The Mt. Sterling advocate. (Mt. Sterling, Ky.) 1890-current, 1894-06-05

hairs breadth from becoming a par
ricide when he was 10 years of age.
Yes, my first shot nearly cost my
fathers life. / had just finished my
third class at the college of Stras-
burg, End the good Papa Franck--
may the Lord rest his soul HAD
promised me a shotgun If took the
first prize in history. I got the prize
and consequently the gun. Judge of
my joy.
Il will take you with me to Haze
gen, said my father to me one day,
where l am carrying document to
have it signed. On our return we
will go and shoot a rabbit in thewa
rem Of the Haut- Barr. M. de Saint
Fare gave me the key. Take the two
turnspits in the kennel
II had no need to be told twice.
All, the joyful departurel How long
the route seemed to mel With what
a good heart / heaped imprecations
upon the head Of that peasant from
Hagen who wanted translation of
very word of that document before
putting his signature to it 1t lways
seemed to me that night was gring to
overtake us and the hunt would be
delayed until the next day. The turn
spits, which howled in the bottom of
the dogcart, were less impatient than
I was. However, matters were ar
ranged at last, and toward o'clock
we arrived at the gate Of the warren.
l tied the horse to tree, my father
loaded our guns slowly, with the care
he used about everything, and the
dogs were rnleashed.
my father put me on the edge of
a young growth of trees, with all the
usual directions to young sportsmen
Ito overlook the two paths, to take
aim at the rabbit as soon as seen,
not to fire if the dogs were too
close upon its heels, particularly
not to leave my place, whatever
happened, as long as he did not call
me. Upon that he went away qui-
city, counting on my obedience, to
place himself at the opposite corner
out Of the reach of my gun. / stood
there for a few minutes, when the
dogs began to yelp, and nearly at the
same moment rabbit, which seemed
to me enormous, came out on my
left, not 10 steps from me, and with
one jump cleared the path. 1t had
passed, the dogs had followed, and l
had not had the sense to aim at it,
1 was conscious of my stupidity, and
/ resolved to say that had seen
nothing-so natural is lying to a
hunter, even a new one. But the
voice Of the dogs startled me anew,
and this poignant music, which makes
the heart of the oldest sportsman
beat, threw me into a kind of intoxica-
ton. The rabbit came back upon his
tracks, far from me, and followed the
path, running straight along. 1 ran
after it. 1t heard me and turned
again toward its first starting place,
and after it through the brambles,
furze and heather, without losing
sight of it, seeing only it. 1t stops.
/ shoulder my gun, take aim, fire and
tumble it over. Before it was gray;
now it is white, with its belly turned
upward. But at the same instant l
perceived my father leaning against
a tree about six steps from the little
animal. l had killed the accursed
rabbit at my fathers feet.
'To tell the truth, my joy made
me at first forget my fault. Ipounced
upon the victim like a young savage,
and lifting it by the ears above my
head / cried, Papa, this is my first
shotp
"'It is not all to aim well, answered
he, with sad smile. One must also
obey. If you had remained in your
place, you would not have risked
shooting me-
"'You have not been wounded,
hopei'
emo, no. But next time be more
prudent
.'His face appeared to me to be
more pale than usual. Istooped down,
and l saw some slight tears in his
trousers.
F" The Lord forgive me, papal
Have l shot you2 Here are some lit
tie holes.
" There were some there before
you shot. Look at yourself. The
thorns have made some for you too.
1T was the truth-for me, at least
and my anxiety was dissipated in a
moment.
"Our dogs, Waldmann and Wal.
dine, after having shifted the body of
my rabbit, had started upon another
trail, and was waiting impatiently
for my father to load the guns again.
"'Let us go home, said he. We
have had enough for the first day.
One of these mornings we will come
again, if it pleases the Lord
HE called the dogs, went back to
our dog cart without limping visibly
and drove me home. l remarked
that he had to make an effort to get
down from the cart and that he