The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1882-12-20
HANNAH'S SHARES.


Away down in Maine, near the PEN
obscot River, several years ago lived q
brig hit little Yankee girl named Hannah
Buck.
Her father was lumberman; that is,
he used to chop down the great prime
val forest trees and trim off the branch
es; and the giant logs thus made ready
were floated down the river to Bangor,
where they were sawed into lumber at
the great sawmills.
Little Hannah had three brothers,
John and Charles, older than she, and
William, younger. The district school
was two miles from their home; and at
the time of which l am telling you, only
John and Charles attended, Hannah
and Willie being too young to walk so
far. The nearest way to school was
by a path a mile or more of
which led through thick wood.
The boys nearly always went that way,
since it was nearest, although it was
really dangerous to do so; for wildcats
and wolves were numerous in that re-
gion, and occasionally bear was seen.
One fall night, as the boys we're well
on their way home, they saw flock of
quails. Charlie proposed that they
should set some snares in the bushes on
either side of the path, and perhaps
they might catch game enough for a
dinneri
Accordingly, the next morning they
started early for school, that they might
have time to set the snares. Charlie set
his on the east side of the path, while
John chose the west, each setting a
dozen snares.
Only boys can imagine how anxiously
they waited the close of school. How
ever, their impatience resulted in disap-
pointment, for not thing did they find
in their snares that night. The next
day they were more successful, for in
the morning John found quail in one
of his snares; and at night Charlie found
tlOo quails on his side of the path.
The boys were in high spirits over
this. Their parents were pleased, too,
and the whole family enjoyed the game
dinner. Frequently, too. after that were
the young sportsmen successful.
Little Hannah was never weary of.
hearing about their ventures and their
luck, and she often went ''apiece" with
them when they set off for school, and
one eventful Saturday she was taken to
see the snares.
Well, one day she took it into her
little head that it would be fine thing
to set some snares of her own; so the
next Saturday she coaxed to be taken
again to see the snares; and this time
she noticed particularly how they were
made.
That day, after dinner, she called her
little brother William out into the wood
shed, and there told him her plans.
They then at once started for the
woods. Hannah chose different path
than the one the boys traversed every
day, for she thought she should not like
them to find her snares-
''Does you really know how to set
snares?" queried Willie, as they
..Yes, sir, T do,'' replied Hannah, in
dignantly. Haven't seen the boys
snares ever so many timesP And see
what nice strong string 1 havei L
found it among fathers tools. guess
there can't any thing break thatI 1
can't myself, so 1 brought mammals
scissors to cut it."
The adventurous little girl set four
snares the best she could, although she
found hard work in bending down the
young saplings.
On the way home Hannah cautioned
Willie not to say a word about the
snares to anybody: ''Cause, Willie,
we want to 'sprise the folks, you
know
Willie kept the secret faithfully,
though, at night, when they went up to
bed, he did want to tell his brothers,
very. very much.
Hannah thought about the snares all
the afternoon. and wondered and won
dered if they would catch anything;
and at night after she went to bed, she
foil oSlnnr, ;ol~ 1f
And after she was asleep she dreamed
oh, what a dreami 1t was a dream,
but truly our little huntress thought
that she heard a fearful noise in the
yard; then scratching and scraping
on the side of the house; and then
oh, such terrorl-saw a great wildcat
spring in at the open window and leap
right on her bed.
She tried to jump out and run to her
mother; but she was rigid and could
not move. In terror she cried out:
80 Mr.. Wildcat, please do not hurt me,
I'm a good girl r'
"GOOd girl r'roared the cat in a voice
of loudest thunder. ''Goed girl L should
think you were good girl! What did
you do this very afternoonp'
Nothing, good Mr.. Cat" besought
Hannah, ''but help mother and play
oh, set some snares ~
Yes" thundered the beast, That's
it you set some snares Did you ask
your mother if you mightP"
NO." tremblingly replied the little
hunter.
''Then you did something without
your mothers permission. 1 must
punish you for it! Did you tell your
mother when you came homeP''
NO" faltered Hannah.
Then you deceived your mother. 1
must punish you for that, too. Now
let me tell you what else 1 must punish
YOU for; you caught me in one of your
horrid snares whilst was seeking food
for my young; bt:t Igot a1Cdy, and am
now come to-
Here poor little Hannah, crying aloud,
woke up.
There was no wildcat in the room.
All was still and peaceful. The beauti- |
fu moonlight filled the room. Han
nah knew she had been dreaming, still
she was frightened, and it was a long
long time before she could fall asleep !
again. She resolved that the first thing
she did in the morning should be to
tell her mother about the snares.
She awoke rather late the next morn
ing. She made haste down stairs, and
into the kitchen where her mother was
busily preparing breakfast.
Now, all the while Hannah was dress
inG, she Grmly intended to tell her