Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-03-05

~ IN
TIE Presidents GUIDE AND. THE Presidents
GANE.
Miss Sally was waiting and xpectant. ''where
Is your gun, she exclaimed The oap'en handed
IL over TO her silently. "What, that thing 90
she cried. Il didn't bargain for Q cannon-but
a bargain bargain. always keep my word"
So saying she drew the ramrod cut and dropped
it down the barrel. and finding it, As she thought
un!oaded, she drew a thimble from her finger
and filling il with powder from the skipper's
horn poured it down the barrel and drove
down small piece OF paper.
The capen remonstrated- ''The'turyel take
me II don't put more than that In the pan.
1t won't even set the wad on fire."
you ought to have thought Of that before
Mister Van Dam. she replied. "A contract il
contract. and business is business was 70
load the gun, and you have all you kill" So
saying the spinster, with . sour smile, finished
the loading by dropping in thimbleful OF shot
The capen groaned, dropped the cor ners Of
his mouth, turned up his eyes, shrugged his
shoulders and then asked her for an ear OF
hat and laid train starting from a wood pile
IN straight line for some fifty yards or more
Then going to an old chopping block, that was
half cut through in the center, he placed the
biunderbuss in the hollow Of the block and lay
fiat down on the ground and told Miss Sally 70
open the door of the poultry yard No sooner
said than done, and the hungry, greedy and
clamorous raft Of fowls came huttering, run
ming, hopping and quacking TO their tempting
meal.
- THE BLUNDERBUss FIRED.
The skipper slowly drew back the cum ber-
some hammer, sank to the ground, settled him.
self, ran his eye along the long line Of poultry
and his horny forefnger sought the trigger
Then there was o breathless pause. The
splnster stood near with her horn spectacles
tilted up on her forehead End a knocking smile
on her lips. As for To1y, who knew what was
coming, he had hid behind a tree, with both
hand. over his es-s and his eyes protruding
until they nearly rested on his cheeks
Cap'en Van Dam took final sight and ut
tered prayer, for he well knew the antique
weapon was loaded past all conscience. He
gritted bis teeth and pulled. roar like that
OF thunder followed, reverberating across the
ice and echoing back from the hills of old
Quantlco across the bay. A dense smoke
clouded the scene and then slowly drifted
away.
1t was . scene for the artist Here sat Cap'eu
Van Dam rubbing his right shoulder Justify,
an odd mixture Of pain and triumph on his
face. The old blunderbuss lay some feet dis
tant the smoke still pouring out of the muzzls.
behind the tree was ancient Toby, rolling over
the ground in . paroxysm Of delight and there
stood the spinster, with her eyes and arms
raised skyward, shrieking in an sar-piercinG
voice:
.Oh, my Lord! I'm ruined! I'm undone ~
Toby helped his master to his feet and they
counted the slain. Eighteen chickens niue-
eeen guinea keets, eight turkeys, i've geese,
twelve ducks, two boosters, four tame pigeons
and the spinsters tame house pig.
by golly" said Toby, as he hlled the bag
"d!s am de greatest shot on record"
The President got mp here and retired 10 bed.
NOT 4 CLEAR HEAD LIaHr.
After the roar Of laughter had subsidized the
president Of the society was called upon
Woodland said he wasn't going to tell any hunt
ing story after what he heard but he would
n.rrate Circumstance that happened TO
friend of his.
party Of northerners came down last winter
to visit the Light House Club and gave q sup
per to the members on their vessel It was q
convivial crowd, and it was away past midnight
before the party separated. Ny friend and
another clubman took their seats in the boat
and lighted their cigars As the wind was dead
ahead the guide had to use the oars. He told
pointed straight for the lantern Of the light
house, whose steady CLEAN shons rather family
through the fog.
Now, after man has put couple Of bottles
OF champagne beneath Sis belt be is apt to see
two lights. My friend saw four, but he did the
best he could and steered by turns to them all
The guide, who was half seas over, piled his
oars mechanically. At last the clubman fixed
the light and held the helm true, but it was the
CLEAN OF his comrades cigar; the comrade was
lifting In the bow of the boat, putting away
oblivious OF the surroundings. Away flew the
boat until it was brought up right against the
starting point and ran smack into the yacht
with such force as to pitch my friend head over
heels into the water. A. he was fshed out he
murmnred:
Great Scott! how this COMPOUNDED boat does
leak"
TROUBLE IN GETTING AWAY.
Az this 10 . sporting article . few words Of
Tn tha frat tfv nil vnk
They may as we'll disabuse their minds Of the
idea that they can get in . railroad car or river
steamer and by leaving the city reach in q few
hours resort where they will have good wild
fowl shooting. The wild duck is as wary and
shy a bird as ever took wing and avoids all
Settled localities. Hence to obtain good sport
one must travel to some secluded section where
there are but few inhabitants. and where the
aTamps prevent the country around from be-
ing thickly settled. To do this requires time
and most tedious journeying. As for exam
pie, had to start in q row boat ct 4 o'clock in
the morning to return home and catch one Of
the little sound steamers that run to suit them
selves. II was bitter cold and the guide rowed
for three miles in the teeth OF q northern gale.
Then q conveyance had to be obtained TO carry
my comrade and myself to Hills Landing, four
miles away. Reaching there We found that no
boat had arrived and after a tedious wait OF
two hours ell hands had to give Il up.
There was nothing to do but try and catch a
railroad train at q station some fifteen miles
distant So the team was re-engaged, We were
ferried across the river and started on our
journey over . corduroyed road through the
great Dismal Swamp. Now . corduroyed
road ut best u . tough road TO travel, but when
the trunks Of the trees Of all sizes are cut and
simply laid in the oozy swamp side BY side, and
not fastened. and, worse still, many Of them
swimming in the water, it il the most diaboli-
cal mode Of travelling ever Invented to torture
mankind. believe those miles through the
swamp would have simply ended . person Of
large abdominal development, and . fat man
would have been reduced TO pulp before the
journey was half through We &ere tossed mp
and met half way as We came down, we were
banged against the sides and bumped on the
bottom. We were jolted, jostlsd aud buffetsd
until We we're sore all over, and then when We
reached the station We found the train had left
and some other way had to be found to get ont
OF the wilderness, and like Joe in "Bleak
House" We had ito keep moving on" Such
are some Of the trials Of those who 60 TO hunt
the wild fowl A CLUBAAx.