The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1899-01-21

lust tHAlB Knew was Ouk VI INC HbAS
an a~trayelin' at the rate of u mile a
minute, a-clinging to that bucks tail. l
dassent let go. for fear I'd fall through
the crust again. Part of the time we
went SO fast that i was hanging out
straight from the buck, with my feet
clear off the crust. Gee. but that sld
fellow was swift runner. lie was
headin' toward Owls Head all right,
an thinks l 10 myself, so long as he
goes In my direction an | can hold ON
I'll hold. You see, I'd gotten kinder
used 10 the motion by this time, an SO
long as could keep clear of his heels
l was pretty comfortable. Every once
in awhile he would give me kick with
his hind feet, an ! would let out yell
that would make him jump as IL / was
an electric battery. If you fellows
want TO travel fast, just hitch on be-
hind big buck-make note of IL, a
big buck.
1--WE must n cleared about two miles
across the country in this fashion when
saw out OF the corner of my eye Bill
Jason's old line fence right ahead. That
meant trouble for one Of us. l don't
believe that buck could raise us both
over that fence, an il was my opinion
he'd not attempt it. That was where
didn't know my buck. The old boy
sailed for the fence like a bird, an just
as he was goin over the usual thing
happened TO my old carbine. What was
that? Why, say, how many people are
shot every year by trying TO pull a
loaded gun over the fence? Just make
note of ii when you find the num-
Der. It's a dreatfully dangerous thing
TO do, and knew il, but | couldn't stop
that buck, in season or out of season.
lie swung me clear uf the ground, an
just as we was a-sailing over my gun
caught on the top rail an was dis
charged, sending the bullet clean
through that bucks heart.
1T all happened so quick that didn't
sense ii at first as we came down in the
snow together. When did felt nerv-
Gus, for | knew the deer season was
closed. Now, / ask you what could
do? That buck had come TO his death
through carelessness. There was no
use crying about IL, an he was beauty.
/ went home and brought back the sled
for him. returning kinder quiet like
after dark. Jason an me had had a
little lawsuit over sugar camp an he
went an made complaint on me of
shootin deer out o. season. 1t was a
darn mean trick an got even with him
later. They took your Uncle David
Shorter TO court an lot Of pesky law
yers asked me more questions'n CEN
sus takcr. Jason, he swore as how he
see that buck a-hanging by my house.
We admitted IT, Then they put your
Uncle David on the stand an l tole the
truth just as | tell you now. A lot OF
those village galoots 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 buck S
tail they just sat there an grinned like
Sam Jackson's oldest boy did before
they sent him TO the idiot asylum. Id
like TO see how much GRIMM they'd do
II they was a-hyin' through the air with
no better holt than a bucks tail an
him a-moyin' lively. Just make a note
Of that, now.
II 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. II anyone
was TO be blamed for KILN that buck,
say ], il was Jason, who built the line
fence. That would be justice, says /,
an make note Of it. What did they
do? Why the jury convicted me with
out leavn' their seats, because Jason
swore that the hole in that bucks hide
was in the head. The prosecutin' attor-
ney 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 head.
An swore that had shot him through
the heart. II made me blush for my
race 10 hear a man talk silly like that.
When that old buck was a-clearin' the
fence he looked around neighborly-
10 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 shootin' qualities The bull
let started through the bucks head, an
the buck turned his head around so
quick that II kept right on down his
neck till il pierced his heart Wouldn't
say though that he'd figured that out
for himself.
THE court fined me 500, which I
paid, and / says TO the judge, Judge,
says /, this fine is almost as bad as call
in me liar. You represent the great
an soy'rin state OF Moo York, an you
can count me out on runnin' il as long
as this 500 stands between us. I'll pay
it, judge, but II ain't right, an you
know IT.
81 did pay, b'gosh, though Jason
didn't think / could, an amt been TO
the polls since. was robbed, an il will
cost The state of Moo York just 500
with II years interest TO get my vote,
an just make note OF that"
Uncle David Shorter closed his buck.