Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1881-04-09
Bill APPS Coon Hunt, and Some Re.
Ia ilectiOns Thereon. an

Sa aectiOnss Thereon 90
The boys said it was too wet too pillow,
and they were going down on the creek
to hunt rabbits, 80 / concluded to 90
along and tote the game. Mrs. Arp she
said she knew we wouldn'tkill anything,
and we asked her if she would cook all |
we brought home, and she said, eyes,
and dress it, too.n About the time we
got started the two little chaps came up
and begged me so sweetly to let them
golI couldn't refuse, and SO there were
six Of us in all, and two guns and TWO |
dogs, and in about an hour we had
jumped six rabbits and killed five of
them, and they were getting awful heavy
when suddenly one of the boys looked
up'an elm tree that was in the middle of
a canebrake and said, 81 thought them
thingssup there were squirrels nests,
but do believe Isaw one of 'em move"
We al stopped and looked, and sure
enough iitNd did move, and the other one
moved, and we knew they were coons.
never saw boys get excited so quick. |
They, called the dogs and made for the
canebrake. The creek was to cross and |
nary log in sight, so they just waded
through and surrounded the tree and
held the dogs fast while one of the boys
got ready to fire. By this time l was
getting readysto be boy again myself,
andI hollered to 'em to wait, and l
pulled the little chaps through the cane
till found log and got them across
and was soon on the battle. ground
Bang went gun and down came a
wounded coon, the biggest old fellow
ever saw, and never saw such fight
in my life. He wasn't hurt much with
the small shot, and he did fight and growl
and screech most amazn. First one dog
and then the other backed out with
howl and then set in on
him again, - until finally old
Zip surrendered and gave up the ghost.
Bang went another gun and the other
coon let go and fell into a fork, and there
he lay for dead for about fifteen min
utes, when one of the boys said he was
going to have him anyhow So he
climbed the tree, and when he had got
about fifty feet up the coon Strengthened
up in, the fork and looked savagely at
him and gave growl. l wish you could
have seen that boy slide. He came
down that tree like q fireman comes
down a scaling ladder. He left his hat
and right smart of his breeches on the
bark and grape vines. Well, of course
they shot him again, and that tumbled
him, and then we had another fight,
and the boys say they never had as much
fun, and they feel sorry for your town
boys who don't have any sport and are
penned up within brick walls, and the
best they can do is to waste few dol
lars on French actress, and not know
word she said, and then 60 home and
say bully for Sara. Well, | shouldered
the biggest coon, and think he weighed
about twenty pounds when we started
and about forty when got home, and
laid him down suddenly in Mrs. Apps
lap and said, "SBin him and cook him,
if you please" oughtent to have done
that. 1t was premature, and not alto
gether calculated to promote our con-
jugal felicity. Mrs. Arp is stately,
delicate woman, but ] think she got up
q little quicker than had ever observed
her. She thought it was bear, or a
hyena, or catamount, and she
screamed accordingly. All that was last
Monday, and think she has about re-
covered from it now, but if | were to
kill thousand coons wouldn't try that
little joke again. 1t didn't pay.
wonder what makes men and boys so
cruel. My little girl was the only friend
those poor coons had, and can not tell
what made me take pleasure in their
death. Boys begin early TO show their
love of cruelty and destruction. They
rock the birds and the cats and the
chickens, and rob the birds nests, and
then they hunt the rabbits and squirrels
and shoot all sorts of wild animals Just
for sport. There is an original sin about
them that don't belong to girls. Girl;
are tender and kind and sympathetic
reckon that is one reason why we love
'em, but why they love us / don'tknow
/ knew boy once who caught q wlC
tomcat in the barn and tied a pillow lint
round his neck aud tied the other end t.
a ring behind the saddle that was on tn,
old mare hitched to the fence, and thel
turned the old mare loose and pitche'
the cat on her back, and she run hersel
to death in fifteen minutes, and the boy
all laughed and hollered and enjoyed
splendid. That was mighty bad, bu
that boy married one of the sweetes
girls in the country and made a GOO
husband and kind father. / recko
it's the devil that is in us for while, an,
then he quits us and goes into some
body else or into some hogs or MAJ
dogs or something, They say that ever
boy must SOW his wild oats, though
have noticed that it takes some hea
longer than others to do it. They low
anoise and aracket. They begin early
shoot fre-crackers and little pistols, an
beat drums and tin pans and tie things
the dogs tails and make 'em run an
make EN- fight and set 'em on the cats
and negro can't go along the road BIT
what they whisper, " Sic him, Cesar!
When they get bigger and have fe'
bumps on their chin they want to d
something more heroic. They wal
some girl to fall in the creek so they ca
jump in and save her life, or they wal
some wild horses to run away with
carriage so they can jump to the rescu
of the ladies and seize the furious an
mails and jerk 'em down just in the mic
of time, or he wants to whip anotht
boy because he bucked up to his cir
and what is curious about these boys IL
girls seem to like that sort the best.
| hadent fought teller who insultc
lyip don't believe Mrs Arm would hay