, the guide appeared dragging the
buck behind him.