The Hot Springs star. (Hot Spings [Hot Springs], Dakota [Dakota Territory, i.e. S.D.]) 1886-189?, 1890-02-21
A Winter s1ornins's .i,un.~

sOugL! Ough! Ough! Ou-ou-ou-
OUGHT
GRANDPA Flint stopped knocking off
the long icicles from the caves, clapped
his hand behind his left ear-he
couldn't hear with his right one-and
listened Q moment.
cough! Ough! Ough! Ou.ou-ou-
ough!'
he said to himself, and went on with
his work.
Yes, the hounds were out in full cry
-Brindle and Tiger: 1t was q fine
morning for them. The crust would
bear them, the sun was as bright as
could be, and the wind snarp and brac-
ing; Just the morning for q long run. .
And didn't they run! Tiger had got
the lead-his legs were longer, but
Brindle could hold out better. He,
was just putting his head down into
the wind and Looping off at q great pace,
in and out of the willow bushes by the
swamp, around the steep rocks in the
pasture, over the walls. Brindle had
now overtaken Tiger. and tripped him.
up in his scramble to get over the wall
first; then on around the old pump in,
the field, where the cattle were wat.
cred. Here they both were SO thirsty,
that they just had to stop and take q;
lap out Of the watering-trough.
"0mgh! Ough! Ough! Ou-ou-ou-
On again, across the crust, down by;
the black cherry-trees and the cedar.
thicket, through the rail fences by theI
lane. Brindle almost got stuck in that
fence. The rails were quite near to-!
gether; he was stout, and had on his
thick wadded jacket,
My stars! Well, the secret il out,
now. It Was just Jack and Tom Flint
playing ut "hare and hounds" They.
had sat up an hour beyond their usual
time the evening before, cutting
scent" from the green and blue and
red and yellow tissue paper that had
come around Grandma Flint's rolls Of
cotton batting. Grandma had made q
lot of "comfortables" in the fall aud
had saved it for them.
But what is that scudding about in
the beech-bushes farther up in the
edge of the woods? ALI! it's the share!"'
little BIN Piper. He has on q scar
let cap, and looks like a red-crested
woodpecker dodging from tree to tree.
He carries the scent" in q wide
moutled bag, and q gorgeous trail
leads away on behind him, which Brin-l
die and Tiger are trying to follow.
Now they lose 1t and go peering and
shutting around in the bushes. Now
they find it and give vent tolong bowls
ofdelight.
And SO they run. But the little
"hare" is about "winded." He has
come upon a fine cover-a hollow
beech log all overgrown with moss. He
throws his bag under a bush, and
scrambles and squeezes himself, feet
foremost, deep into the rough aperture.
"Gurrh : urrh : urrh! Gurrh- urrh-
urrh!" Snarl! Bite! o scramble of a
furry beast over Bins feet! He has
walked up something in there. BIN
whoops with terror and kicks with ALI
his might. He would crawl out quick
er than he got in, but he can't. A snae.
inside the log has caught the waist
band of his knickerbockers, and holds
him fast, i'll spite of his struggles.
Here is a fix! It is lucky that BIN
has on his thick, long-legged boots, for;
the angry beast is trying his teeth on
them with a vengeance. :;
The hounds, hearing the hare's cries
OF distress, come Looping up, and try
to pull him out. But they nearly pull
his arms out of joint. It is of no use.
he can't come out that way. Jack
runs for grandpa, who takes an az
and goes with him up the woods.
He cuts the log off a little below
Bins feet. Out jumps q raccoon,
snarling and fussing, and scurries off
before any n can stop him. Then
BIN is dragged out, as rumpled and
dirty q little share" as was ever run
to cover.-Y0uth's Companion.