The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1897-02-12
BOTH TIRE PRICE and The BOUNTY,
By GEORGE w. GOETZ, deceased.

Inc sun WAS not YET up, ana the Win
try morning was sharp with frost and
gray With a loW-hanging mist, as the
door of !, cottage that stood little apart
from the rest of the town swung open,
and a harefooted boy came forth He
seemed 10 mind the Chi. very little. for
he wore no coat. and the sleeves of his
rough, gray shirt were rolled up to his
elbows, revealing thick, sinewed pair
of arms, Il trifle SCARED and a good deal
colored in red-brown tint.
Not far away was a shed. partially
filled with wood. In it, too, were odds
and ends OF things that accumulate about
pieces of stovepiDe. From Il dusky cor
ner the boy drew forth stout, hickory
club-the handle of Il pick. This he
tucked under his arm. and putting his
hands i'll his pockets, strobe away
through the sagebrush that grew to the
very edge pf the dooryard, moving brisk
ly up the gentle slope which led to the
foothills ofthe mountains, looming tall in
the west.
AS he welt. the loftiest peaks assumed
a rosy hue lnder the beams of the rising
sun: the twltter Of Il bird or two sounded
duly on TIP air, and rabbit now and
then hoped silently away to disappear
in the friel lily shelter.
\ mile fDm the house he slowed his
pace, looked about to get his ''bearings,'
and then commenced 4 search which re-
suited, almot Immediately. in his finding
Il clumo of1brush i'll which piece of
raw and bboly meat, a portion of the
waste from Il butchers slaughter house,
was half concealed. He examined the
ground carefully OH the side first ap-
,rnn<.hn1 i.,f, I,,f
couple of Singular holes on the opposite
side met his gaze, and seemed TO give
him considersble satisfaction. From the
larger dce!rut scar i'll the earth made
an irregular trail that wound away to-
ward the hilA-the mark Of something
heavy which lad been slowly dragged
away.
Grasping his ;lub. the boy hurried eau
tiously along ollthis track, peering about
him as he valid. Presently, from the
cover of bush II which the trail seemed
to struggle. thugh vainly, to escape
from the grip ofa steel trap, the jaws of
which were frn y clamped ON his foot.
From the trap went I: chain. also of
steel, to heavymass of iron, the drag
ging of which h;l made the trail in the
sand.
The animal finished about in despcra-
ton; its yellow ees were cleaning, and
it's swapping jawsrevealcd set of white
and glistening te It'll. With the utmost
unconcern. howeHr, the stout young fell
low quickly dispatched his captive with
a sharp and wll-aimed blow OH the
head.
Well said he as he opened the jaws
of the trap and removed the limp and
wounded paw, you're beauty, but
your days of stating sheep are over.
You ought to bdglad to become some
thing useful at nst-and you will, for
your hide is unconmonly fine"
Indeed. the cEature was u splendid
specimen. Its til was long. and as
bushy and light rs feather buster; it's
hair was clean a d ranged in color f rom
taWny-gray on tie legs to the lightest of
tlnts on the stohach, and gray, tipped
With b-oWnish Hack, on the back. It
was larger than II ordinary dog, its ears
stood straight rom its head, and it's
nose was pointe with nearly all the del
lcacy and SHARP hess which characterizes
that Of the fox
The hoy 500 set and concealed his
trap. again, aid smoothed away the
tracks in the cfth. After that he slung
the dead coyot| on his shoulders to pack
him home
In the shed, where he deity and skill
fully removed the pelt, the clearer light
now revealed | number of similar skins
in the variou| stages of tanning. All,
however. wer| minus the ears and the
skin of the he d; and this portion of the
hlde just acquired he now removed and
lad aside. willie the rest was treated
With muddy solution of alum and salt
and left to cub.
Lawrence, said the boys mother,
Wnen ut last he sat to his breakfast.
there is something which I am now
obliged to tell YOU that l had hoped you
need never kpw!'
The lad l3ked up at his sad-eyed
mother, who's face was lined with the
marks of dep anxiety and noted now
rapidly her lhir was becoming streakad
with lines of white.
eyes, Littl( Partner" he replied, using
Il pet name recently adopted, trouble,
Yes" she said. going straight 10 the
point, "thc l$st little sum | had hoped to
receive is n'e xpectedly gone to meet an
old obligatioj; and how in the world we
are going I'd settle the-the funeral ex-
penses, is M re than know
but. mot Ter, l. catch Il coyote nearly
every day, bw, and get a dollar bounty
for the seal y and two for the hides, be-
sides my W; Ees.''
"Ah, yes: but the debt is nearly a hun
dred dollar, and the man threatens
trouble if p doesn't get his money at
once. This house, you know, belongs to
his brother.
Lawrence was silent moment. Il
don't see al " way but one" he said at
last, land that's to sell my witch
fathers w;tch--it's all we've got of
value. 1t fill almost break my heart;
yet | think hat father would rather we
should do il than owe Il debt like that
He held thu watch affectionately in his
hand, and danced from the golden case
to the fac of his mother. She was
silently WEEPING.
."Never mind, Little Partner" he cried,
springing Up, something's got to hap
pen! III make it happen! Now I'm off
to work.
At the lbur of noon young Lawrence,
washed cean of the CRIME that had
gathered In his powerful hands in the
blacksmith shop where he swung the
heavy sleige and helped the man who
wrought With fire and steel, stepped
lightly Though the door of the principal
store of he town, bearing pair of
coyote skis, the tanning of which was
completed
Here said the storekceper, address
ing Il tall richly dressed young lady, "is
Lawrence barrow himself, the young
man who catches coyotes" 49,
"Oh,' she said, turning to Lawrence,
. ''you hay n't the skin of a wildcat,
have you, with the head left orr
'No, ham," said the boy, putting
down the hides, .'they IRE very nncom-
mon arflnd here now, and hard to
catch. i | did get one l should cut the
ears off y a jiffy." .- ...sss.. =
'.Why r she asked. ~ +. pa z=s2 s., z.
ITO gel the bounty" said Lawrence.
'Thc co},ty, pays $50 apiece for the
Does indeed? Well, if 1 offered
500 for nice large skin, with the head
left on, al you think you could get it 2, 4
y sho4dn't Ike TO promise, = laughed