Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1901-10-24

"No? Well, when l bring home
bushel of snipe tomorrow night you'll
suppose something else"
Nothing more was said until after
dinner, and then Mrs. Bowser queried:
"Where do you go after snipe?"
"Oh, down the marshes" he replied.
But what is a snipe"
"a snipe? Do you mean to tell me
that you have lived to be 40 years old
and don't know what a snipe is? That's
the way with women, however. A
snipe, as l will inform you, is bird"
"Well, it's neither buzzard nor
bluebird. It's-it's snipe. 1t flies over
marshes and is good eating. Snipe on
toast is dish for king"
Mr.. Bowser talked very confidently,
but he had never seen snipe, alive or
dead. He had read of them, and Green
had added enough to make him enthu-
siastic. Mrs. Bowser wanted to know
lots of other things about the birds, but
he choked her off in time to save his
prestige. He got to bed early, SO as to
get an early start, but his dreams were
snipe haunted. AT midnight he yelled
out and almost rolled out of bed, at 2
o'clock he got up to look out of the win
dow and listen for the notes of birds,
at o'clock he was up to look at the
weather, and at 6 he dressed and went
! down stairs to load his gun. Green was
to be along at I. and Mr.. Bowser had
bolted breakfast and was waiting at
the gate before that hour, but It was to
be disappointed. His friend had some
important business pop up and couldn't
go.
"Then you'll call 1t off, of eourse?'
said Mrs. Bowser as she was told Of
the situation.
eNot at ALL" he replied. II set. this
day to go after the snipe, and l shall
go just the same. I'm off in ten min
utes."
"But wish you wouldn't" she plead
ed "You don't know anything about
snipe hunting, and you'll be sure
"Stop right therev' interrupted Mr..
Bowser. 81 go forth to hunt the snipe,
and I'll come home with a basketful or
bust my suspenders. I'm not going to
be embraced by q boa constructor or
eaten by an alligator. Nothing will
happen except that Wen have snipe on
toast for breakfact-fat, juicy snipe."
With that he was off with the gun
on his shoulder and three small boys
and dog trailing behind. At the cor
ner his retinue left him, however, and
he took an electric car for the country.
He wanted to get line on the snipe
as soon as possible, and so he asked
information of the conductor. The con-
ductor wanted to be agreeable and aid
in building up the suburban line. and
SO he replied that the snipe were so
thick just beyond the terminus that
farmers were killing them with clubs.
Mr.. Bowser caught his breath and
felt sorry for poor Green and chuckled
aloud as he pictured Mrs. Bowser's
chagrin when he arrived home with
a wagonload of birds. He set of
bravely and at last struck marsh. He
looked warily around him for snipe,
but realized after minute that bird
of brains would be hidden away where
the grass was highest and thickest.
There was water in the marsh. There
were also horseflies, blackheads and
mosquitoes, and as Mr.. Bowser plow
ed along they settled on him like dog
on a bone and got in their bites. He
had sweat his suspenders, filled his
shoes with water and torn half the
brim off his straw hat before he got
through the marsh, and the biggest
thing he had scared up was humble
bee. On the farther side of the marsh
he came across a farmer in q potato
field, and he approached him 20 say:
I'm out after snipe, but 1 don't
think I've struck the right spot. They
hang around the marshes, don't theyf
'They dew" replied the farmer as
he Strengthened up to rest his back.
Eyes, the gaul darned things hang
around the marshes and keep up such |
a chatterin that you sometimes can't |
hear yourself think"
But don't see any around"
.That's cause they've gone over to |
that marsh to the west. They allus go |
about this time Of day to feed. You |
jest go over there If you want to PUNK |
'em by the million"
Mr.. Bowser's lost exultation returned |
to him, and there was song in his |
uGdIl dS liz ClllllOGu lllC AGnNC anu
in and out of ditch and made mis- way I
into the larger marsh. He splashed his |
way through water and toiled along |
over beds of dry grass with all the in
stincts of hunter on the Qui vive, but |
nothing offered. Something was about |
to offer, he felt sure, when a humping |
big bullfrog that was lurking in /
damp spot jumped against him with a
smash and at the same instant wan
derlng horsefiy about as big as a robin
crashed against his ear and tried to
bite it all off at once. When Mr.. Bow
ser finally emerged from that marsh, 1t !
was to come again upon that same old
farmer in his potato field. He had |
tramped for two hours in Z circle. ""
"Didn't cit any eh?" queried the
farmer as he leaned ON his hoe. 81 was
fhinkin after you'd gone that 1 ought
to have sent you over this way. That's
where the snipe all appear to git to.
gether about this time OF day"
81 was told that they were plenty
this season" said Mr.. Bowser, as hope
rekindled again