The daily news., 1900-03-12

back, a bullet few as the rubber bands
snapped, and the blackbird doubled up
in the fuTrow with 4 bullet In his
breast Putting in another bullet. the
boy took another shot at the next bird,
which had not noticed the almost
nOiScIcSs effect Of the shot. Fair and
true the second bullet went 10 its
mark. and a second blGckblrd dropped
To the shot. Gong back. the boy pick
81 Up the two birds. and the rest scat
tered back along the furTow. Putting
the lines acroS5 and under, he started
along tho fUrrow again. Again the
birds drew M. and again he got two
shots az them. getting one bird and
'ust grazing another. When he got to
the opposite end Of the field, he found
a couple of iEQuSifive kildccs rummag-
inE about AID winged ore OF them
with his arst shot. \ long chase over
the drying fUTTuws of the previous
days plOwip- secured the bird.
Going lack lie had several more
shots M ;Ec blacEbirds. which seemed
10 grow bcldcr and hungrier as the
day advanced. He seldom missed
them and IN one instance killed two at
rae shot. the bullet striking one bird
claaciug blow on the LccA and winging
a second bird IN jEe bduch.
The blowing grew more and more
tedious as the Gay heightened out. and
tine boy was never huH-Tier in his life.
He had brought his dinner along. with
a bottle Of milk ID w2Sh il down, and
Lc could tell pretty we'll from the sun
when n0Ontimc came. From his line
II burrows he could see his uncle toll
ing across and back. never stopping for
anything, brown figure in the brown
stretches Of upturned earth.
lie made up his mind that plowinS
was desperately monOtonous work and
that TO plow straight furrow was
something that only came from long
practice. he had a stake stuck up foT
his benefit at each end Of the field, but
bis pillow either wabblcd or the mules
"wce-wawe,i" friGhtfully. for before
nOOutlme came he found Ii necessary
to lift the plow up and gash down GER
ain inlets and estuar!es Of land which
versity Of the burrows. BY the time
the sun had swung into line for about
- so he had come 10 the conclusion
that all boy needed to pIOw well with
was a pnlr Of Iron legs and 4 knOwl-
edge Of how to draw a furrOw straight.
He unhitchcd tho team with sCmc diff
Guilty and gave them a feed Of oats on
l. l., .
out his own dinner Of bread and but
ter. meat and pickles, and fell on it
like O famishc1 coyote. He was very
tired. The dirt had got into his finger
nails, crept into his curly brown hair,
grimCd his neck. flied his ears and EN-
Uttered his boyish soul His curiosity
was thoroughly satisfied. He had be-
come Satia;ed with tie exercise; lie
wanted 10 hunt
However he remembered that II
would he cOwardly 10 give up until
night 50 he started In 10 hitch UP the
mules again after taking a decent rest.
Fortunately he could 90 this without
having TO summon hi> uncle. and he
congratulated himself on being able 10
hitch and Unhitch 4 team. The plUw
again was driven into the loan, and
once more the burden Of hanging on 10
4 pair Of slippery plOw handles with
couple Of energetic mules stridinG
along in front was begun. The black
birds and kildeoS allured by the feast
Of pale grubS and salmon tinted fish
worms. came again TO the burrows, but
the boy only took n shot now and then.
He was doggedly. sullcnly, silently
piugging along I'm the furrOW. with the
sand grittiuZ between his teeth. He
wouldn't offer 10 plOw again for Uncle
Tom. Unc,e Tom knew what he was
talking about when be said II was
hard work md dirty work until you
cot used TO II. Well. be didn't want 10
get used TO IL. that was all. What was
that story about eelS getting used to
being skinned? Whoa. Jimmy; back.
you old yellow crate. you,
At sundown and net until he saw
Uncle Tom turn for the house did the
boy give over. But he had seen the
error Of his way. Flowing wasn't what
Il was cracked up to be. There were
too many sand burs and roots and
crooked burrows and dirt and wrench
81 and bnCkaCLes about IT. There was
too much work about II. Why, when
YOU saw n man UhO was used 10 il you
could believe that be might strap him
self to a plow and 90 10 sleep on the
Iob. Hut for a new beginner ut the
business il was Ike Jordan, "a hard
road to travel"
Uncle Tom smiled IT the -Timy, dCs-
ty figure Of his nephew as he met him
at the house. How'd you Ike the
plowiuC" he inquired quizzically.
The boy took nine blackbirds and
thrco kIldccs from his pockets and.
holding them up. said. Il like that part
of il. Uncle Tom. and al the rest |
didn't Ike worth q cent Chicago
Record.