The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1879-07-16
He Went Shooting.

At this period of the year the small
boy is permeated with a violent ambi'
ton to 20 cunning. In the autumn.
when the trees are robed in scarlet and
gold, and everything is hazy and poetic,
the small boy has the same ambition,
But it is sweeter now to him to indulge
in shooting, inasmuch as it is unlawful.
This, of course, intensifies it. -.a.
Mr.. Barton has boy, and his fore
most name is John. He would rather
90 cunning than be president of an insur-
ance company. He deter. Lined to 60
last Saturday, and made all the neces-
sary preparations for a good days start,
In order that his father couldn't keep
him home to do odd jobs around the
place, he determined to arise 1efore any
one else should awake.
He woke UP on Saturday morning at
five o'clock and commenced to dress him
self as noiselessly as possible. After he
had got his things on, he moved through
the hallway on tip-toe, His shoes he
carried in his hand to avoid making any
sound. Finally, he worked his way
down the creaky steps and reached the
closet in the hall. This was the arsenal.
The old Queen Anne musket lay behind
some rolls of oilcloth and zinc and stove
pipes. It was an awful task to eradicate
it without crea ting considerable racket.
Every time he would lift it an inch, the
stovepipes would show symptoms of
rolling around and falling.
At length he had if out. and his eyes
fairly sparkled with delight. He walk
ed over to the window, got out like q
thief, and put on his shoes. Then he
lodged behind tree, and crswled along
behind the stone wall until he was quite
a respectable distance from the house:
He was about as happy boy as could
be found when he became satisfied that
he was free to do as he pleased for the
balance of the day. ,
"Ah, won't dad be Wild" he COM
menced, as he skipped along toward the
woods, with a merry twinkle in his eye,
"won't dad be wild when he gets up and
finds I'm gone, and he can't blow me up
either, because be didn't tell me to stay
home"
The latter reflection braced Johnny
up with the hope that nothing wsuld be
said to him, as he had not been guilty OF
disobedience.
He was now two miles from home,
and it must be seven o'clock, breakfast
time, and Johnny thought of the hot
coffee and biscuits with a watering
mouth.
At this moment a robin lit on a tree
close by him. In an instant, the musket
was leveled at it, and when he pulled
the trigger he first became aware of the
fact that the piece was not loaded.
Down went his hand into his pocket,
and up it came empty. He had forgot
ten his ammunition. The look that
came over him would bother camera to
catch and embalm. He was two miles
from home, and his prospects Of getting
any breakfast were decidedly slim. His
dependency walked up into his face and
placed its colors in his soul as he slowly
marched home. On his arrival lie re-
ceived a soul-withering rebuke Tor his
matutinal actions, and then he was COM
PEELED, on a cold breakfast, to assist his
father in planting potatoes. lie was
mentally sick all day, and should he 60
shooting surreptitiously again il is only
reasonable to conclude that lie Will take
ammunition along. even if he tol gets the
gun.-Ne,U York Star.