Middletown transcript., 1899-02-11

out CT season. I15 SWAHR no SiSoA -
the ground. an just as WI was sa-sailing
over my gun caught on the top rail an'
was discharged, sending the bullet.
clean through that bucks heart.
at all happened SO quick that |
didn't sense it at first as we came down
in the snow together. When did l
felt nervous, for knew the deer sea-
son was closed. Nov, / ask you what
could [ do? That buck had come to
his death through carelessness. There
was no uss crying about it, an lie was
beauty. went home and brought
back the sled for him, returning klndeV
quiet like after dark. Jason an 90
had had little lawsuit over a sugars
camp au' he went an made complaint
on me Of shootin' deer out o season.
It was darn mean trick an got even
with him later. They took your Uncle
David ShoI ter to court an lot OF
pesky lawyers asked me more, quest
ions'n d census taker. Jason, be sWore
as how he see hat buck Arranging cy
| nv house. We adi.itted it. Then
| they put your Uncle David on the
stand am | tolethe truth just AS tell
YOU now. A lot of those village gal
oots who'd never fallen through the
crust was on the Jury an there must
have been somethin' funny in my
clothes. for all the time | was a-tellin'
about my miraculous escape from the
hole in the snow at the bucks tail they
just sat there an grinned like Sam
Jackson's oldest boy did before they
sent him to the idiot asylum. I'd like
to see how much GRIMM they'd do If
they was flyin' through the air with
no better bolt than bucks tail an
him a-movin' lively. Just make note
Of that, now.
81 told that jury how that careless
buck had dragged me an the gun over
the fence, an the gun got caught on
the rail an discharged itself. If any
one was 10 be blamed for killin' that
buck, say I, it was Jason, who built the
line fence. That would be justice,
says I, an make note Of it. What
did they d.? Why, the jury convicted
me without leavin' their seats, because
Jason swore that the hole in that bucks
hide was ia the head. The prosecatin'
attorney said that he hated to discredit
me. but he said, admittin' that | was
a-hangin' on the bucks tail, as ! was,
how could | shoot him through the
| heart, Ii made me blush tor my race
to hear a man talk silly like that.
| When that old buck was a-clearin' The
| fence he looked around neighborly-like
to see how was comm along, an just
then the gun went off. That prosecut-
in attorney didn't know my old car
bine an its shootiu' qualities. The bull
let started through the bucks head, an
the buck turned his head around so
quick that it kept right on down his
neck till it pierced his heart. Wouldn't
say though That he'd figured that out
for himself.
"The court fined me 500, which /
paid, and says TO the judge, Judge,
says /, this fine is almost as bad as
callin' me liar. You represent the
great an sov'rin state of Moo York,
an YOU can count me out on runnin' it
as long as this 500 stands between US.
lii pay it, Judge, but it amt right, ar
you know it,.
II did pay, b'gosh, though Jason
!, didn't think could, an I amt been to
the polls since. was robbed, an it
will cost the state Of Moo York just
S100 with IL years. interest to get IN
vote, au' just make a note of that"
Uncle David Shorter closed his buck
! h1rn handled knife with snap, which
} indicated that he had nothing more to
. say. and thea he walked out and start
| ed through the snow toward Mountain
View.
! "For Ne h'dist," Commented Pete
Guppey, "Uncle David, aiu't SO slow
I an his story reminds me" but ths
! station agents kindly hint that 9
I freight train was due in two minutes
] interrupt Pete, and the guides hur
4 ried outside to watch it 60 by" IN. Z
! Snn.