The Montgomery tribune. (Montgomery City, Mo.) 1892-1910, 1901-11-01
A MODERN DIANA.
ny ERNEST M'GAFFEy.

tcopyrlshted by Daily Story Pub, col
ut seems funny to me- remarked
Mrs. Clark, "that hi doesn't act like
other girls, instead Of chasing into the
woods with a gun"
Her lord and master to whom the
remark was addressed lolled lazily in
an old-fashioned hickory rocking
chair. and laid aside the weekly paper
to answcr
"Well. what could you expect, when
you named the girl Diana!" he said.
"Wasn't that lady a huntress? And
didn't she scandalize the rest Of the
gods and g~oddesses by taking her
bow in hand and tramping around in
the timber after deer?"
deer, indeed" responded Diana's
mother, at is more likely that she was
.gossiping with one Of those disrepu-
table Sibyls who used to hunt those
parts. So far as Diana's name is con-
.cerned. she never would have taken to
hunting II you hadn't encouraged her
to go with you when she was a child.
And when she was ~ you bought her
that little gun, il was easy to see that
she had the fever from YOU"
Judge Clark resumed his paper
with a cautious air and ~youchsafed no
reply. /, was true that he, an ardent
sportsman, had encouraged Di, when
she was a little girl, TO go with him on
his trips after quail, prairie chickens,
ducks and yncksnipe. And after she
grew up she took SO naturally to the
sport that the judge was secretly very
proud Of her skill. She learned all
about the habits Of not only the small
game, but the birds and animals in
the woods, marshes and fields. She
could tell any Of the common birds by
their fight, at long distances. She
knew the different trees, the plants,
the flowers and vines, and altogether
she had a knowledge Of outdoors not
possible TO be gathered from books.
She was a good shot, too. 1t had
come naturally to her, for her father
was an expert with the shotgun. 1t
gave him the greatest pleasure pos
sible to take some mar along with his
daughter and give the lady the best
opportunities; but after Diana had
killed half a dozen birds straight, sim
giles and doubles, the afrable shooter
would begin to wonder where he
came in. He would notice that the
Judge was shooting right along and
not extending any more courtiesies
to his daughter than he would to any
good shot. Then a light would break
in on his perception and he would be-
gin to try TO catch up with his COM
panions in the number Of birds. But
invariably, with the slight advantage
gained from the start, the girl would
keep ahead, and at the end Of the day
the father and daughter would have
the biggest bag.
Then the judge would chaff his
companion about letting a woman
beat him, much to his daughters EN-
barrassment, and the nal would of
course promise to do better next
time.
On the day that Mrs. Clark gave
voice to her remark about Diana the
girl wa. three miles from the little
county seat town driving rapidly to-
ward what was known as the Hodge
farm. Quail were reported as being
very plentiful there, and she was hur-
rying on TO be certain OF getting into
some of the bevies before they were
shot into and scattered. She was
driving a sorrel pony, and in the cart
was her fathers old pointer, Rex.
Her Il was a l~G-gauge, six-pound
cylinder and a splendid weapon fol
the purpose. She was a girl OF a
many moods as an April day and with
much the same charm. The dog wal