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

fired at rabbit that ran in on the
! other side, and Harry had explained by
lifting his own foot, that the upturned
| sole of shoe does not look unlike a
rabbit, that good feeling was restored.
Even then, Joe wanted it distinctly un-
1erstood that he was badly hurt, SO the
boys sympathized with him, and he sat
| down in the snow and took off his shoe
and stocking. When he found that the
! leather of the shoe had protected his
foot SO that the wound was only about
as big as u pin-pricE, and ON the outer
| cdmo of the foot, where the skin is very
| thick and arteries and nerves quite
scarce, he looked very sheepish and re-
| placed his stocking SO quickly that lie
| neglected to knock the snow from it.
| Harry, who thought that he had never
| been so tired before in all his life, pro-
! posed that the party should surround
the thicket and wait until the rabbits
came out again, but Joe and Ned voted
| him down As for Frank, Joe did not
| know what he had shot or where he
was, so one after another the boys
whistled and shouted the various sig
nails peculiar TO boys, but heard no re-
| sponse.
CAS- likely as not he'sfollowing q rab-
bit that he thinks he's hit," said Joe;
''you never know what Frank Parks
| will do when he's excited. Don't let's
waste any more time; here goes for an
other track and better luck SO say
inc, Joe dashed Off with Ned and Harry
close behind him
! 1t really seemed as if all the rabbits in
the country We're out for a walk that
morning, for soon the boys came to a
| place where several tracks crossed.
Each boy selected II track for himself.
and started off in tremendous earnest,
for Joe suggested that they must al
ready have consumed more than half
their time.
Joe soon came within view of his rab-
bit, and fortunately the animal was sit
ting in contemplative attitude as if
wondering where he should 90 in search
of a breakfast. Joe thought the shot
rather a long one to venture, but he did
not dare risk his chances by trying to
get closer, so he drew his arrow back
to the very head, when suddenly the
string snapped. Joe said something
that his father would not have approved
of, but the rabbit did not hear him;
| then Joe, who was a cautious fellow and
always prepared for accidents, took q
fresh string from his pocket, restrung
his bow, and again drew his arrow back
| for long shot; but this time it was the
bow itself that broke, splitting from the
notch at one end in such way as to be
forever worthless.
While Joe had been coming to grief,
Harry was plodding along in his slow
but comfortable way, thinking of moth
ing in particular except the breakfast
that he wished he had eaten before he
started, when his own rabbit iumpedup
from beside a log so near that Harry
was just about to step over it. Harry
| stopped short and exclaimed Dear
men' by which time the rabbit had COW
cred about forty yards and was speed
ing on toward the brook. Harry blew
| dart after dart, all of which fell short
and lost themselves in the snow. Then
Harry, for whom excitement could do a
| great deal, broke into run, shrewdly
calculating that the animal would be
stopped by the brook and might double
on its own tracks. But no; the rabbit
disappeared at the edge of the brook,
| re-appeared on the other side, and ran
into Il hollow stump. ''Hurrahr' shout
ed Harry; ''that means that the brook
is frozenn' And SO it was, for when
Harry reached it that brooks surface
was as smooth and white as a level road
under the snow. Harry dashed upon it,
right in the rabbits tracks; the ice bent
a little under him, but the opposite bank
was not six steps away. Suddenly he
slipped, then he fell, then he regained
| his feet, but in water knee-deep, and he
slowly sank several inches deeper-it
seemed to him several feet. He plunged
and struggled and broke his way through
the ice to the shore, but when he struck
terra tirma he found that he had left one
shoe somewhere in the muddy bottom
of the brook. This was too dreadful,
for only a week before he had promised
his father, who had none too much
money, that he would be more careful
of shoes in the future The idea of
wadng into the brook and searching for
the lost shoe was terrifying, but love for
his father made Harry equal to it, so he
CROPPED in the bottom unsuccessfully I'M
til his arms were nearly frozen and cOv-
cred with mud beside. Then he went
home crying. BY the time he had ex-
planned to his mother and been scolded
and changed his clothes and eaten his
breakfast, he remembered that he had
not looked in the hollow stump for the
rabbit. Somehow, though, he did not
90 back to do it.
As for Ned, he followed the track that
he bad selected until he found himself
on the farther side of the thicket in
which Harry had shot Joe. Suddenly
he came upon boys footprints and u
drop or two of blood. Ha! evidently
Frank with his pistol had shot q rabbit!
Just then the ''iirst bell'' of school, which
rang at a quarter before nine, sounded
through the clear morning air, and Ned
determined that us it was time to hurry
back anyhow and 90 without breakfast
in order not to be reported late, he
might as well follow Franks footprints
with the chance of overtaking him and
seeing his rabbit.
So Ned hurried along, and as he APP
preached the second house after reach
ing the high road he saw Frank coming
out He had no rabbit, but he did have
Il bandaged hand in Il sling, and on
Ned's asking for an explanation Frank
said:
1.-The pistol burst and broke one of my
fingers. Farmer Jones wife did it up
for me. Father always said that the old
brass pistol wasn't safe with shot.
wish | ever could get sense enough tC
remember whatever father says
Joe reached school hungry, hrcathless
and very red in the face, about half Il
minute after the last stroke of the last
bell, and Ned joined him two minutes
later. Harry did not appear until the
afternoon session, and Frank was absent
for week The results of the triE
summed briefly were as follows:
. Lost recesses for day, two; ditto fol
week (Harry's), one; bloody noses
one; turned ankles, one; wounded feet
one; empty stomachs until noon, two
broken bowstrings, one; broken bows
} one; lost darts, seven; broken glass tube
} one; lost shoe, one; bursted pistols, one
broken finger, one; rabbits caught, none
: disguised boys, four.
l The grand systematic movement il
defense of the right of the township t,
J its own native rabbits has not been fol
: lowed up with that persistency and vigi
: lance that are the attributes of all tru'
= patriotism. Joe, Frank, Ned and Harr,
5 have since seen many Il party of cit,
. sportsmen alight from trains at tn
Plainville station, but the worst they eve
said was:
D ssT hone they'll have tho same Incl