Madison times. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1884-1???, 1888-01-28
BELATED GROUND HOG.
How His Strategy Asst onished
Pennsylvania Farmer.
[From tne philadolphia Gail

TFrom the Philadelphia Call \
Farmer Hiram Hill was ditching in
meadow Of his near Salisbury, III this
State, on Friday, and during pause IN
his labor he Was surprised to see
ground hog placilly feeding on patcl
OF clover, which was still: fresh ana
Green. ON the edEa OF a small spring run
that led across the field. The farmer
lid nbticel q ground hogs hole on one
edge Of the meadow, but as, according
TO all tradition and precedent, the own
or 6f.the' barrow should have been lost
in It's winter sleep pending its appear
am on ground-hos's day in February,
he was by no means prepared to see 1t
! taking n cold weather dinner several |
rods away from its hole.
Fealing that the capture OF ground
| hog under such circumstances would he |
something TO boast Of, as well as fur |
7 r.-r.. ..rr # the breaking of the |
..,. unsustaihed word of !
.... ...u, fail to establish, Farmer
49,. ......... 20 ag the belated and UNI
..,...r....- hih,1nator Knowing the
.....,,.. ... ass ity of the grounding
and ttai when one is surprised 1t VIII
| make for its hole, no matter what may
stand between it and that hole, the
farmer took off his yest-the warmth OF
his work having caused HIM previously
to dispense with liis coat anu spread
the vest over the ground hog hp!e.
"Now," said the farmer, III that
grounding eludes me an reaches Its
hole ufore knock it over, 1t won be
able to find tile hole, an while 1t is
runnin' around an to an ffo, dazed an
perplexed lookin for it, III git my work
in on it with club.
b. All this time the grounding, SO Shy
and wary and quick to scout danger us
they are, nibhled away i'll the clover
patch without noticing what was going
on. The farmer picked up q still club,
and. keeping the burr.w Getween him
and the grollnd7hog, walked briskly to-
wards the latter. lie dad gone bat
| few steps when tho hungry rodent
! STOPPED feeling, prickel up its ears,
saw the farmer, and started on the dou-
bic quick for its hole. As its course
would necessarily bring it lace to face
with the farmer, that stra.e2i: yearrer
after ground hog meat st6PPcdand Wait-
ell for. the game to come up ana I've
killed. Phe, grounding rushed upon
its fate. but its fate was too slow, anu
when the farmer brought his club down
ON the spot he thought the ground, po;
would be, the quiITlittle animal dodged
and shot straight between ~Dlifs legs.
Dill turned around iu time to see the
grounding noN runrilg about dazed
: and perplexed, Nseekng the hole that
hsd been 50 cunnS - nd mercilessly
n,eS,., fro,, n -ls1slE 2Saswith marvel.
= S ;g abserIiqa oraq. dsaMe into what
I9c thing was done so~lay beyond.
neatly that it was a full .ninnly and
K FARMER Dill could find words 10 exns I'D.
he his surprise. Thewortis were few I've
er well, I'll be dSnSl," said he
t. Mr.. Dill walkedFhf Ja1a mq .ou.
g way back to. the hole and st @onS y
,r down, looked through the dork ndrt'
% oi the ground hogs haunt. As ba pon "a
k ms countehance began to CHANCE So.
II thing akin to ue5I1jIr apps; some
only amazement appeared before. Wa
out u word he rushed to where lie had
been at work, rushed back again with
% his pickaxe and went to digging -IuuIy
Q Ill theground hOg'sburrow The ground
= was soft, the digging easy. Dnd the far
Il mer worked like steam shovel, follow
e ing che subteranean passage OF the
ground hogs home. but somehow he
\ couldn't come mp with what'-he was af-
q Neighbnr Griffin came along in
his wagon an | stopped. He watche |
O Farmer Dill>digging away for minut 2
or two and then said:
"Haint We wastin'' good deal o
time grubbin' for ground hog, neigh
4 Dor Z"
A ~ 'sNot when. I'm g1slbbin, for this
ground hog, L hain't,' replied Farmer
FL Dill, between whacks witlalis pick.
!; Chow so said.tlle nei gTibor.
"'Cause, SAID Farmer Dill.
'1s ne more than the average in heft?"
asked Neighbor Griffin.
mo" exclaimed the farmer, pausing
in his work, with an evident Intention
to end the the conversation right there
This ground bog is not big IN at all.
Hesa little IN. But he's Just ben big
enough torun away with a vest o,mine,
7 an that vest has got thirty rs poorly dol
lars in one of its pockets as yer ever
Then the farmer woners With Lis
mining. Neighbor Griffin Jumped o
of his wagon, got shoye&snd lent II ~
farmer hand. 1hey dug gaaxt =
the way around the meadow al ~ !ly
ran the ground hog and the VI y IN,
the former wrapped helplessl IN the
latter. The farmer snstched lost
property, and shook the ground hog
out, which scampercd away across the
lot, fleeing from its sadly dismantled
hearth. The $50 was all right in the
pocket, and rs Farmer Dill gave n sigh
of relief aud nopped his brow with hi
shirt sleeve, he remarked to Neighbor
Griffin: - -. SEE
at hain't n powerful sight o money,
but Its too much topay for one lesson
in ground hog hunting"
Then Farmer Dill went back to his
ditehing and Neigbor Griffin drove CD
on his way.
A Womaa's- Ianiaiizing Dream.
A party Of gentlemen were seated in a
coz parior in Minneapolis the other
evening, when the conversation turned
upon the personal dangers they had in
CURED. Several stories were told with
| yaryinU deCrpes of nodnSt1, on1 b,.o,o