The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1901-09-20


enthusiastic over it. So he caught
a young owl and tied it to pole in
his yard. Eben used to feed the owl
and it wasn't but a little while before
the owl came to know him and look
on him as his guide and friend. Then
Eben judged things were right for
the second step in the owls training.
After the owl had eaten his dinner
Eben would come out and blow smoke
in the owls face. The owl didn't seem
grateful for this attention, and showed
his appreciation by trying to scratch
out Eben's eyes. Eben was hurt, but
not discouraged.
"'The first time smoked said
Eben, L didn't feel any hilarious joy
over the immediate results. 1t won't
De long before this owl will be smolS-
ing pipe in placid content. But net
cigarettes. No owl of EbeE Browns
will ever be allowed to become a
cigarette smoker
"After little while the owl got
so that he could endure the smoke.
Then he came to like it. Finally
Eben brought out little pipe, cut to
fit the OWLS beak, lit it, pulled on it
two or three times to show how the
thing was done, and then offered it to
owl. The owl was little perpleNed at
first and tried to eat the pipe. But
after few lessons that owl learned to
draw on the pipe and when he had
eaten his dinner, would sit in Eben's
yard, putting away, the picture of owl
content. Ebcn thought the world of
that owl.
"'Owls that could look solemn, and
owls that knew few meager tricks,
have been common in Pike county,
said Eben, complacent like, but this
is the first owl who has learned to
really enjoy an afterdinner smoke.
Some people think it is a bad habit,
but as long as the owl lives in the
open air and takes plenty of exercise
don't believe it will hurt him.
''When the owl got so that he wasn't
content until he had had his afterdin-
ner smoke, Eben thought it was time
to take the next step in his training.
He would tie a string to the owl and
then let mouse or bird loose in the
yard. The owl would fly after it.
When the mouse was caught Eben
would pull the string, draw the owl
back to him, take away the mouse
and then let the owl enjoy little
smoke. Then Eben did the same thing
with a few snipe and wookcock. 1t
took quite a while to teach the owl,
but in the end Eben had his pet
trained so that the owl knew that
Eben wanted game birds and that the
only way to get smoke was by turn
ing in good supply of them. But it
wasn't any too easy work teaching
him.
"'Bears and hawks and turtles have
been trained by honest old Eben
Brown Eben sometimes used to say
in a discouraged way. And they were
all apt pupils compared with this OWL
He may have been the bird of wisdom
with the old Greeks and Romans, but
he is outclassed every time by native
fathers never had the advantages of
classical education.
''When the owl had arrived at the
state where he felt he couldn't do
without his smoke and at the same
time realize that the way to get it
was to hunt birds, Eben thought his
pets education was complete. Owls
hunt best at night and one evening
Eben turned his trained one loose.
"It's up to you, my feathered
FRIEND said Eben to the owl, 'to HE
yourself to the woods and hunt snipe
and woodcock. For there will be no
more free tobacco coming to you.
Eben Brown is not running a free
lunch counter where smoking materi-
ais will be furnished to any owl apply
ing. That would soon turn you into
a pauper owl, and, beside, there
wouldn't be any benefit accruing to
Eben.'
"The owl appreciated pretty well
what was wanted of him and flew off
to the woods. Eben turned in and
slept, happy in the thought that an
extra-sized and unusually intelligent
owl was securing the woods in search
of game for the Eben Brown larder.
IN the morning the owl had gathered
a pile of woodcock that it would have
taken weeks to shoot. Eben fed his
pet some of the choicest bits of meat
and then, after the owl had eaten,
gave him the owl pipe filled with to-
bacco. The owl pulled away in his
solemn, sedate manner for few min
utes, then knocked the ashes out of
the pipe and handed it back to Eben,
and waddled off to enjoy well-earned
sleep. Eben sorted out the game birds
and carried them to the village, where
he disposed of them for good price.
"For about month things went on
smoothly. The owl hunted regularly
every night, ate three good meals, en-
joyed his smoke and was an owl of
regular habits, an owl that a per-
son respected and felt would make
lis way in the world. Eben was MAX
IN: good money selling the birds the
ow' caught and, what pleased Eben
most, he was making it at the ex-
pense of mighty little labor. The owl
was the admiration of the whole COM
nunity. Eben used to pet it and
thought the world of it.
"sThc owl is a wise bird after ALL