The Lincoln County leader. [volume] (White Oaks, Lincoln County, N.M.) 1882-189?, 1883-06-02

and to ward off suspicion, he went
to the man the next day and paid
him a dollar 10 let him fish in the
stream, and then kicked because
there we're no trout, and the owner
found the trout were stolen and
laid it to some Dutch boys. won
dcrcd, when those men were telling
their experience, If they ever
thought oft now when they yer
preaching and praying, and taking
up collections. | should think
they wouldn't say a boy was going
to he'll right off cause he was a lit
tie wild now days, when he has
such an example. Well, lately,
somebody has been burgling our
chicken coop, and pa loaded an old
musket with rock salt, and said he
would fill the fellow tull Of salt if
lie caught him, and while they
were talking up stairs ma heard a
rooster squawk, and she went to
the stairway and told pa there was
somebody in the hcn-house. Pa
jumped up and told the visitors to
follow him, and they would see a
man running down the alley, full Of
salt, and he rushed out with the
gun, and the crowd followed him.
Pa is shorter than the rest. and he
passed under the first wire clothes
line in the yard all right, and was
going to the hen-house on a Jump,
when his neck caught the second
wire clothcs-line, just as the minis
ter and two of the deacons caught
their nccks under the other wire.
You know how a wire, hitting a
mar on the throat, will set MIN
back, head owe appetite. Well,
sir, | was looking out the back win
dow, and | wouldn't be positive,
but | think they all turned double
back-summersault5, and struck on
their ears. Anyway, pa did, and
the gun must have been cooked, or
it struck the hammer on a stone,
for it went off, and it was pointed
towards the house, and three OF the
visitors got sailed. The minister
was hit the worst. n piece OF salt
taking him in the hind leg, and the
other in the back, and he yelled as
though it was dynamite. | sup
pose when you shoot a nan with
salt it smarts, like when you get
corned beef brine on your cu2ppcd
hands. They all yelled, and pa
seemed to have been knocked silly
some way, for he pranced around
and seemed to think he had killed
them. He swore ut the wire
clothes-llne; and then | missed pa,
and heard a splash like when You
throw a cat in the river; and then |
thought Of the cistern, and | went
down, and we took pa by the col
lar, and pulled him out. y, he
was awful damp. No, sir, it was
no dncl at all, but q naXident, and
didn't have anything to do with
it. The gun wasn't loaded to kill,
and the salt only went through the
skin, but those men did yell.
Maybe it was my chum that stirred
up the chickens, but | don't know.
He has not commenced to lead 4
different life yet, and he might
think it would make our folks sick
if nothing occurred to make them
pay attention. | think where a
family has been having a good
deal Of exercise, the way ours has,
it hurts them. to break of too sud
denly, But the visitors went home
real quick after we got pa out OF
the cistern, and the minister told
ma he always felt when he was in
our house as though he was on the
verge Of Il yawning crater, ready to
be engulfed amy minute, and h,
guessed he wouldn't come any
more. Pa changed his clothes,
and told ma to have them wire
c~lothes-lines changed for rope ones.
I think it is hard to suit pa; dom
youT
80, your pa is all right, VIVA.
he needs is rest. Bat why arc yoJ
not working at the liverv-s.ible
You haven't been discharged, hav,
youl' And the grocery man lail
a little lump of concentrated I've.
!, that Looked ike maDle supar. ON ;
cake Of sugar that had been bro
ken, knowing the boy would nibble
? it.
ono, sir, I was not discharged.
=. but when a livery man lends a kick
ing horse to take my girl out rid
ing, that settles it. | asked tn,
boss if / couldn't have a quie
horse that would drive hisself if
wound the lines around the whip
and he let me have one he sale