The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1898-06-24

cows on my Strawberries. l couldn't
blame you if you did, fer that patch
looks enough as if l did. But DON'T
says Jim. Cows nor cattle didn't chaw
and claw and paw them three acres o
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
| Off says Jim. Not 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
patch and went on with their chawin'
and PAWN and clawin'. Why amt
they here now? An accident happened
to one ON 'em t'other day. says Jim.
That's why they ain't here now. 1
guess they ain't 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.
"'Trap gum says the game con-
stable. That's what you call an ac-
cident, hey? Guess you'll have to go
long with me, James, says he.
"'Not yit awhile!' says Jim. There
want no trap gun. 1t was an accident,
/ tell you, and the deer shot himself
Shot himself dead. l was over in the
three-acre patch tryin' to red things
up and save a little O next years crop,
says Jim, when a deer come trottin
down out'n the woods, drove me off,
and begun to chaw and paw and claw
Ii was enough to make me SO mad that
nothin' could a-stopped NE pitchin
in and poundin' that deer all to pieces
says i'm, but KEEP my temper. l had
a gun in the house. l knowed that If
the deer had been a crow my fetchin'
out a gun without any load in it
wouldn't have skeert it bit, cause
crow kin tell loaded gun from an un-
loaded one a 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 l 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 strlItted as close as 20 foot to the
deer fore he seen me- says Jim, he
was so busy chawin' and pawin' aud
| clawin' them strawberries. Then he
looked up. He didn't turn skeert bit.
lie turned madder than q wild bull and
come for me a-tearin.' l whipped
round says Jim, and broke for the
house, but the deer ketched me. He
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 foot
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 fence post
that stood ahead of it some ten or
dozen foot and sort O. ratified up the
lock. Anyhow says Jim, L heerd a
roar that made the hull o. that three
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 smell O. powder hover
in round, and the smoke was so thick
l couldn't see anything for as much as
minute. Then things sort O. cleared
Over by the fence post the gun was
layin' as peaceful as lamb, and down
in the patch where the biggest clawin'
in the patch was, laid the deer, jest as
peaceful as the gun was. There couldn't
be no two ways about it, squire says
jim. Somebody must a loaded that
gun unbeknownst to me, and the rash
and unfortunate critter of a deer had
shot itself dead with it. Broke the
game law, by gravy! and shot himself
out O. season! What's the reason says
Jim, that your business hain't got
nothin' to do with strawberry patches,
squire?' says Jim.
"'James,' says the game constable,
where's that deer"
"'Well, squire says Jim, 'as soon as
l see what had happened | run into the
house and told the folks. Then | run
down yonder to tell a neighbor. When
| got back home the deer wasn't layin'
in that three-acre strawberry patch no
more. Iasked my neighbor, who knows
all about deer, whether he thought
other deers could come down outen the
woods and carried that dead deer back
with 'em, and he said, KNOWN what
he knowed about deer, specially deer
that hung around this district, that it
. wouldn't surprise him bit if they had.
So the deer amt here. But kin show
you the musllet the deer shot himself
with, squire, in that three-acre straw
berry patch,' says Jim.
But the game constable he didn't
care to see the gun, and after warnip'
Jim about bein' so careless with fire.
arms after that, he went home.
"'And now, Bill says, you see how
them game laws led Jim Collins into
lyin',' says.
"'That's so,' says Bill. Thunder
says he, but that was an all whoppin'
whopper about that deer, wasn't it|
says he.
"'About the deer?' l says. Why
says, Jim was all right about the deer.
Jim didn't lie none about the DEER l
says. What he told about the deer
was straight as string
"'What,' says Bill. Where did the
game law make Jim liar, then?'
says he.
"'Why, about the three-acre straw
berry patch,' says. Jim Collins never
had as much even as a quarter-acre
strawberry patch in his life,' l says.
And if it hadn't been for the game law