River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1897-06-03

sense than a lot o folks: o course
don't mean nothin' personal by that.
lie jes' simply will not 80 a-huntin',
Prince won't. He's that tender-hearted
that he can't bear TO see anythin' killed.
end when / say: Come on. Prince. less
go a-huntin'.' right then Prince is ago
in to crawl under the bed"
And he beamed upon the villainous
Prince. who was too lazy to walk half
a mile TO hunt anything. but who had
Just stolen a squirrel from his masters
game bag and had devoured the last
niorsel of Il.
"Me an that ere dog IS fust-rate
friends he explained ''He don pear
to let hisself out before strangers, but
the way that dog can hold is own in
conversation would s'prise We. Him
ard me sets here some nights an talks
bout mos evcr'thin' they is a-goin'.
says to him last night: Prince says
I, this ere worlds boiler mockery,
SAYS I. An what We think that dog
said? Jes' raired back his head an
gaped a mos tremenius cape. Jes' the
same as ef he'd a-said: Well, now. this
nuNlNtes uihhtS tlt AAEths
There must have been in this rusty
and rugged old man some fac ty which
brought him into strange 1earness TO
all dumb creatures. 1t was easy for
him TO End out things that were hidden
from common mOrtals, and IS he went
about his work he kept up a running
fire of conversation with the creatures
he met. Some one found him one day
crouching down in his garden and
laughing the silent laugh with which
he greeted some new discovery.
81 wisht you'd look a-here." he
cried. Here I 20 an mighty nigh
break my neck packin' up palms TO
pale in this ere garden. SOS to keep
the rabbits outen my peas. an now jes'
look at this" And he parted the little
heap of gray hair at the foot of the pea
vines and showed the two young rab-
bits crouched within the little hollow
below, their bright eyes shining and
their small bodies shaken by the wild
beating of their hearts.
Now did We ever see anythin' to ekal
that?" the old man asked iubilantly
1T does heat all how cUnnin' these c. IT.
tiers is. Along comes that ole rabbit
an' SAYS to herself, III show that ole
customer that ne amt anywhere nigh
as sr'art as he thinks he is An ther
she jes' deliberately goes to housekeep
/ in right under the shadder of my
/ peavines. KNOWN well enough that
want a-gOin' to poster her after then
I babies was in the nest. Well, eff thai
I don't beat all for cute"
And the wrinkled old face was twisted
with a smile OF delight. as though the
rabbit had conferred special favor or
/ him by setting up sqUatter sovereignty
I in his garden.
''Oh. you're here. are YEP" he queried
as he looked up into the little mapl,
| tree when he was clearing the new
/ ground" and saw the birds nest with q
/ frantic mother fiuttering wildly over il
/ well, S'pose that means that the tree
amt a-goin' to come down. What YOU
/ fussIn' fur? Didn't you hear me say
| the tree want a-goin' to come down?
/ amt never knocked any bird outen il:
nest vet, an don't expect to begin al
/ this time o DAY"
I
upon the nestful of tiny foxes playing
near their hole. during their mothers
absence, he took one of them up anC
/ talked 10 it sadly.
/ You're a lively little rascal" he said
/ as he held IL gently, 30 that its SHARP
\ teeth could not reach his hands. -
I reckon ef let you go now you'll have
/ a many acne q my chickens some da,
I 10 pay me back. We'll. you want to live
don't We? an got about as much right as
I I have. They amt nobody said that
/ had all the rights an you never had
none. Run along home quick. sonny
/ or somethin'll ketch ye." Aud he thrust
/ the fox into the hole. where il disap
/ peare1 IN the twinkling of an eye.
What old Gabe called his lot her clo'e s'
t hung on long. wooden pegs in the spare
ROOM" whose window always stood
open. for the old man had iordly con
I tempt for burglars. But ore day. " ner
/ he went TO get this extra suit. another
/ claimant had taken possession. In tn,
wide-Open pocket of the ridiculous old
coat a handful of straw was gathered
and from the midst of il four NAKED
heads. with gaping mouths. were lifted
at his approach.
/ We'll. dear me-" calculated the olC
man, "ef that wren amt gone an made
Y a nest in my coat pOcKet. Did you ever
/ see the beat o. that fur '0wnright i'm
/ pidence? The plague .ittle critter-
I she knowed wa Z @-goin' TO poster 'ei
an III bet she kin Ter winked her eye:
when she done il. She jes' says to her
I self: Well. amt a-playiu' joke OF
TIE ole man this time? Las year
/ fooled i'm outen his other hat an thi,
| wear nc kin go without his Sunday coat.
Bi,me the cuunin' little rascal any
/ wIyi"
With a grin spreading all over his
/ lace he hung the coat back on the peg
carefully arranging il as IL had been
3 and he went coatless TO church all that
summer. Il got my coat rented oU:.
4 WAS his simple explanation.
"Ef that want the cutest trick" he
said to those friends who found him
= leaning over the fence afterw ard. anC
whom he thought worthy 10 hear thu
story. "That little rascal played thai
on NE TUT u loNc. lts as pain as z
she'd a-spent the whole year a-figgerin
il out I'il bet she watches me goin
about without any coat on. an laugh.
I tell she can't see"
/ Even his few flowers took part il
I the long conversations he carried OF
/ With the world around him.
You're a-iookin' kinder droopy." h,
! would remark TO some blossom as h'
I bent over il and touched its petals ten
\ DERBY. Il reckon may be We want II,
Z tie water. don't ye? Yes. TO be shore
/ Il Was a good III rs We spoke; eff y,
hadn't, this big. blunderin' ole foo
would a let We siarve TO death. al
/ WAYS a-thinkin' about hisself. be is. an
I a-Iettin' ye set here an starve."
Il must be acknowledged that some
times his companions imposed on hin
{ shamefully. FRINGE was especially des
titute OF those qualities with which the
old man. in his misplaced affection
Z idealized bin.
Come now. Prince" he would re.
mark 10 the dog as be was preparing
j TO go TO work in the morning. come
now. Prince. III halter trouble We fur
them cIo'es ef you're done with 'em
Come low. that's a good dog" Bui
Prince generally Iefssed TO ''coU,s
now" and even growled when the e