The Press., 1890-01-09
the sharp crack of a lrias. the sound having

the sharp crack Of a rife, the sound having traveled slower than the ball : .His blood almost froze in his veins Hor- TOT had been added to horror. and his spirits sank in the depths of despair.
 .tBut the darkest hour was just before the dawn. The whiz of tue bullet and the report of tho gun had frightened the geese and nerved them to renewed exertions. They made one desperate effort to reach the friendly cover of the woods. Lundsford's spirits rose as he saw that the geese were likely to accom- plish their object Now the cronks of the gander seemed more cheerful, and the breezes 7 brought grateful coolness to the mans fe- vered brow. He began to hear the solemn laugh of the forest as the suburbs disappeared and the song of the pines soothed him like an ! eOlian harp 4 SFN &E
 AEnaile or so from town she gander gave q peculiar ssssTonk' ''sat tue sig ht of water, and the geese began circling to descend With an indescribable feelingof relief, Lundsford frightened his grip as III winged chariot swung round the circle ai1i he rocked not out of the icy coolness fSthe pool into which he was plunged 23
 Having made fast the end of the cord to a tree he began to consider what he would do Fortunately at this junctssre he heard a dog bark, and following the Friendly sound he soon came in sight of cabin in clearing. Concealing himself in the underbrush, he shouted loud hello. A woman came to the door, looked around curiously and went back.
 "'Hellor he cried again
 Then the man came to the door and he .-recognizeda former tenant
 Hello, GoddardF he cried
 ..Hello yourself; but why don't you come out of the brushr .- h f'Because Iain't fitten..s wzT
 Ain't ffttenF -&
 ss""s.No, haven't got on any clothes 4y VI :. Who are you, anyhowf' @s r ea fo4s Come a little nearer and I'll tell you.'
 'The man was little fskeptical and came out cautiously with his gun in his hand. Ets*sWho are you nowT. he called out when thirty steps of. 4 ig4 $.@
 ".Sam Lundsford.' A sRs@
 z s1''I Sam Lundsford in that fxl We'll, reckon IalF have help you out.'-e And he went in and got the best suit oft Sclothes he could spare and Hung them. over in the bushes. Sam jumped into them and then sheepishly came forward and told his story.
 "Goddard's eyes opened wide as he listened, and he evidently thought Lundsford was of his balance, but when he went with him to the creek and saw the wild geese tethered to the tree he no longer doubted
 Goddard lent him a horse and Lundsford went home. He hitched up bis two mules to the wagon and went after the deer and turkeys.
 "He found them just as he had left them, and loading up the wagon with the game, he started home.
 "When he got within couple of miles of his home, heavy shower came up. He got soaked. but didn't mind that so long as he had the turkeys and the deer, while the geese had already been carried home.
 He forgot all about his rawhide traces, and did not notice that they were stretching. He bestrode one of the mules, and they quiet ly walked on. It was a straight road home with only little undulating. x
 "When he stopped the mules in the yard and dismounted, he was astoaished to find shat there was no wagosv ae sight There were the traces stretching away over the hill in parallel lines as far as he could sec. Taking in the situation at glance. he drove the mules round a big oak tree once or twice, un- hitched them and put them in the stable. The next morning when he got up the wagon was standing in the yard, with the deer and turkeys scattered all about The wagon tongue had been thrust through the oak tres and was never pulled out. You can go there and see it remaining to this day. w. G. O tn Atlanta Constitution.