Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1882-08-10
HAVING FUN WITH A WOODCHUCK.

Jack and | made up our minds to
catch woodchuck We were spending
the summer down on the east end of
Long Island, and Judging from the num-
Der OF caulifowers eaten by them, the
woodchucks were abundant; SO we de-
termined 10 catch one.
| Farmer Brown, to whom we applied
for advice, told US to "grab him by the
tail as he went into his hole" This
sounded so easy that we decided to try
it at once We found, however, after
two or three days of patient waiting,
that the woodchuck absolutely refused
to 90 into his hole while we were within
grabbing distance.
We then set steel-traps in the bur-
rows. but with no effect. We wandered
around the fields armed with an old
musket, and succeeded only in wasting
large quantity of powder and lead.
| We tried to drown one out, and after
blistering our hands by carrying pals
of water, were told that IS a woodchuck
hasn' lived in that burrer for two years"
| We were disappointed, but not dis
| couraged.
Lets set the rabbit trap" said Jack
one morning as we were planning for
| the days campaign.
So we carried the rabbit trap, which
| was great box with swinging door,
up to the hedge back of the barn, and
set it. Farmer Brown laughed at us,
| and said: a.
.'Ef you see a chuck, put for the
nearest hole; eff you git thar before him
you can stop him from goin' in"
| This plan seemed so much more ex-
citing than any other that we spent that
afternoon and the next day looking for
| stray woodchuck. Toward evening
our patience was rewarded by the sight
of a woodchuck in the middle of field.
Jack and had by that time learned the
location of che holes as we'll as the own
ers themselves, and we both started for
| burrow in the hedge.
The woodchuck saw US, and made for
the same burrow. He hadn' so far to
go, and was evidently in great hurry.
Jack managed to arrive just in time to
throw his hat in the mouth of the hole,
thinking to bar the progress of the
woodchuck. Vain hope! On came the
woodchuck, and dived into the burrow,
carrying Jack s hat with him. I Just
| reached the spot in time to see the
brown stump of tail vanish, and hear
Jack eXclaim:
Il wonder what he is going to do
with my hat?''
The loss of Jacks hat cast a damper
upon our hunting for the afternoon, and
it was not until after supper that we
thought of the rabbit trap. When we
reached it, it was sprung, and there was
a sound of scratching inside that showed
plainly something was trying to escape.
We carried the trap carefully down to
the barn, and opened it, so as to let our
prize into large barrel.
Our happiness was complete; it was a
large woodchuck. What had tempted
hiI1sto go into the trap 1 am sure can't
tell. Probably he was a victim OF his
own curiosity. At any rate, we had
him safe and sound in the barrel, and
after we had covered it with a board we
went to our beds very much elated over
our success.
The next morning we rose early. and
went to the barn to see our prize Ihere
he was in the barrel, his little eyes
cleaning with rage, and signiiylng his
disapproval of our proceedings by a
series of short, sharp barks. Suddenly
brilliant idea struck me.
s.Let's shut the doors; then let him
out on the floor, and have some fun
with him. said.
Jack agreed. and we soon had every
door and window but one securely
fastened. This window was, fortu-
nateIy for me, overlooked in our haste to
have our fun.
We turned the barrel over. and out
sprang very angry woodchuck. He
started directly for Jack. and that
youth, with an agility which had new
er given him credit for, scrambled