The weekly Thibodaux sentinel and journal of the 8th Senatorial District. [volume] (Thibodaux, Lna. [i.e. La.]) 1875-1898, 1896-12-26

before the game laws were enforced
..;as still there in almost the same con-
tit;o, as when he saw it last. He seas-
ed himself on the messy trunk, and as
his mind gradually quieted. sootEed 5y
the peace Of nature, he went back to his
boyhood and lived it all over again.
At last he remembered, and the
lGen:ory came to him with the shcck of
q discovery who his companion and
guide used to-bo III almost all his hunt
ing expeditions. Old Sam Ehret! Could
it lie possible that he was still alive?
OF course it could? Sam was only Is
years older than he was, though every
body called him "old" so years ago.
But that WAS only o. account Of his a.
most senile simplicity and natural shift
lessEess. Sam couldn't be O than 6S
yet, and ct course he must be alive.
What times they used to have, trapping
ninl. and shooting squirrels. This train
OF thought cleared the moral atnlos-
phere for the millionaire at once. He
wonld not Le satisfied with coming to
the.o ole farm; he would go back t O his
youth and GO out hunting with Sam.
He had no real intention of doing any
hunting when be left the house and
had merely picked up tho old gun as IN
excuse to get away to the woods, where
he would lie alone with his troubled
thoughts. But now he would visit old
Sam, and they would have an afternoon
Of hunting. This decision gave him
such . thrill that out CT pure exuber-
ance OF spirits he forget his gun was
loaded and cooked, swung it up and
drew a bead IN a clump OF leaves il the
top CT a tall hickory. The explosion
that instantly followed, sending the
/ echoes rolling through the woods and
starting tie crows cawing, brought hill
out Of his dreams with a shock. but tie
sound Of tle gun revived all his passion
for shooting. After carefully reI0ading
the old nEzEle loader he started toward
SANS farm.
AS he reached the farm he was sur
prised to find it so changed. There
were new barns and stables and a new
house, and everything was spick and
span. He expected to see tumble down
buildings and rickety fences instead Of
evidences of prosperity. But he strobe
cheerily across the field toward the
house, inhaling the smell Of the newly
plowed soil, resolved to find out from
the first person he met what bad become
Of old Sam. Presently be saw q man
bnsilv digging i'll q ditch at the end Of
a field and directed his steps toward
him. As he approached nearer he could
hardly believe himself. It was undoubt-
edly his old friend, working away as if
his life depended on it.
"hello, SAM" he called cheerily as
be came within hailing distance, "how
are you?:
The digger stopped, looked at the
stranger with an inquiring stare and
answered half skyly:
Hello! Nice day."
"Why, don't you remember me?"
II must say you've g5J the start of
me-"
Pratt held up the index finger Of his
left hand, showing a rough, corrugated
nail, and asked, with O laugh:
"What! You surely don't forget the
fellow who went to pull the woodchuck
out of the hollow tree in Blacks woods
and almost had his finger bitten of, do
you?"
Sans grizzled and whiskered face lit
up suddenly, and he scrambled out OF
the ditch.
"Why!' he exclaimed as he transfer
red the mud from his hand to the leg Of
his trousers. "If it amt little Hiram
Pratt. Well, now," and he shook hands
with him vigorously, .'when did you
get homer
"Last plight"
swell, we'll, and you've come back
to see us again. Ny, how you have
grown and changed! Well, I suppose
we've all got to get older. How's your
mother? Glad to see you, wasn't she?
Well, well! And they tell me you've
got awful rich. l suppose you could buy
out all the old neighbors now, couldn't
you?"
Pratt laughed at the estimate of his
wealth he could have bought the
whole county and turned it into a shoot
ing park had he wished-and modestiy
replied that he didn' think he could do
that. though he had got along pretty
well. Then ho changed the subject by
renlarking on old Sans evident pros
perity.
Yes" said the oldman delightedlv.
things are lookin better, aip't they?
But Of course you heard all about it?:'
Pratt had not heard.
"Ot, no" TO said, "this ain't my
doings at al. They arc Walters. NJ
oldest boy, Walter, you know. ice! I
guess be was born after you left, wasn't
he? Well, well, how time does fly, 10
be sure. / tell You, Walter is a mighty