Brookings register. (Brookings, S.D.) 1890-1894, 1893-03-03
SHOOTING WITH A STICK.
These Are Days When Things Are Not AL
ways what They Seem.


day.
The invitation was too tempting to
be resisted. The weather was glol.i-
Gus, and for genuine beauty the au-
tumnal tints on the foliage lust
double discounted the much vaunted
decorations Of New York city during
the Columbus celebration The dog
"a fine setter-seenied To enjoy it as
much as we did Or more-for he
wagged his tail, jumped, barked and
INDUCED i'll every manifestation Of de
light known to the canine race. The
spirit of the heather was upon me.
BY Jove!' | could not resist ex-
claiming, Il wish it weren't Sunday
and we might have some shooting.
Il feel little that way myself,
sail Jim with smile, but we may
get partridge or two"
How Do you think they are
going to fly right into our hands, you
old IDIOT"
NO, not exactly, but it is the un
expected that happens sometimes.
you know.
didn't see the point, but had OBJ
served before that Jim S observations
sometimes lacked pertinency.
We came to field of stubble. Sud
denly the setter, who was deeply
heretical in his ways and views, made
point
My sporting blood rose
If | had a gun Id take a shot if it
cost me ten years in purgatory," !
said, and felt better for having said
it. Jim said nothing That's one of
his provoking ways. He never gets
excited. He turned his back Oh me
and began monkeying with his walk
ing stick,
Gee whiz" | exclaimed as the
partridge flew up, what a chance
that is missed.
Jim wheeled round and brought
his walking stick to his shoulder
Trying some hypnotic
But before could finish the sen.
tence there was a fash and report,
both proceeding from the walking
stick, and as I'm living sinner that
partridge dropped as dead as ham
mer.
Then Jim showed me what the
walking stick was made of. 1t was
a walking stick outside and a shot
gun inside, and the whole business
didn't seem to weigh more than
tr'if1e over two pounds. To load it
you Just gave the handle turn and
a yank and there was breech eX
posed. Into that you showed the
cartridge, gave the handle another
turn and a yank, and 10! the walk
ing stick was loaded, cooked and
ready for business, the handle tax
ing the place of butt, and by means
of a joint, hardly apparent when the
thing was used as walking stick,
an angle was formed, thus providing
very good substitute for stock.
You pressed a button in lieu of
trigger and the stick did the rest.
II call that my Sunday gun, said
Jim. 1T cost me only twenty dol
lars, and I've had twice that amount
of fun out of it already. You see it
would never do for me to be seen
going through the village with gun
on my shoulders on Sundays. l
should be made the target for no end
of Indignation. But the walking
stick is above suspicion. And when
| get into the fields and a partridge
comes my way have my fun. OF
course it isn't as handy as regular
shotgun, but it is surprising how well
one can get along with it with little
practice.
I've had lots of fun out of it, too,
in another way. Irate and misan
thropic property owners have some
times accused me of shooting on their
premises. Then / put on a look OF
virtuous indignation, want to know
how In thunder could shoot with a
walking stick and all that sort of
thing And the property owners go
off perplexed and apologetic, wonder
ing where the shots they heard so
plainly came from.
Take it all in all, there's lots of
sport to be had out Of walking stick !
shotgun. New York Herald. !