The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1882-03-16
A GLORIOUS RABBIT-HUNT.

= A GLORIOUS RABBIT-HUNT.
One morning not long ago several
Plainville boys who had Il habit of stop
ping on their way to school to see the
morning train arrive from the city were
made very indignant, and not for the
first time either, by the appearance OF
half a dozen city sportsmen with guns,
who had come up to track rabbits over
the snow. Not that the boys cared for
rabbits for they didn't; rabbit-skins did
not bring q penny in the market, and
the boys mothers not only refused to
have rabbits cooked for the table, but
they did not even think them good
enough to give to the poor. But Plain
vile rabbits belonged to Plainville peo-
pie, and not to strangers in the city.
I -ssTll tell you how we can stop it,
boys" said Joe Grant, as he and three
other boys crept slowly along to the
school-house. Lets 20 rabbit hunting
ourselves every fair day until there isn't
n rabbit left in the township; then we
can laugh in our sleeves whenever we
see these city fellows coming into
town with their guns and game-bags."
.'Goodn' exclaimed Frank Parks;
''but when can we do it except OH Satur-
days?"
SAnd what with?" asked Ned Whit1le
''We haven't guns, you know"
1--WE can go out for couple of hours
before school every morning." replied
joe. las for something to shoot with,
can hit % mark as big as a rabbit at
thirty yards with my bow and arrow"
'And l." said Harry Deveraux, ''have
glass tube to blow steel-pointed darts
through, you know"
I'm good shot with a stone," said
Ned.
Father lets me fire his old brass pistol
on Fourth of july" said Frank, ''and l
guess he'd let me fire shot out of it if he
were at home, if he knew it was to be
His grandfather fought at Lexington,
you know"
''All right, then" said Joe. Lets
start at six o'clock tomorrow morning;
the rabbits will be up and looking for
breakfast before we are. We can meet
at Widgers bic oak tree on the Rock
Ridge road, go half way around town,
through the fields in less than two
hours, and get home, take breakfast
and reach school by nine. Is it bar
gainP t- 1855.
Yes" said all the other boys, and
they talked the matter over until they
reached school, and again at the morn
ing recess, as well us at noon, during
the afternoon recess, and after school,
parting at last with an interchange of
injunctions to be reused by their families
servants at half past five.
Joe Grant, with his bow and three
best arrows, was at Widger's big oak
tree before six O'clock next morning,
and Frank Parks, coming from another
part of the town, arrived on time; but
both boys waited at least quarter of
an hour for Ned While, and even then
Ned had to confess that he had forgot
ten to provide himself with stones.
Some more precious moments were
wasted in kicking the snow from the
edge of the macadamizcd road and loose
ming stones that were not too small but
just small enough, BY this time Har-
~ Deveraux arrived, and the boys leap
ed fence and followed its inner line
ut u rapid rate in search of q rabbit S
track. ~'
lltN Sthl!l IOUitl one ana iIOltGi Dc-
side it toward n gully fullof low shrubs.
AS they reached the edge of the little
hiH above the gully Frank exclaimed,
EEThcre he iSt'
And there he was sure enough
fine bucl;-rabbit nibbling buds from a
shrub as peacefully as if there was not
a boy within IL thousand miles. ''Whiz,'
went Harry's dart, Joe's bowstrin2
twangcd, stone flew rapidly across the
snow, Frank fathers brass pistol roared
gloriously, and away went that rabbit
across the gully and up the opposite hill
side, as if he had suddenly heard that
some farmers cabbage hole was open in
that direction.
For an instant the boys looked at one
another in surprise, but Joe exclaimed
Gle must have been hit; let's get himn
and dashed after the rabbit followed by
the other boys. Gaining the opposit,
hill and turning his ankle on the way
Joe saw the rabbit in another fielo
about a quarter of Il mile away and still
running; looking backward esaw Frank
and Ned ut his heels. but Harry who wa:
fat and rather clumsy was on the grount
and in difficulties with running brial
vine; when finally he arose he display
ed q bloody nose and two eyes full o
tears.
Come on, cry-babyr' shouted Jo'
in the most heartless way in the world
Harry came and explained that he wa
not crying about his nose, but because il
falling he had broken his darling glas
dart-blower square in two, but Franl
cheered him by explaining that now 1t
had two dart-blowers instead of one
1t was hurriedly determined that
would not pay to follow the fleeing rab
bit who now was out of sight, so searcl
at once began for another track.
Fortune favored them within five min
utes, for they came upon two tracks al
most parallel. Joe and Frank followed
one and Ned and Harry the other, Han
ry mopping his nose and eyes with hi
handkerchief until soon his face looke
like that of an appallingly savag
Apache Indian. The tracks soon divero
ed, descending along the two sides of
small barren spur that jutted out towar
a Swampy flat. Pretty soon Harry an
Ned heard Franks pistol and hoped h
had missed fire, because they wanted t
kill the first rabbit. Their track lie
them beyond the spur and to a swamp
thicket us large as a city square; froI
the centre of it rose dead tree or two
Ned peercd in as far as he could see th
track but he saw no rabbit; Harry Gag
erly stumbled farther around the thicl
ct, heard noise, looked i'll, saw some
thing that looked like rabbit. put HI
tube TO his lips and blew a mighty bias
In an instant he heard a strange sount
half scream half OrOan
I've hit himr' exclaimed Harry
Ned, who joined him just then, ''but
never knew before that rabbits coul
make such Il noise"
"Give him another shot-put the poo
creature out of his misery suggeste
Ned, but then both boys heard Joe
voice cXclaiming:
Stop that, will youP You've shot n
IN the foot"
''Oh, dcarr' groaned Harry. AZ J'
came plunging out of the thicket, an
yet Harry hoped that Joe had been ha