Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1879-06-07
Gales ano Skcttbcs.
THE GREAT rNL0lDED.
Confined from yesterday

Confined from Yesterday
We'll, how did the toy work to-day
your reverence? There were not many
pauses in its DISCOURSE said Tom.
II blush" said Mr.. ,lohnstoue. iron
the novelty of the situation ii few thought
less birds and beasts positively came
against my gun and hurt themselves"
"Did you see any woodcock p
You make me blush again. Douglas
but from another cause ! admit will
shame that ] not only saw but fired 4
FOUR
This was indeed playing with fire bu
think that Notwithstanding his reckless
effrontery. should have spared him. ha(
: he not gratutously attackedme at random
upon sore subject.
by the way, Master Frank chow "a
miliar he had become , were You the
inhuman monster who shot off an old
cocks tail ? He wobbled past me, and he
looked so miserable without his ruddcr
that put him out of pain
Now had had snap shot at a cock
pheasant. and had shot of his tail ; but
hoped to escape exposure. and this was
too much for my temper.
Its pity you killed him. | said ;
'he's not worth picking up-he's as tough
as old boots
At the moment | us I'd these suggestive
words, Mr.. Johnstone's mouth was full of
something good. lie looked relectively
at me. and swallowed his morsel very de
liberately before he replied.
well, that is the strangest reason for
not shooting bird ever heard how far
does your prejudice extend Frank ?''
al drau tho limo ~ xynntcoal- -
AT wookcock. you young sybarite
why, don't believe you know what rail
''As / was saying. Mr. ,Johnstone.
draw the line at woodcock. They are
such feathered joys, so suceulent vet SO
portable-''
and started to his feet. What had hap
pened Mr.. tombstone had. he said, been
sitting unawares on an ants nest He
shook h 'mself, tlicked himself, and mopped
himself all over; and then, shifting his
game-bag nearer Tom. plunged into po-
ltical discussion which lasted until lunch
was over. His were fast colors." and
as he could not blush, so was he incapable
of turning white or green lie showed no
further signs of agitation or discontinue.
No sooner had allowed the unmistaka-
BILE word "succulent" to escape me than
repented; had Gas still have) sneak
ing liking for 1.-The Great Unloaded, and
from that moment determined to screen
him if could. Nothing worth recording
occurred that afternoon and as the last
beat finished near the 'sNest." we babe
Mr. tombstone good night there. \ long
good night as have not seen him since.
Twas not much surprised when, next
morning, Tom received note from the
Nest" to the following effect:
My Dear Douglass, by the time this
reaches you shall be in Edinburgh on
my way South. That disobliging ass
Vickers has telegraphed to say that he
cannot take my duty next Sunday. So
''cedant arma togp.' down with the gun
on with the surpice Nv affections re-
main with your birds and Dummies. With
many thanks for most enjoyable sum
mer my beloved charge and myself,
remain yours faithfully.
JAMES TOMBSTONE.
T. S.-Remember me kindiy to Frank
He was much lamented by the whole
party, including myself; and his sudden
departure cast gloom over the DAYS
sport, although perhaps more of the game
shot was picked up than on the day be-
fore.
/ frequently found myself during and
since that day trying to form a dispassion-
ate estimate of this great man 5 character.
! firmly rejected the idea that he had acted
from any criminal motive Indeed il
would not have been easy to frame
charge against him. He was neither tres
nnapbar. hah al T., =.
permission to walk over his gro .ld and
shoot his game if he could And as to
his appropriation of the game when shot
why, from legal point of view. the birds
were, strictly speaking, his by right of
capture, not Toms. Turning then with
relief from the at first sight criminal as
pect OF the case, what remained? | could
not disguise from myself that there was a
pretty perceptibe dish of moral obliquity
in the conduct of the '.Great Unloaded :
He had beyond doubt pretended that he
could not shoot. while he could shoot like
Walsingham What was the motive for
this duplicity At one time | was afraid |
should have to answer this question in a
way very discreditable to my reverend
friend. In the course of cautious inves
tigatIon which | instituted, ascertaincd
from tbe statlon-master at 5 that pack
ages labelled "perishabe" were frequent
ly despatched southwards BY Mr.. John
stone during his tenancy of '.The Nest"
Mr.. tombstone had been good enough to
explain that these mysterious consignments
were Scotch delicacics for the CONSUMPTION
OF his aged mother. There was no further
evidence of their contents and of this at
least felt sure, that if they did contain
game, no "feathered Joys" found their
way into the London market or into the
mouth of the dowager Mrs. tombstone.
And this leads me to the only conclusion
for which there seems TO he some solid
foundation, namely. that even if profit
formed factor in Mr.. Johnstone's little
game, his leading motive was to provide
constant material for the pleasures Of the
table in which his soul delighted. And
was he to be severely condemned for this.9
Suppose, reader, that you Shot a woodcock
unobserved; what would YOU do? Tell
about it. no doubt and to every one Won
saw. Moved thereto by honesty una
dornedP Has not vanity little to do with
II? To test the matter, say, did YOU ever
shoot one, and allow it to be supposed fo,
one moment that any one else shot it
Probably not. 1t comes, then. to this
which ic tho