Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1899-07-13
An Element of DisCOrd.

It was in the smoking-room one
night at Sponsors that the qualities,
from sportsmans point of view, of
Fred Maitland first came under discus
sion We had been having some good
covert shooting, and were we'll pleased
with ourselves and the world.
OF course, there was bound to be a
small element of discord, and in this
case it was supplied by the least pop
ular member of the party, a certain
Acknowledgment Hickson.
He was a really good shot, a man
who could make himself more than
commonly agreeable, when he chose,
and he always did choose where a
pretty girl was concerned; but he was
not popular with the rest of us. His
temper was none of the best, nor best
controlled, and he was-which was
even worse-a jealous shot.
Hickson was, Oh appeared to be,
much taken with Ethel Hillyard, one
of Mrs. Sponsors favorite girls, and a
charming person. She was now stay
ing in the house and | am afraid it
was with ill-concealed delight that l
watched the attention which HlcksOn
was SO assiduous in paying to her. l
liked Ethel could not stand Hickson,
and / know, though it was unknown to
the world at large, that Ethel was en-
gagged to Maitland, a rising novelist
and journalist. Maitland was coming
next day.
THAT writin' fellow" as Hickson
contemptuously dubbed him in the
smoking room. "How should he know
anything about a rocketting pheasant
or partridge? 1t isn't even as if
he wrote for decent sporting paper.
Doesn't he write love stories, and
silly little verses, and such stuff"
ooh yes" said Spenser with a
twinkle in his eye, "and what is more,
he sings them to music of his own
composing Terrible depravity."
Tell you what I'll lay any one a
hundred to five" said Hickson, that
| kill more birds at every drive, or
outside any covert, than he does the
day after tomorrow, irrespective of the
number of birds that come over lis. If
any OF you fellows like TO back your
luck, now's your chance"
I had only heard that Maitland
could hold his own in most places, and
| had never met him, but there had
beer too much of Hickson that even
ing
'I'll take you twice over, if you
like" | said carelessly.
Done with you," said our friend,
and he evidently considered that he
had got soft thing in bets.
To be candid, l wasn't SO sure that
he had not myself when | woke up
next morning | thought | would go
to the fountain head for a little surer
information, SO | approached Miss
Hillyard gently on the subject of her
lovers prowess.
How odd that you should ask me
about him" she said. Il overheard that
little wretch, Mr.. Hickson Che stood
about six feet in his socks) trying TIC
pump Mrs. Spenser about him once
already today. / have never seen
Fred shoot, but don't mind betting
You two pairs of gloves that he shoots
better than you do tomorrow, any
way"
That evening Maitland arrived-a
nice-looking fellow, quite young, with
a good, clear complexion and whole
some, unaffected manners. We all took
to him instinctively, except Hickson
who was evidently determined to be
disagreeable
I must say that he did not SOUND
much like keen sportsman, and he
was much more anxious to stay where
he was than to offer up incense a
that shrine of the goddess of tobacco
But. then. when a man is in love where
are you?
The next day turned out to be 4;
lovely, warm, October day, just COLI
enough to make the exercise of shoot
inc a pleasure, and warm enough t
preyent a gun barrel from becoming
kind of ice machine. I fancied tina
he was a little nervous, and Ethel wa
obviously so. l could well imagin
how annoyed they both would be i
Hickson triumphed and we all knew
how good a shot he was. But h
was not looking in the best Of fettle
and the announcement of Ethel's en-
gagement, which she had made a
breakfast, was not calculated to hav
soothed his nerves.
Our first bit Of shooting was to b
a small. narrow strip Of young trees
about a quarter of a mile from tn
house. Stops were put about hal
way through it in a small opening
so as to take it in two beats; tn
heaters were sent around to the bot
tom end, and the guns (of whic
there were six were placed two in
field on each side Of the covert, an
two in ride.
Matters started badly for US, as jus
when Hickson was taking up his pc
sition, two old cocks started up
front of him and went whirring OF
giving him an easy stern shot at on
but a nasty twisting one through til
branches at the other. AS I expecte