San Saba County news. [volume] (San Saba, Tex.) 1874-19??, 1892-08-19

factor IN my CalCuldttOHs- DuEAhS
the afternoon ! had taken into my
confidence a neighbours boy Of my own
size. Him l dressed up in my every
day hat and clothes gave him rifle
and bountiful supply of doughnuts,
and packed him OFF to keep watch all
night at the foot of the rocks 1t was
a wild kind of an idea; but believed
that the wolverine could reason TO
some extent and that supposing the
watcher to be me, aud the traps con
sequently unguarded. he would come
down for his accustomed fun.
Then went out and planted FOX
trap. right in the winds eye, not
more than ten feet from the open end
of the hollow log and in line with the
center of its cavity. Having baited
the trap with some choice morsels OF
raw chicken sprinkled with oil Of
rhodium I went home to supper.
When it became dark | borrowed
my fathers heavy eight-gause duck
ing gun. loaded each OF the barrels
with six drains of powder and twelve
No. l buckshot and went hopefully
away on my enterprise. Arrived at
the log showed myself ieet foremost
into the hollow dragging a chunk of
rotten wood and the gun. butt first
after me.
From the entrance up to where the
tree became solid its cavity was prob
ably thirty feet long and at the lower
end fully twenty inches in diameter
giving me lots of room for all need
full operations. Going in until
judged that my gun was two feet from
the outer edge of the hole turned
over on my breast rested the barrel
on the soft chunk of wood and waited
events.
Within my hiding place all was
black as pitch Not even the eye OF
a lynx could have penetrated the
gloom one inch beyond the opening
but l. looking out through the tube
into the really dark though by con-
trast comparatively light night could
see the outlines of surrounding Oh, ects.
or rather objects in front of me.
Ali my hopes of success lay In the
wind, which was now blowing almost
a hurricane. directly from the trap to
me. This would not only render it
impossible for my expected prey to
scent me. but its moaning through
the adjacent tree tops would effectual-
ly cover the noise of any slight move
ment | might be compelled to make.
Hour after hour lay in my narrow
quarters feeling a bit lonesome. but
comfortable and heard nothing ex-
cept the soughing OF the gale and the
groaning response of the vexed forest
giants Neither could l see any
thing unusual. though I now became
so habituated to gazing out OF my
iuky- black retreat that could mark
the exact spot where my trap was set
The storm still ragged furiously but
no rain fell; and l was dry. snug and
warm as possible. while l said. conf
dentially to myself; oh, if that
rascally beast would only comet l
actually began to feel little super
stitious on the subject and remem-
bering how often the crafty brute had
fooled me a suspicion arose within
me that he might even then be laugh
ing at my simple ruse.
1t must have been nearly midni ght,
when, fatigued by staring so long in
one direction l closed my eyes for a
minute. On opening them again l
saw that some change had occurred
in the contour of the grounds surface
n few yards beyond the trap. There
seemed to be little mound or lump
there which l had not noticed before.
but as it remained meantime quite
motionless l could not tell whether it
was a mass of inert matter or the
coled-up body OF an animal
Although there was not the slight
est chance of any noise 1 was likely
TO make being carried outward in the
face of that tornado l hardly ven
tured to breathe as l looked steadily
at the mysterious object in which.
for fully ten minutes there was no APP
pearans of life.
'Poohr l muttered; its nothing
but a lot of leaves heaped up by the
wind
The whisper had barely crossed my
lips when the thing rose to a greater
height and came little nearer and
saw that it was indeed a wild beast
but Of what kind | could not in that
uncertain light determine. After
noiselessly advancing foot or two the
creature lay down again and SC re
manned for some time and then ]
caught the CLEAN of pair of green
eyes! Still | would not shoot; for it
might be only lynx, marten or rae
coon So with my heart in my throat
| watched it curiously as little by lit
tie and with extreme caution. it stole
along until close to the trap.
Then it looked to me like bear
cub. But its next move dispelled
that Illusion. Being apparent
ly satisfied that the coast
was clear, it settled down by the side
of the concealed trap and seemed to
be intently studying its exact posi-
ton. Then. deity as a miner might
have done it dug around and under
it. with vigorous toss jerked it into
the air (the sudden motion, OF course
springing it, AID began calmly to eat
the bait
This was the moment / had waited
for The creatures peculiar tactics
had established its identity. The
long looked for wolverine stood be-
fore me!
Trembling with excitement | laid
my cheek against the guDstock
glanced roughly along the barrels
and pulled both triggers. The smoke
driven back by the wind nearly
choked me but quickly got out into
the air; and there riddled by buck
shot very emphatically dead and with
3 wing OF chicken still between his
-oeth. lay my archenemy outwitted at
asst by a gresn boy. N. Y. Indepen-
lent
Important Bu>IncSS
oh papa she said with blush.
young Mr. Chestnut. who owns so
many coal mines in Pennsylvania is
coming again this evening. and he
ays nc wants to see you on some i'm