The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-10-09
IN FEAR OF WOOD PUSHES.
SUMNER RESORTS THAT SELpo,r
LACK EXCITEMENT.

Forces Its Way Into Polite Conversstas
Dreadful Adventures of Summer Ronr,,
ers-Vnin Efforts to Get Rid of the Pc,,.
Public opinion has decreed that the skim. d,
an animal not to be mentioned in polite socI-
ETY.; but up In Massachusetts, this unwritte,
law doesn't 20. The Massachusetts, skunk Ia
not Of n retiring nature. 1t intrudes so Dor
%slstently upon polite society that II ia ouit.
impossible to leave the creature out Of calcn-
lation or conversation. Tho Boston summo,
visitor at seaside or country resort would bs
glad to ignore the skunk. but he cant do II an
he makes n concession TO popular prejudic.
and calls the obnoxious intruder n wood nussv
Summer life at n Massachusetts, resort Womb
lose much OF its excitement IL the wood pusslo,
should migrate. Down on the south shore an
evening call at a neighbours cottage Is fraupbt
with peril and the social function gains tho
zest Of adventure. The wise take glazing Ian.
terms with them. for a tradition. not alwnv.
borne out by fact, says that the wood pussy IA
terrified and put to flight nv n great light. Thu
! ~ncludingt those who love danger. those
who haven't lanterns and those who. like te
virgins Of old. are short on oil-go out into the
darkness and scurry along lonely roads or
wood paths with many n nervous tremor and
much close c~crutiny Of every small obiect
within sight. Sad ~tales-scores Of hem-nra
told OF the awful fate OF rash advcnturers
VuuH1 III UTutUI young couple tempted nv
moonlight has strolled b~llsstully down to the
beach or through woodland glndes. and, re-
turning Ito the hotel in unsecmly haste. has
fed up the backVstairway and been lost to So
ciety for days. The nan turns up first, look
ing highly polished and painfully sclf.con-
scious. but the girl keeps to her room. and
while anxious friends send inquiries in regard
TO her severe cold or her excruciating head
ache. she sits like a detected mermaid and
from dawn till dusk mournfully shampoos her
hair. Later on. when the same sympathetic
friends ask her why she never wears her love-
ly pink:frock. abe bushes and says she doesn't
like pink. Nothing can more effcctuallv take
the romance out of a moonlight stroll than a
wood pussy; and chaperoning duties arc liRht
along the south shore when evening Gomez.
for only the most reckless Of nirts will VEN
ture far from the hotel even for the sake OF
adding one more scalp to the collection on her
chatelaine. Then. after all. n man Is Just an
apt to sentimentalize on n hotel veranda under
the engle eyes o. the gossips as on n mOonlit
bank, where iGnominious danger turks and
where n rustlinG twig can demorali2e the
most carefully prepared proposal.
The hotel proprietors realize that the wood
pussy is n barrier to c%are-free endowment. and
do the best they can to protect their guests.
Traps are set in out OF the way places during
the night. and In the morning hardy souls
carefully examine the traps. and II an animal
appears inside. shoot 1t. The result has been
q terrible mortality among woodchucks. hut
the wood pussy goes on its wilv way rejoicing.
Occasionally one is caught. There is a milk
man In Barnstable county who can testify to
that. A hotel in his neighhorhood has had a
most trying time this summer on account Of
the wood pussies. Not only was moonlight
strolllnG unsafe. but often even in the hotel
one couldn't be happy. and complaints went
UP from all the guests. The proprietor came
to the conclusion that n wood pussy had
taken up its quarters under the kitchen v-
randa. so he baited a box trap and set it near
the steps. Early the next morning the milk
man came to the hotel on his round. 1t was
Labor Day. and he had an engagement with
had. made .himself Respondent IN his best
wagon, earlier than usual, so that he might be
through with his work and ready for, picnick-
tel no one. was stirring. He left the milk cans
on the refrigerator. and was hurrying. away
Of a queer r" looking red boy which he hfaddEnfAt
seen before. Now, this milkman had a lib:
e Sp1,s SIMPLY ve Of dn SHpPFi nsan paI In spite tfor Of the @o old
an hasn't q monop2lyo Of that cheerful vice. The
box was beside the steps. and the, milkman.
cerned som new freakish lad Of the eccen-
trlc summer visitor. He walked over to it
Cottage breakfasts were served without
milk that morning. but later in the day the
with a subdued chuckle that the regular milk
man wasn't well. The young woman from
F RSo1 90 saw T f6e TO Sos sas Pi IF the WIZ yiIIa aaof pTopn msd
and was accepted that day. Oh. the wood pus-
sy plays; havoc with heart affairs down on the
Things are almost as bad on the east shore.
though the tale Of victims is not quite so long.
quished. At one club dinner and dance 3
answered Inquiries with the convenient head
s sshe story to- yr,oI IN the. TIE fbmnG9aEni6GG bi room % Il be E5d '" "n-
eesSSa sS 'F! a %oo od"' p "GiSnI the %.' n Tt;H "P Sef%r?
while .strolling home from a friendly visit and
that his wife wouldn't be able to see her
shampooing. He told the tale with such ihar-
rowing details that a young EnGlishmap wh9
appalled,. The bold Briton had a reputation
as q daring rider and polo player and had shot
a wood pussy before, and he didn't like what
he did hear about i. u.o1
was three miles away. The story Of he wood
sP%isgin IlRF a e II thr 9Is Ri he s dmd Ss he he E ssW.
lust ahead Of him. a small black and white
SS5sSct' III ittt tE%Gn sapa aE6Tt an and fh his m ha1r rose Sf the he
s sGitatc ! E TIm, bG Rnt 4 hi. " baSst w was aItfer nHTs
Of the fearful Zoe might Turk. The, mighty
nuIllt .tbullu = NJ tl'ullh'. Ilt sllt NV -
forward, He thought Of the fellows, at tho
club and refused to go back. Evidently there
was nothing for il but to emulate the old man
Of nursery fame,:who, snt on the stile and con:
tinued To smile TIL he softened the heart ~
that COW. He hadn't am hope Of softeninR
the heart of the wood pussy. but he sat on a
convenient stump and tried to smile while no
waited for the enemy to retire Of its own iree
will. He waited patiently. but the wood pussy
liked its position and did not stir,
The game Of freeze out went on through ono
hour: two hours. and at 1870 n group of men
bowling along home from the club ~ a dog
cart came upon the brave BritOn d%iscoGSo:
lately, shivering, upon his stump. They pulled
up. He warned them impressively and they
chuckled over his plight: but one brave man
went forward to reconnoitre. A moment
later a howl Of mirth, noated back on the airi
A rock with a piece OF newspaper blown round
II had held up the mighty Nimrod for three
hours: and after that his hunting stories were
he shook East"Shorc sand from.his heels ana
vent to Bar Hqrbpr. where no game mare
Municipal authority has tried its hand On
the wood pussy. hut unforeseen results 90
RuuNh