The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1893-02-01
A LUCKY SHOT.

that morning to be surel l was stavinr
down there for the shooting, and on this
particular day we were going out on the
invitation of n neighboring squire for a
days quiet sport around the outlying COW
erts, just to centTalize the pheasants for
the forthcoming big shoot. My uncle
dear old boy-was late getting ready, rs
he generally was, and I, fully equipped for
the fray, was waiting for him in the billiard
room, when my aunt's pretty housemaid
came i'll to dust.
With boyiSh folly--and can assure YOU
it was nothing worse-whut must / do but
try to steal II kiss from the abigail who
offered II playful resistance to my attempt?
And this resistance l had just overcome
and was pressing my mustache against the
young woman's rosy check, when, as luck
would have it, the door opened and my
uncle entered
shan't try to describe the expression of
the old boys face when he grasped the
situation, nor to recapitulato the Infatuated
TRADE which he let fly at us, for no words
could possibly do it justice. With all his
Vlrtues-and they were many-he had
tremendously Puritan notions on the sub
,ect of kissing and other such levitics,
firmly believing that they always implied
serious vice. And, full of this idea, ho
burst upon us with an angry torrent of re-
PiOhSti WOulu really nave
rough on the most abandoned rcprobate
He soon dismissed the shameless hussv"
Ito use his own language), telling her that
she should hear more of it from her mis-
tress by and by; then he devoted his entire
energies to me.
How long his denunciaton might have
lasted If the carriage had not been waiting
for us shudder to think. But luckily the
horses would not stand, SO we were soon
obliged to make start of it, All through
the six mile drive, however, he continually
dropped scathing illusions to my conduct,
and told me Mt least dozen times that ms
soon rs we returned my aunt should have
full and particular account of this dis
graceful affair."
Now this was really what most of all
dreaded. For my aunt, who already re-
garded me rather as 4 vessel of wrath was
quite as ridiculously prudish as my uncle
and good deal more unreasonable. And
thought it by no means unlikely that
when she heard her spouse's highly colored
statement she might dismiss the unhappy
houscmaid out of hand. On poor Mary's
account, therefore, so far swallowed my
| pride rs to beg the Old fellow not to report
matters to my aunt on condition that did
not offend again. He refused nv petition
however, with scorn, and as l saw that in
his present humor l should do more harm
than good in pressing it l was fain for the
| present to let it drop.
In the course of the morning us Itrampetl
through the fields gun in hand l exercised
my brains finely rs to the best way of get
| ting round my uncle and ut length it oc-
Cured to me that 1 could not do better
than seek our host's-Squire Oatley's-ad-
vice and assistance. He was jovial, good
natured old chap, knew and not at all
the sort to be hard on n boyish freak More
over, he had great influence with my uncle
and was far more likely to be able to per-
suade him than l myself was. So l took
the earliest opportunity of coniiding my
trouble to him.
II say, Charlie" he said when he had
heard my confession nothing worse than
Il bit of foolery-honor bright-eh?"
Honor bright" replied looking
straight into his jolly, good tempered face.
We'll, my lad" he answered, "I'll do
my best to help YOU If your uncle was i'll
better temper think l could talk him over
But he's shooting SO badly today that he's
as glum rs a mute. Well, well, we'll hope
that he'll be in more agreeable frame of
mind after lunch. y bottle of Bollinger
and good cigar will often work wonders
i'll that line. But ut any rate I'll see if l
can't settle matters in your favor some
| how"
that minute my uncle came around the
corner of the covert to join us, nothing fur
| Their passed between us OH the subject
When lunchtime arrived things!certainly
didn't look Mt all promising. My uncle for
some reason had shot abominably, while
| Squire Oatley, between whom and my
uncle there existed n friendly rivalry with
the gun, had acquitted himself unusually
well, bringing off nearly all his shots.
Tramps, the squirc's keeper had been L
could see, nightly pleased at this, for he
rather disliked my uncle, who was near in
the matter of tips. But l had been dis
mayed and appalled, at the way matters had
gone, my uncle's face growing more and
more sour with every bird he missed
Nor did lunch-in spite of the Bollinger
and the ensuing good cigar-succeed in re-
storing good humor to his countenancc.
And rs the afternoon proceeded and the old
fellows shooting did not improve my heart
sank to zero. Could anything be more
wretchcdly unlucky? In his present frame
OF mind my uncle would certainly resent
any interference by the squire on my be-
half, and my aunt no doubt would hear n
most unfair and exaggerated account of
that silly little episode with the houscmaid.
Then Lord knew what would happenl For
myself didn't care much, but poor Mary
| it would be awfully rough on her!
Toward the end of the day, when the
light was just beginning to fail, we came
to the last covert we were going to shoot,
a small spinny, standing in Il swampy cor
ner, where there was the chance of few
stray pheasants. The squire went into the
covert with Tramps and the dogs, while
my uncle and took up our respective po-
sitions outside. didn't get shot myself.
but something evidently came out on my
uncle's side, for heard the bang, bang of