Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1890-02-19

here's little cotton-tail left, I'd like
20 see him git fair play"
L had made one or two unsuccessful
attempts to adjust the string, when
Tom suddenly allowed the tree 10 fiy
lack to its position, and exclaimed:
Let's make it a king snare, Maxi
There's a thumpin' young birch that'll
bend like bulrushi'
In a moment he was halfway up the
Tree he had pointed out; then, ssinging
his feet away from the pole, he hand
oyer-hAnded toward the top, coming
nearer TO mother earth with every
measurement as the slender stem bent
with his weight. When his feet touched
terra frma L was able TO help. and TO-
gether We brought the top to the ground
and adjusted the string.
l laid plans for an early visit to the
swamp on the morrow, lest some other
boy should discover and steal the pIiZe
which felt sure of having taken with
the snare; but early on that morning
my uncle requested me to accompany
him to Oldtown, our nearest market,
saying that he would leave me at the
school on his way home.
BY the time we reached the town my
rabbit had become reality that
weighed not less than nine pound. L
contrived to add to my misery by i'll
quirlng of a dealer what rabbits were
worth pound, and 1 wondered what
the mean scamp who had got mine
would do with the money.
Then 1 suddenly remembered that,
by good rights, Tom was entitled to
half the avails. l deci!ed to offer him
three-Quarters of it if he would assist
me in compelling the thief to disgorg".
resolved that when l was left at the
school-hoase door would make a flying
excursion into the swamp, to see what
game had come to my snare; but, to my
disappointment, my uncle got out of
the wagon, accompanied Inc to the
door, AMI explained to Mr.. Gibbs the
cause of my Hardness.
When L settled myself at my desk, L
saw Tom at work manufacturing, with
his crippled old Jack-knife, miniature
baskets Of peach-stones for distribution
among some little girls.
How about that rabbitl' l whisp T.
ed.
What rabbit?' he asked. 'Oh-why,
Max, you won't ketch anything
L opsned my book mechanically. 1t
was the season when the woods wear
that sunshine of their own which
glows brightess and richest in the low
land foliage. My eyes wandered out
of the window along the path L had
taken the day before when l set out on
my trapping expedition.
Just where that dead cedar grinned.
skeleton at magnificent feast Of
foliage, had turned off into dens.r
thicket. A little further on was the
maple / had unsuccessful y tried to
bend, and L thought L could see the
branch l had broken hanging limp and
disInantled.
My snare was just beyond. 1t had
been one of the group whose yellow
tops, little higher than their neiGlI
bore, L could see waving laZily in tie
quiet breeze. There was one top,
noticed, winch WAS not so yellow as the
others, having been partially stripped
of its leaves. 1t had a peculiar motion
of its own; it bent and lifted and bent
again, and could 1t be that weight
was pendant from it?
Supporting myself upon my elbows,
and my elbows upon the form before
Inc, 1 managed to altar my a gle Of
vision. Something was hanging to
no, not-yes, 1t WAS, too-it Was my
king-snarel
Instantly lowered myself and jam
med an elbow into Toms side. Hi,
eyes shot into mine. and, with them,
out over the wilderness of reds and
yellows to where my prize dipped dis
consolately into its gay surroundings.
by jIngol' he exclaimed, with dan
gerous emphasis. But our nearest
neighbors were hobnobbing over game
of fox and geese. That's slasherl'
What boy could sit quietly at his
desk with an unsrpropriated fortune of
his own winning dangling 50 dang. T.
ously in sight of forty unscrupulo;.s
claimants?
We begged leave to go out, and in
another minute Tom and L were creep
ing close under the windows, and then
sinking away into the bushes. Onre
out of sight of mates and master, Ne
scampered over bogs and through
briers, too hurrIedly for general con-
versation, but / managed to tell Tom
of my inquiries at the market, 'and
whatever 1t brings, Tom, half is yours,
you know
wy, 1 amt got no claim onto it,
Greenyl' he called back, for lie WAS
dIstancing me. An 1 done was to
hold down the tree an help clap on
the string.'
lie got out of my sight before we
reached the snare, and when L Came up
TO it he stood, with hands III pockets
and mouth puckered into an unvoiced
whistle, gazing up not at the nine
pound cotton-tail, but at one of Mrs
Sklllett's big gray geese. 1t Is well for
you. Tom,' L thought, that you have
already repudiated a proprietorship Ill
the king-snarer We walked ava. to
where the eAcavated soil of ditch
formed a high, hard path.
'''T looks IS if I'd got myself into
hot water with my blamed old k NJ
snareI' he sail. Il can STAN Cubs
lickin' am MI Skllett's jawin', but
Simpsons only waitin' fur chance 10
git red o. me without showin' up too
small among the neighboIs, fur they all
know that we worked fur him faithful
all summer. I've heerd him blow
about Mi Skillett's 8 live geese time an
agin, but he'll bless that there dea
one eff she complains an gifts him Il
'scuse fur sackln' me jist eZ wint RS
comm on. In summer boy kin hang
up his hat most anywares, but iii win
ter it's diffrunt.'
He stoopel even then a I'D threw out
leaf p ank to dr. wnIng grasshppper.
/ tried to assume a share of the re-
sponsibility, but he ignored me as If |
had been the veri-st baby l was only
thee years his junior. Besides, what
could 1 dop My uncle seemed unai'-
proachable, L was scarcely acquainted
with him, and felt as friendless as
Tom himself.
As we stood there we heard voices
farther up the ditcr. 1t was recess,
and our companions wee searching for
US. We went to meet them and led
them off the scent of our game.
We had been IN school an hour, per-
hays, and Tom and were still laying
our heads together to decide upon
cOurse of action when thera WAS a pen-