Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-09-18

|
II he could find any game IN the adjacer
forest the fact could be proved. and q
TINS gave an amusing turn to the discus
sion the wager was made promptly, OIL
oincers wondering and fearing for the RI
suit until they detected a surreptitiou
WINK that passed between Scott and tn
lieutenant.
The whole party at once sailed fort
from the barracks, while the lieutensn
went Tor the dogs. and was presently see
running toward the woods barking on tn
chase. A quarry was quickly "treed.
ana when the doughty heroes came to tn
Spot they deserted young raccoon perch
eu In the fork Of q tree and gazing wit
an extraordinarily complacent look at tn
baying hounds.
Now, gentlemen said the Jester
stand back. II you please, and give Cap
tain Scott fair chance, and some Of yol
help me to couple the dogs and hold then
at little distance from the scene OF tn
proposed experiment. so the Britisher
and three Of our officers stood by as um
pires. The others, with tho dogs, tool
position fifty yards away, Scott wake,
gracefully under the tree, and. performnii
a sort Of incarnation, pronounced hi
] talismanic formula in the shape Of ;
rhyme:
Coony, come down, IT'S SCOTS old call;
The coon that won't come is certain L
fall.
Then, to the establishment OF thu
! strangers. the coon, after a pause anC
the repetition of the summons. apparent
~ succumbed TO the charm, crawled slow
~ down the trunk of the tree, and at tht
! third call actually came up to Scotts fee
and allowed the enchanter to take him W
in his arms.
He'll do a grizzly the same wayi
yelled the lieutenant Now take the ami
NAL to the kitchen, and I'll wager an
other dozen Of Madeira that in an hour
he is as tame as Il cat
This was executed with the same COM
posture and confidence that had marked
the great hunters first act and after q
long and critical discussion Of the feat of
magic the English major declared heart
lily that he had never lost a bet with such
pleasure, and that he looked forward TO
seeing a display Of the captains art on
the grand chase in Canada.
Nhen the guests were escorted to the
gate the manager Of the entertainment
remained in charge of the coon. but when
his friends returned to the mess room
captain Scott's young wife was petting
the animal and the jester was in con-
Yulsions Of mirth at the success of the
venture. He had merely utilized the lady $
pet coon, and the stolid Britishers never
suspected the trick, and it was never
told for a very long time, as in those
days Of chiyalry the officers decided that
tho strict rules of hospitality had been
thoughtlessly violated. and II would be
wiser to let the world take the story at
Its face value. Mrs. Scott enjoyed the
joke and cherished 1t as tenderly as she
did her little pet, which was as mis-
chievous as a monkey and an unflillng
source OF amusement to the officers in
the long, dull days of garrison life on
the then remote frontier.
PRETTIEST PART OF THE STORY
But the prettiest part Of the story is
to be told, though L cannot initiate Scott
style and the tone of romance that he
impaired to what he termed the greatest
Of all his hunting adventures. in which
he declared that he had captured and
domesticated the most beautiful and in
teresting prize Of any chase.
1t was the day after a chase I'm the
classic hunting-grounds around Mount
Vernon, when, after falling to kill a buck
out Of mistaken politeness to one Of
Augustine Washngton's guests who
stood at the next stand. that L thought
to retrieve my loss By a still hunt
through the woods, and / was stalking"
slowly and without a dog, when suddenly
l espied a cute little ring-tail coon
perched on a fence that inclosed a neigh
borhood road. The little rascal leap
ed down and ambled down the road in
stead OF taking TO tree, and after him
went; but he kept a steady pace. and
as 1t was against the rules 10 fire a bull
let down the road. / kept up the chase.
hoping TO finally drive the quarry 20 a
tree. So l and the coon had IL AT full
speed for more than n quarter OF a mile.
until at last he appeared 10 tire of the
race and disappeared. as l thought,
in the woods, and I redoubled
my efforts to be up with him before he
could hide himself up a tree. Now, in
two minutes, race time, | came 10 the
place Of his disappearance. which turned
out TO be a curve in the road and by
the soul OF ST. Hubert, there was a pretty,
old country mansion I'm view and N
the foreground a beautiful young lady,
in fact, the most lovely one l ever behel !.
standing in the road and holding his
coonship tenderly in a position that at
once made me wish to be coon my
self.
you DREADFUL MAN"
"''"You dreadful man" said a soft
voice, sis Il you who scared my pet?" As
soon as I could catch my breath / tried
to stammer an apology. but what with
the lady and the coon and the surprise
I was so embarrassed that she Smiled at
last and when introduced myself, recog
niZng the name of a friend OF some OF
her neighboring kinfolk, she invited me
to the house and her father gave me
hearty welcome. l forgot 10 stalk deer
and coons after that for some time but
think it was the romance and eccentri-
city OF the meeting that made my way
easier in a chase 1 knew nothing about.
But at last I caught the prize, and when
my wife consented to follow me to the
frontier post l stipulated that her maid
should bring coony along
1T was during Captain Scotts most
boasted chase after a wife that he made
a match TO shoot bank swallows with a
rifle from the bluff at the White Stone
Point. and came near losing his bet and
his laurels. for his adversary shot seven
out of ten birds skimming the water and
Scott only got five. His rival however
was generous enough to explain that
Scott, not being accustomed to shoot on
water, had not detected the secret OF the
trick shot, which was to select bird
skimming the water in Decline straight
away. SO Coon Scott remained the ex-
smplar of sportsmen. Opposite that bluff,
NJ Gunston Point, there could be seen for
many years a rude sgnboard on an oak
tree bearing the inscription, Here Cap
tain Scott caught the Bellevoir Buck
1.-THE Belevoir buck was a sort of
forest pet of all the country gentry, and