The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1879-08-30


t' ac dip, little anG then Will obey my
rGs.~ l.ac,' or boast no more
tie examined the pi,io, to see that the caps
liver. a. op anH t."n slowly raised it to get
.,., uns.w' o.u-r., the bird Directly it
dipped u .e .r displaying its breast and
broad vim, quick o, % flash Edward aimed
.auG pulled Tie Trigger, Agnes stepping bac. a
pace or tvu. The little missile, true to the un,
,rrring aim, penetrated one wing the wounded
bird gliding toward, the earth, Another well
directed Shot broke the other wing, and the
fierce hawk lay a, their feet. Agnes rushed
toward her fallen enemy, cNcaiming;
That was well and CALAMITY done
/ But Edward Nprang forward, crying, Be
ware Of his sharp claws and cruel beak" Ag'
mes thus warned, stopped short, near her fallen
foe, and looked with triumph upon him.
7 Lie there, thou base bird; thy cruel, UNI
sparing course is run; nevermorc wilt thou
Ipluck from me my choicest innocentS"
/ The bird said never q word, but his fierce
eyes looked undaIn,cd his mighty claws OPP
ened and closed, and he seemed to say, "Oh,
| fair lady. thou hast me at a disadvantage; but
could reach thy tender cheehs | would sink
my talon, deeply in them; and would pluck
out those dark fierce, blue orbs fixed upon me
so triumQhantly.'
Mr.. Wentworth, would ask further ia
vor. Please capture this lnsolcnt fellow, and
alive Let Il bear him TO the poultry yard that
may tell him, in the presence of my tender
broods, how naughty he has been and assure
him again and again that the days Of his fierce
reign are over
Edward took of his coat and threw 1t over
the dangerous bird-more fierce from beng
woundcd-and carefully putting his hand be
meath the outspread garment he clutchcd him
firmly by his strong limbs; then removing the
garment he lifted him up and bore HIM tri-
umphanty upon his hand as they returned
towards the house
Let me bear your coat, Mr.. Wentworth,
AND do YOU watch for that fierce beak; he may
take a notion to bury it IN your ann
But after a few Intellectual attempts to sup
port himself by his broken wings the bird sui
lenly dropped its head rs if to say, alas alas
the DAYS of my greatness-thc days Of my tri-
umphs-are past
Returning to the poultry yard they entered
it, Edward seating himself on a stool near at
hand, and Agnes, gathering up some feathers
selected one, and holding it up before the bird
commenced her novel address;
There i, Il feather from my little pet dom
inca that thy vile claws destroyed and the
bird bnnked aud nodded his head and snapped
his bill as if to say, II remember well, 1t was
a tender chick" And there is a feather from
my little Leghorn rooster that thou ddst carry
away one morning, thou cruel bird And the
hawk tried to hop, as though the recollection
wa, sweet. And there is "a feather from my
gallant gray bramah rooster, who was so hand
some and well grown; thou dldst make roy
al dinner one day from him in yondcr wood
thou vile bird of prey" And the hawk tried
to flap his wings as though the memory was
delicious to him, and he iain would be away
to the deep woods, "Oh, no, my daring fellow,
nevermore wilt thou annoy my darlings-nev-
ermore wilt thou bear that proud body aloft on
those once strong wings, to the great oaks of
the forest with thy prey. And here, relentless
one, Is a feather tXm the mother bird, my Ia
vorite cochin, who was so bravey defending
her pretty brood, who taking the alarm, crept
beneath the shed but her-the mother bird
thou didst take with cruel hands from her pre-
cious ones, and by yOnder hedge dldst thou
pluck out her eyes and her heart; thou
dldst have no mercy bird, and by all these to-
kens thou shalt surely die
And Agnes shook herlitlc hand close to the
beak of the unmerclfu one who gave it a
quick, fierce nip. Tie pain WAS trltilng, but
Agnes exclaimed:
Now, by this same hand shalt thou die.
Mr. Wentworth, please stretch his neck upon
this log, and this sharp instrument" catching
up a hatchet, shall sever thy proud head from
thy vile body, cruel fellow" 1t was no sooner
said than done, and the pest of her poultryyard
iuttered a brief space, and was no more
Eliza regarded the couple from the kitchen
door with no little interest, whispering all to
herself. They are a pretty couple, and he
has pleased her 10y killiag her lnyetcrate foe,
the fish hawk; how happy he looks, how eX-
cited she Is poor Impusive child, what will
become of her: How will James like this new
intimacy. He already looks upon her as his
girl : | think he would like to make her his
wife some day And the child, she likes James
will She ever marry him: ! would like IT.
her father would like It, hope this hand
some stranger will not tarry long with us. lie
might spoil pretty plot-a well-laid plan
ia be COatjHUCdJ
over the Prairies,
! nThc,c Illinois follows arc getting to know too