The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1878-09-14

turkey shot, counted out just an even
hundred of them, and put them down
on top of two ounces of powder. When
got out into the field the pigeons were
pretty thick, coming in from the BIG
roost up toward Cresson. At last /
saw a tremendous flock coming. In
the aggregate they were so heavy that
they couldn't fly more than four or five
feet from the ground. l stopped down
and let them pass over me, and then
banged away.
About two minutes afterward |
picked myself up out of fence corner
and saw the whole field covered with
dead pigeons. L picked them up and
counted them, and there were Just 400
of them. noticed that the shot had
not passed through the last hundred
that | picked up, and when they were
plucked and cut open there was a shot
in each one of them. Each shot had
passed through three birds, and the
force being spent had lodged in the
fourth. If | had put in two ounces
more of powder would have brought
down at least 800 pigeons"
Yves. Doughty, of Roseville, has
faculty of counting that would make
Bob Mackey turn green with envy. If
flock of Il thousand sheep goes by
him on the run he can count the last
one of them. On one occasion he bet
S250with Col. II. l.. p. Baber, of Column
bus, late prominent Democratic
candidate for Congress, that he could
ride horse at full speed from one end
of the street to the other and count the
exact number of panes of glass in the
front windows and doors of all the
houses on both sides. The feat was
performed on High street, from the
railroad crossing to the southern ter
minus, covering distance of three and
half miles, mostly built up compact
ly. Having ridden over the course at
break-neck speed he reported the num-
Der of panes of glass, great and small,
at 9S,732. 1t took Capt. Engelke, chief
of police and referee in the contest,
with squad of ten policemen, seven
hours to 90 over the ground and verify
the account. When they got through
with their computations they reported
the number at 9S, 1911. Doughty didn't
of the broken pane, otherwise he could
have won the wager easily.
''There is something in the signs of
the moon," put in Tim Hardin of the
Excursion House. zone day." said
he, "when l was about to kill my hogs,
neighbor came in and told me that
the moon was on the decrease, and
that the meat would all shrivel up if |
killed the pigs then. But / only
laughed at him and went on with the
butchering. When | sailed away the
pork thought it looked rather light,
and every time went to look at it the
pieces seemed smaller. But when it
came to cooking the meat the shrink
age was absolutely appalling. A big
slice shrank up into a mouthful, and
a whole ham or a side wouldn't
make more than an ordinary
meal for four persons. The next
year | concluded to butcher my
pork when the moon was on the in
crease, and did so. Gentlemen, | don't
know whether you will believe me or
not, but it is true nevertheless-I didn't
have that meat sailed down three
weeks until it swelled out so large that
had to enlarge the smoke-hOuse to
double its former size to keep it under
cover. When it was put into the
frying-pan the effect was wonderful.
A piece two inches square would spread
out until it was bigger than napkin.
Fact, and | can prove it. No, gentle
men, don't you fool yourselves about
the signs of the moon" After this
story the club solemnly adjourned.-N
Y. Mercury.