The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-12-20

not hide their nests from him. nor the wild
creatures escape him. He had a tame buzz
card that sometimes followed him about in
his rambles. He set traps for flying squir-
rels, and tanned them as loon as his hands
touched them. He handled snakes fear
lessly, and his tents with them were as
founding to the town lad until Joe dis
covered that the serpents were not of the
poisonous species. In handling high
land moccasins and spreading adders
Jim Polk confined his feats to seiz-
ing them by their tails as they ran
and swapping their heads off. Whenever
be killed one in this way he always hung
H on a bush or tree, in order, as he said,
10 bring rain. When VI failed to rain his
Explanation was that, as a snake never
HES until after shutdown, no matter how
I,arly in the morning it may be killed, it
had twisted and writhed until it fell from
lthe limb or bush on which it was hung.
Jim-Polk had many gifts n acquire
lnents that interested Joe Maxwell. Once
when the two lads were walking through
line woods, they saw a pair of hawks
home distance away Jim-Polk motioned to
Hoe to hide under a hawthorn bush. Then.
doubling his handkerchief before his
The began to make IL curious noise--a series
lof s%mothered ordinations that oundtd
hike Observation-Disclosures! He was imitat-
hing the cry of the swamp owl, which Joe
Maxwell had never heard. The imitation
smust have been perfect, for Immediately
there was a great commotion in the woods.
The smaller birds tiuttered away and dis
appeared: but the two hawks, re-enforoed
by a third, came flying toward the noise
with their feathers ruilied and screaming
with indignation. They meant war. JIM
Polk continued his muflea cries until pres
emily the boys heard a crow cawing in the
distance.
"Now you'llse see fun," said young Gather.
Just keep right STILL" /.
The crow was flying high in the air, and
would have rome over, but the muilled cry
of tho owl!-hoo! hoo! hoo! hoo!--caught
its ear md it paused In it's flight, alighting
III the top OF u tall pine, Swinging in this
airy outlook, it sent forth lts hoarse sig
nails, and in II few minutes the pine was
black with its companions, all making q
tremendous cutlery. Some of them dropped
down into the tops of the scrab oaks. They
could not find the owl. but they caught
sight of the hawks, and sounded their war
cry. Such .cawing, screaming, huttering
md fighting Joe Maxwell had never seen
before. The hawks escaped from the
crows, but they left many of their feathers
on the battlefield. One OF the hawks did
not wholly escape, FOR. in his fright he flew
out of the woods into the open and there
he was bounced upon by q king-hird, which
Jim-Polk called Il bee-mnrtin. This little
bird, 20 larger than his cousin. the cat
there Ms long as they remained in sight.
The commotion set up by the crow had
attracted the attention of all the birds, ex-
cept the smallest, and they flew about in
the trees, tutoring notes of anger or alarm,
oil t---;~-t- i>.s tho owl
do SO ms u remembrance OF tho ovoning.
One of the hoys sitting neur saw him slyly
slipping the spoons into his pocket md
Immediately reported him. The consequence
ia the spoons were produced, but d duel has
been arranged to take place up the gulch.
Mr.. and Mrs, Birkenfeld entertained a
few of their more intimate friends at their
home on Fifth avenue, on Saturday after
noon and evening of last week. ii being in
celebration of their twenty-iifth anniver-
gary. An clgant dinner was served at five
O'Clock. A number of handsome gifts were
given by friends as a testimony OF their re-
gard. Those invited were: Mesaamea