The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1898-06-11
. whats that2' says the game law

That's what L said, says Jim.
what right has deer to eat my straw
berries out o. season? Jest go and
see how my thrce-acre patch is clawed
and chawed and paved. Maybe you
might think cows done it, says Bill. |
Maybe you might think l pastur' my |
cows ON my strawberries. ! couldn't |
blame you if you did, fer that patch
looks enough as If ! did. But DON'T
gays Jim. Cows nor cattle didn't chaw
and claw and paw them three acres q
strawberry patch. No, sir! Deer done
it. Jest as soon as the time was up
when the game law said deer couldn't
be killed no more, deer begun to come
down from them woods yonder and
pastur' ON my strawberries. Shoe 'em
offg says Jim. Net much. They
knowed we didn't dare kill 'em, and
every time we tried to shoe 'em off
they Jest bristled up and run us off the
match and went on with their chawin'
and PAWN and ciawin'. Why amt
they here now? An accident happened
| to one on EN- t'other day., says Jim.
That's why they amt here now.
guess they amt quite SO sure o them
selves as they was, and they're layin'
low says Jim. Yes says he. One
O. them deer shot himself. Broke the
game law, by gravy, and shot himself
out o. season. says Jim.
strap gum says the game con-
stable. That's what you call an ac-
cident, hey? Guess you'll nave to go
long with me, James, says he.
"sNot yit awhile!' says Jim. There
want no trap gun. 1t was an accident
I tell you, and the deer shot himself.
Shot himself dead. / was over in the
three-acre patch tryin' to red things
up and save little O. next years crop,
says Jim, when deer come trottin'
down out'n the woods, drove me of,
and begun to chaw and paw and claw.
Ii was enough to make me so mad that
nothin' could a-stopped me pitchin'
in and poundin' that deer all to pieces,
says Jim, but KEEP my temper. had
gun in the house. l knowcd that IL
the deer had been crow my fetchin'
out a gun without any load in 1t
wouldn't have skeer. it bit, cause a
crow kin tell a loaded gun from an I'M
loaded one q mile off. But as the deer
want a crow, went to the house and
got my old gun that hadn't loaded in
: five years, thinkin' that if strutted out
in the patch with it on my shoulder it'd
make the deer think l didn't care for
the game Jaw any more, and he'd skip
had strutted as close as 20 foot to the
deer fore he seen me-, says Jim, he
was SO busy chawin' and PAWN aud
clawin' them strawberries. Then he
looked up. He didn't turn skeert a bit
He turned madder than wild bull and
|, come for me a-tearin.' l whipped
,, round says Jim, and broke for the
house, but the deer ketched me. Hf
ketched me about three inches below
; where the hind gallus buttons fits into
. the galluses. and down / went says
!. Jim, and plowed as much as 20 fool
through that three-acre patch. The OF
musket was shook loose from ME by The
jar the deer give me.
"I guess maybe the butt end o. the
: musket must struck ag'in fencs post
that stood ahead of it some ten or a
, dozen foot and sort O. ratified up the
: lock. Anyhow says Jim, i heerd q
! roar that made the hull o. that three
q acre strawberry patch raise up and
shake itself, and when l got up and
tried to view the lan'scape DER there
\ seemed to be a smell o. powder hover
! | in round, and the smoke was so thick
: l couldn't see anything for as much as
. a minute. Then things sort O. cleared
= Over by the fence post the gun was
= Ilayin' as peaceful as lamb, and dow
in the patch where the biggest clawin
r in the patch was, laid the deer, jest az
!, peaceful as the gun was. There couldn'
4 be no two ways about it, squire say.
!. jim. Somebody must loaded thai
4 gun unbeknownst to me, and the rasl
y and unfortunate critter of deer hat
n shot itself dead with it. Broke thu
5 game law, by gravy! and shot himsel
, out o. season! What's the reason say
n jim, that your business hain't go
4 nothin' to do with strawberry patches
It squire?' says Jim.
III James says the game constable
) where's that deer?
"'Well, SQUIRE says Jim, as soon a
y see what had happened run into tn
o house and told the folks. Then ] rul
It down yonder to tell neighbor. Whel
p got back home the deer wasn't layir
It in that three-acre strawberry patch n
e more. Iasked my neighbor, who know
le all about deer, whether he though
% other deers could come down outen tn
t woods and carried that dead deer bacl
% with 'em, and he said, KNOWN wha
70 he knowed about deer, specially dee
that hung around this district, that
Z wouldn't surprise him bit if they hat
lie So the deer amt here. But kin sho,
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