The Van Buren press. [volume] (Van Buren, Ark.) 1859-1914, 1897-08-07
A FAMILY AFFAIR.
How the Workings Made Hunting
Prosperous.

Prosperous.
Mr.. WORDING was an honest, indus
trious, capable highwayman OF guide,
whose business it was to direct men
through the mountain canyons under
the hallucinaton that he was showing
them where to hunt wapiti at closest
range. WORDING had three sons, and
one day an inspiration came to him.
The result of the inspiration was that
his eldest son secured the Office oil con-
stable in one of those commodious Wyo-
ming precincts. Then lily shot an elk,
skinned il and stuffed the hide and
waited for the opening of the season.
The first hunter who engaged him
was an oil dealer from Pittsburgh. Him
Hy led by devious ways until after sew
eral hours he spoke gently and pointed
around q bowlder and indicated that
elk meat was there. The Pittsburgher
gazed entranced upon a magnificent
specimen, took palpitating aim and
shot bullet into the sun which hung
afar off in the heavens. Nevertheless,
the animal fell. The hunter rose up
and yelled and danced and started to-
ward the fallen beast, when out of the
gloom appeared a man with tin star
and u blank warrant charging John
Doe with shooting elk out of season.
Thinking that the officer might take it
into his head to hang him, the Pitts
burgher paid $s2.41. Even then the Off
Ger refused to let him have the elk or
even to approach it. He said it was
contraband of the state.
One hour afterward at point mile
away Hy WORDING stopped, dropped
to his knees and by pantomime show
intimated that more wapiti was to be
had. The man of oil cautiously looked
again. There, leaning against tree,
asleep, about 100 yards away, was
beautiful specimen. The bullet sent
by the hunter cut the top twig off the
highest tree of grove 40 feet to the
right of the animal, but, nevertheless,
the elk fell, pierced in vital spot.
But before the hunter could move to-
ward hisyictim again appeared that for
gotten constable, and this time the
court costs were $9713.
The visiting Nimrod had great luck.
He killed nine elk that day, but he was
very foolish Every time he thought
that surely the next time he would not
be bothered by the constable, but, how
ever laboriously they tried to circum-
vent him, the man was always on hand
to ask for his fees according TO statute.
And he positively refused to let the
easterner have even the sorry satisfac-
ton of approaching his elk. He was
very callous, conservative officer.
The next day the man started back
for Pittsburgh. This kind of hunting
was too spendthrifty for him. He had
spent $722.3s on elk and hadn't even a
tooth to show for it. Hy Worbling and
his son Henders watched him disappear
into the railroad coach, Henders OBJ
serving the departure from a safe dis
/ lance.
"Dog-gone it," said Hy, "Tm really
glad he's gone. He was gettin' waste
full toward the last"
"Wasteful of his money!" inquired
Henders, in surprise,
mo; wasteful of material Blame it
all, he hit the thing three times and I'll
have to patch il with piece Of my old
coat before l can expect it to hold hay
any more. What does he think an elk is
made of. anyhow Iron?'
The WORDING family worked their
stuffed elk all that season, but retribu-
/ ton came at last. One particularly
nervous man trembled so badly when
he pulled that the bullet found lodg-
ment in Pierce WORDING, the man
whose duty it was to jerk the rope
which was attached to the stuffed elk's
hind leg, and old Hy had 10 pay S22
funeral expenses. II hit him very hard
in the midst of pinched times, he said.
Chicago Record.