Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-12-07
HE USED MONOGRAM SHOT.
How Willy Sportsman Identified
His Game.

From the New York Tribune
They had tramped long through fields and
woodlands. beating every bush and throw
ing stones into every thicket The less en-
ergetic of them had also insisted on the
dogs doing their full share of the work and
mad often exclaimed, Sic EN-. Tige, go in
Fanny. and such things. Four OF the ar
dent sportsmen who constituted "A majority
of the party. had just emerged from piece
of dense timber land when whizz and a
burr were heard. and pair of big pleas
ants took wing from under their very feet.
Rang, bang, bangedy- bang bang. went the
guns. and one Of the birds came down with
thud The other. however, continued it's
flight until lost to view.
Hes mine" calculated one OF the gum
ners as he started for the dead bird
No, he's mine: hit him., exclaimed an
other.
Not much: he's my bird declared
third. Il had dead cinch on him
The fourth man in the party did not
speak until he had carefully and method
iSally reloaded his gun. He then gazed
quietly at his companions for moment
two, and finally said
Boys, you are all wrong. Ii was | who
killed Cock Robin with my little gun. and
he belongs to me-
How do you make that out?" exclaimed
the other men in a bunch
T<dSN tHouSh, Tt.pli.u the quiet man:
the pheasant was killed with monogram
shot, and / am the only one in the party
who uses that kind of shot
With that the quiet man took the bird
from the man who had reached IL first and
carefully slowed 1t away in the capacous
pocket of his hunting Jacket.
Monogram shot" echoed the rest of the
men ia one voice. What i'm the deuce is
monogram shot"
'Humph. / thought that you youngsters
had never heard of that" said the veteran:
1T is simply shot on which my monogram
is imprinted"
"Will you kindly permit us to see some OF
this wonderful shot?" asked one of the par
ty castically.
Certainly. it will afford me great pleas
ure,' declared the veteran. as he plunged
his hand down into his pocket and fished
cut little leaden pellet. This was exam
ined by all the men in turn. and,
enough, the letters forming the claimants
monogram We're found to be legibly stamped
upon it
The men were plainly puzzled but not
wishing to show their ignorance of the sup
posed modern kind OF ammunition, they
dropped the matter for the time being.
That night the owner of the monogram shot
left for his home in the city. taking with
him the pheasant and most Of the other
game which had been killed during the day.
The rest of the party had gathered around
a blazing hot fire in the little hotel. when
one of them suddenly remarked:
Say. boys, / am moi onto that monogram
shot racket yet. That fellow has gone
home and taken about all the game with
him on the ground that il was killed with
monogram shot. Now, how do know
that was killed with his blessed old mon
ogram shot?"
why. he showed us one of the shot
innccenty spoke up the youngest of the
party.
Yes. but that did not prove that all the
birds he claimed to have dropped Were
killed with monogram shot We didn't pick
any of the shot out OF the birds"
We'll, here is one of the cartridges that
he left behind him. said third man;
lets break it open and examine it.
The shot soon dumped out of the
cartridge and each grain carefully Scru-
tinzed by the men. 1t is needless to re-
mark. as the lecturer says (and then talks
half an hour on the subjecD, that not a
sign of the mans monogram was discov-
cred on any of the shot.
We've been buncoed!' exclaimed one OF
the men in a Disguised tone of voice; I'VE
have been undore.'
I'VE have" echoed the other men in
chorus-"and by means of monogram shot.
But for heavens sake. let us keep quiet
about it," said one of the party, because,
if this story gets out, we will be the laugh
ing stock of the town when We get home"
All the men solemnly swore to keep mum,
but the story was too good. and il had to
come cut to prevent other young and mex
perienced sportsmen from going to shop
keepers and importuning them for mono
gram shot.