Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1892-01-28

good old hunts, we heard him give
short, quick yelp. We started double
quick. and soon came up to him. Just
up out of reach sat an old possum. We
set the pan on the ground and got, each
of us, good handful of rocks, and the
very first throw l made | took that pos
sum square in the face, and out he
came, cadiff, Old Pard cried. ..Well,
you done it now; what you want to hit
him so hard for? We've lost all the
fun now."
After gathering up our pan and gun,
we started on again. We did not hear
anything of the dog for long time,
and as it was getting way past midnight
we concluded we had better start for
home. just then we heard the dog
give sharp yelp, and here came a
whole drove of deer. As they saw the
light of our pan they stopped all around
us. Old Pard caught up the pan and
shined pair of eyes close to us. At
the crack of his rifle they ran back the
way they had come. When it had run
about two hundred yards, we heard the
dog yelp, and all was still. After load
ing the gun we started the way the
deer had gone. Soon we saw Old Bulls
eyes. As we came up to him there lay
the deer dead. 1t was big, fat, old
doe. well, l guess this will do for
| one night So we cut good pole and
strung all of our game on it, and went
to his home.
After we reached there we were pretty
hungry. We made our way into the
kitchen, where there was a good log
fire smouldering in the fireplace. In
the corner we found, among the pots
and kettles, in one big pone of corn
bread: in another, a lot of fresh hog
bones. Old Pard took light and went
up to the springhouse. When he came
back he had a crock of milk, plate of
butter, and a big bowl of nice honey.
l tell you it was all good. splendid.
After we had satisfied our appetites,
we went into the house to go to bed.
As we did so, the old hunter raised
up in bed and said, What you kill?"
We told him big coon and possum
and fat old doe,
He said, You just wait till morning,
and I'll show you fellows how to kill
deer"
I said, May go with you?'
'.1es, if you will get up soon enough"
1t had set in a soft, drizzling rain be-
fore we got home, and just about day
break it had stopped raining; the wind
had got around in the north, quite
blustery. I heard the old hunter get
ting up. / don't think he really want
ed me to go with him, for he was very
still in all of his movements. Isprang
out Of bed; he turned and said, What!
are you awake?"
As soon as it began to be little
light, we took our guns and started out.
We had not gone more than a half of
mile. and he took up dry branch bot
tenn. | took to the side of the noun
tain. Soon / heard him shoot. Soon
another shot. | started to go to him.
As came in sight of him | saw him
loading his gun. thought, '.Well,
the old man is going to show us how to
kill deer, sure enough.n for saw one
deer-as it looked to me from where I
stood-lying on the ground, but l could
see no others. Pretty soon that deer
ran off.
I went to the old man and asked him,
How many have you killed?"
He said, None! l shot twice at that
one that you saw, and I missed him
both times"
We started on, and could see a good
many deer way yonder just running for
their lives. At last, after two or three
IiufCl. VIC place "ACiS
there was good deal of fresh sign.
said, Those deer are right over in
that gulch.''
He said, mo. they are up under that
point and off he started.
| walked few steps to the top of the
bank of the gulch, and out ran an old
doe and stopped on top Of the bank.
pulled down on her, and at the crack of |
my rifle she ran off, and two more with |
her. The old man turned and looked |
back and saw the deer running. He |
came to me.
I said. s.Do you think I hit her2''
s.She acted like it,
After l had loaded my gun, we fol- |
lowed: on about two hundred yards we
found my dear lying dead. We hung
her up, and, as it was getting late, and |
we We're getting very hungry, the old |
man said, HALF of that deer at home is |
yours, and half of this is mine So YOU |
take this, and will take your half of |
that at the house." You see. it was a |
custom to ..go halvers," as they said: |
whether | killed anything, or not, half |
of all that was killed was mine. and |