The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1886-08-26
CAUGHT IN A TRAP.
How Willie Saved His Uncle's
Hard-Earned Money.


Hard-Earned Money.
Brave and courageous deeds are
being done about us daily. which the
world outside seldom hears of. One of
these deeds has lately come under my
observation, and | am going to tell the
boys who like to hear true stories, what
another boy has done. On small
"homestead" farm, in one of our West
ern States, lives "Uncle" Joe Samp-
son. tits about five miles away from
village, and is rather lonely place in
the woods, with no neighbors nearer
than two miles. Last fall a nephew of
Joe's came to the city to visit him.
Willie Dane was about fourteen, q
quick-witted, courageous fellow, who
had never been ''in the woods until
that season. He brought a gun with
him. and Uncle Joe. who is great hum
ter and trapper. took great pleasure in
showing his nephew how to hunt deer
and such other game as abounds in the
locality in which he lives. When the
corn began to mature, Uncle Joe dis
covered ''signs" of bear.
'I'll have to get the old trap out and
clean it up;" he said to Willie. when
the corn gets ripe think we shall be
able to catch bear or two. THEY'LL
come into the cornfield for something
to eat, for the beechnuts and acorns
will be gone by that time, because
. there isn't many this year.
So the old trap was brought down
from the shedloft, and Uncle Joe oiled
its stout spring and made such repairs
omit as was necessary, and pronounced
himself ready for Bruin whenever he
was driven by hunger to seek food in
the cornfeld. as8 as.s ss,is. qss-
II think it must be pretty hard Job
to set the trap" said Willie, as he
looked it over. Il don't see how you
go to work to crowd the spring down. :"
''i'll show you about that some day, "
answered Joe. 'Its easy enough when
you know how q 3ea's%
Uncle Joe owed about fifty dollars
on span of horses he, had bought in
the spring. He had been cutting wood
at odd spells during the summer, which
was to be sold to the railroad running
through the village. He could earn
enough in this way TO finish paying for
his horses. One day he was notified
by the agent of the railroad company
to haul the wood to town. When it
was there he could have his money for
it. Accordingly he set to work at once.
and at the end of the week the wood
was all piled up at the depot, and he
came back from town with enough
money in his pocket to make the last
payment on his team.
81 don't care to carry it about with
me, he said to his wife that evening.
.'Pll put it in this box. It'll bessafe
enough here, / guess. till get chance
to send it to Brown So Uncle Joe put
the money in box that stood on little
shelf in one corner of the living room,
and supposed that no one but himself,
bis wife and Willie knew anything about
it. But, as he found out afterWard, a
tramp saw him put the money away.
Iramps were numerous in that part OF
the country and were often discovered
prowling about the house after dark,
but he never once thought of such a
thing as being seen by one when he put
the money in the box The next after
noon Uncle Joe came from the corn
held and said that bear had been at
work in the corn.
.We'll set the trap to. night" he
said. "I'll show you how it's done
now, if you'll go and bring it in -
Willie went to the shed, took the trap
down from the nail upon which Uncle
Joe had hung it after oiling it, and
brought it into the Kitchen wam~
Bring one of the hand-spikes that's s
out by the wood-pile,,'' said Uncle Joe,
and Willie did so. Then his uncle put
one end of the lever in a crack between
the logs of which the house was built,
close to the floor and placed the stiff
spring under it. By bearing down on
the lever the spring was shut together.
allowing the jaws Of the trap to fall
open. 1t was then an easy matter to
!asten them open by turning piece of
ron over one of them and fitting the
end OF it in notch at the side of the
pan. II anything touched ! this
pan, the pressure on it released the
IRON from the notch and the great
sprlng would fly up and fling the Jaws
together like a flash, and whatever
happened to be between them. when
.ney closed was sure to stay there un-
ui some one saw fit to liberate it.res 8
II see how it is done now,n said
willie. II wouldn't like to, get my
seot IN there he added. looking at
me jaws of the trap, which had sharp
'eeth something like those of saw,
slong each inner edge. Just then a
cnock was heard at the door and Mrs.
sampson admitted a boy who was
greatly excited. He had come for
hhelp. Their nearest neighber had
M: pGen severely injured by falling tree.
sl nls wife was afraid he would die and
sae wanted Uncle Joe and his wife to
nle at once. 1t was beginning to
t'o" ousky when they went.