The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-08-06
ODD THINGS IN HIS TRAPS.
MIR. PRICE SELDOM CATCHES ANY,
THING he EXPECTS Won.

uncertainty as to what he is going to find in his
traps that lends to the life OF the trapper its
everlasting charm. It is like playing game
OF cards where the stake Is unknown and the
pack is shuflied by hidden hands. There lisa
man named Nat Price living at Pennac. near
this place. who has acquired an uncanny re-
pute among his neighbors by reason OF the
queer things he finds In his traps Mr. Price
runs a farm. or is run thereby. but his chief
aim in life is setting traps and lying awake
trying to figure out what he will catch In them.
1t is more than two years now since Mr.. Price
has caught anything in trap that he thought
he was going to catch
Last spring for instance. Mr. Price set a
mink trap on the bank OF a creek that backs
UP from the Nashwaak at the upper end Of his
farm. 1t was an old and rusty trap with a
single spring, but II It had been designed by
its maker to collect odd specimens OF animal
life for a museum it could not have done its
work more thoroughly. The first morning
after the trap set Mr. Price went down to
the creek and discovered the trap caught about
the feet of a raven This sent thrill through
the people, because it was tho only raven that
had been seen in the Nashwalk Valley for fifty
years. Tho very next day the trap caught an
old gray cat in very dinpdated state. During
the following fortnight the mink trap con-
tributed to the happiness OF Mr.. Price two
muskrats a bluejay. an English sparrow. .
rabbit. dog. and Shanghai hen.
But the browning triumph OF the mink trap
was when 1t turned tables on Mr.. Price and got
up ono morning before Mr.. Price did. Mr..
Price is a large. healthy man. with prop ensty
for deep rcpOse. He was Just about to call
Mrs. Price Que morning to get up and build the
fire when something thumpel heavily against
the roof Of the house 1t sounded like the clat-
ter Of chain. and Mr. Price. being only half
| awake and having u rooted faith In a personal
devil. was almost certain that his time had
come. He arose. however. and rushed to tho
door. He got there Just In time to see a large
| blue crane flying his dooryard with
what seemed to be a chain attached to
| Its feet Mr.. Price grabbed his gun and
gave chase. The crane few around in circles
| and appeared to be mentally dcranged. After
| while 1t banged into Mr.. Prices favorite
| apple tree. and the chain stuck fast. Mr. Price
| Skinned up the tree and reached for the crane.
| The crane drew up it's long razor beak and
| reached for Mr. Price. Mr.. Price came down
the tree and reached for his gun. Then tho
crane came down and reached the end Of ito
earthly troubles. Fast to one OF it's legs.
sticking closer than n brother. was the mink
| trap MIR. Price is positive that this is the frs.
| occasion record when trap got w in the
| morning before sunrise and went to have a
| look at the trapper.
1t was in December last. when the snow was
| an otter passing up and down the creek. At
| this time there was path that ran from Mr..
| Price Is house to the bank of the Nashwaak and
| then across the river. The neghbors found it
| convenient to use this snowpath in travelling
| from one side Of the river to the other. The
| point where the path met the bank Of the river
| was just few yards below the mouth Of the
| creek. 1t resulted that after Mr.. Price had set
| large bear trap up tho creek in hope Of CATCH
| ing the otter. the tracks that he made in eN-
| aiming the trap from day to day formed q
| sort of branch that forke from the main path
| at the bank OF the river. One evening as Mr..
| Price sknuing fox in the kitchen he
| thought he heard u whoop. but whooping
was a pastme much in vogue In Penniac at
| eventide he gave the matter at first no heed But
when more whoors and wells were heard he
| decided to investigate. On renching the door
| yard he was surprised to hear his name vibrat-
| Ing through the wintry gloom from a point
| somewhere up the creek. coupled with lnn-
| guage OF u most graphic and vigorous dcsc:ip-
| ton. Snatching M lanteru. Mr.. Price ran
down the path to the river and thence up the
creek by the branch path. To say that he was
| surprised at the spectacle his lantern revealed
| is dilution Of the truth. Mr. Price. in fact.
| held at that moment a practical monopoly IT
all the surplus surprise there was in the parish
| OF Penniac For there. standing on ono leg in
the snow. with the bear trap fast to the other.
was the Free Will minister Of the sctt lomcut,
| crossed the river with nt-tit to have his supper
at Mr.. Prices place hHt., taking the wrong path
foxes that swSrinsd The hiiisides d Of renni$S I
| This he found 40 dubious a game that he de-
cded to employ srychnine. The, poison was
placed in little pieces of pork or lard and thrown
| Of meat or cheese in order to keep the fox from
sw tHs as s%En M P BE- ns
| from one to two do2"n red foxes every winter.
Bnt his evil genius for theatrical effects in the
even sheep seemed to take a, malicious salts:
faction in wandering through the woods and
fall he was able 70 show piled VI, il cHrdwood
fashion on knoll at the rear OF his farm. no
fewer than seven dogs that had tampered with
Ne IricG not only 5nrreT vide rePP"'e
unable to devise means TO raise big trout no
one else lns license 70 try. In tn" creek be-
Of trout. On almost any sunny day in summer
they may be seen Iying in silrerE ranks IN the
main. tanning themselves with their nns, ca I'M
ly Ignoring all attempts to capture them Mr..
was Illegal to use net or spear pc" aHi
how to psrSnaJe ne BIG f"oys to rise to 'hs
that were unknown, Mr. Price whipped the
The bs tr"n either saw his shadow or felt tTs
thud OF his step on the bank and Rugged tho
1t was Just q week ago today that Mr. Prce
ewiokk@ irGm iapghing IN his slse Win ths
his exrGri"nce Dorcas. sGaid he 70 his wife.
down thSm c r Tie n "" we're %,S ace
corddiMgCly brought down; Now. DPrcas,"
White drake iii Noble show So" wrinEie on ON
them trout thatll make your hair curl" The
drake being duly captured. Mr. Price went
| down to the creek with the fowl under his arm.
Selecting point some rods above the big hoe
whore tho trout were known To- lie no tied a
casting line with three flies attached to each
leg Of the drake and launched him in the wa
ter. 1t was tho daily custom not only OF ths
| old drake. hut also ~ all the other ducks TO-
| longing to Mr. Price. uron wnddiinG over to
the creek. 10 paddle down to its mouth, whore
the wild rice was plentiful. Mr. Price grinued
Gs the old drake steamed away aud waited for
! Developments
He hadn't long TO wait Whatever fear the
| trout had Of Mr.. Price. they had none Of the
| drake. Scarcely had that noble bird reached
| tn" edge Of the hole when there was n ro-
ssounding splash and big trout grabbed ly.