Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1902-01-04
MATTERS OF LOCAL INTEREST

in the spring, when the time for laying
eggs, and SPRAYING in the sun ant
tie water. comes? o. wish you folk:
up there would stop talking in the fan
and so TO sleep like me. for YOU do =,
disturb me-.
Selfish and lazy as ever said III.
Pitcher Plant making mighty efforl
TO lift up her stiff. dry head. and II
look Indignant. with the result that shs
broke the stem short off at the neck
and the head fell over end lay on thu
ground scattering the last of the seeds
down into the peat moss at her feet.
: Il don't care there'll be another. next
spring" said she.
HudsoniuS. the red squirrel now
came bounding along the dead leaves,
making a great deal of noise. and say
ing that something was coming down
The ravine tearing through the under
i,rlish. and breaking the sticks. am:
| slifiing and growing at every stump.
and soaring everyone. Hudsonius ran
III, the red oak tree trunk and began
/ II bark and chatter desperately. and 4
Il great black and white dog came
smelling through the woods. making
| his black dripping snOut go into every
old wood-chuck hole. ana spying
around for something to eat. Now il
happened that all summer there had
been q family of young foxes living
up the bank little way. and they had
lclled about at the door of their cave
till they had left very decided scent
of their red thick coats behind them.
and when the dOSs-all the valley
knew him by the stories told by a GER
tain house mouse that nad Strayed
that way once-when the dog. ! say,
stuck his nose into this hole he began
to bark furiously, and to waken the
echoes up and down the valley til! you
would have thought there We're hum
dreds of dogs in the ravine. when as 4
matter of course there was but one.
The dog began to dig furiously With
his feet, throwing the dirt out behind
him, and every now and then stopping
to rark and tear at the ground with
his teeth. and to smell deep into the
home of Reynard the fox. He no
doubt thought that that house in the
ground had but one door. and that II
he got in at it, he would be sure to
catch all the family of the sly old
Reynard, and eat them up, after the
manner of dogs and cats--as told by
the house mouse Of many summers
ago.
But of course all the neighbors knew
there was another door to this house.
One doesn't live next door to foN al
summer long. and see him come steal
ing home at night with a farmers "a.
chicken, or go softly out the back door
of a black early morning to surprise the
ruffed grouse and her little ones before
breakfast, for nothing.
And so. Of course the Pitcher Plant
the trailing Frog-bite. the Sarsa-
parilia, the Night-shade, the Jewel
weed, Russ. the poison ivy, ana many
others knew that there We're other
doors to the long dark caverns under
the bank that Mr.. and Mrs. Reynard
had worked all summer in making, and
old Sir Sarsaparilla, waking from i
little catnap of a couplesof days at the
noise of the black stranger. could
mentally picture the CONSERVATION IN
tho caves down below as the family
awoke TO the fact that there was a dog
al the door. trying to get m. key
nards young pups will be fun OF rear
but old Reynard himself will be too
foxy to get ratified. He has been there
many times before he muttered
mentally "Tll stake my life That the
blind moles are running about in the
fox holes offering advice, and looking
out for their own skins, too.
The tall Horsemint the spiced- weed
that had stood all summer at the en-
trance of the dark fox hole. mad RIOS
somed there and faded and gone 10
seed. now awoke enough to realize the
situa ton He ran down his white
roots into the ground and found that
nv listening he could hear old Madam
Reward scoIding the youngsters and
telling them that she was ashamed ot
Them and that if they we're as scared
as they acted she hoped that they
would all be caught and torn To pieces
II never mothered such a craven pack
as you are in my life before. she
screamed.
Now when the time comes We are
to dart out the door up beyond the
beech tree and scatter and run around
the hill top and into the rocks where
Grandfather Reynard lived six sum-
mers ago said the father. Don't fol-
low me or your mother for we shall
lead the dog and keep him Of your
track as much as we can. Ee good ana
don't forget that the farmer down by
the mill is planning to keep Rhode
Island reds. among his hens next. year.
and that their chickens are fat and
Juicy ut ten weeks. Ii you don't see
your mother or ] again you are to minf
the biggest fellow and scatter in the
spring. and mind, no fighting for the
old hole. Just leave it altogether and
each make a new one" And with that
they began silently 10 steal up the in
clined chamber toward the hole behind
the beech tree. all but old Mother Rey-
nard, who. faithful and motherly to
the last crept out so near that the dog
smelling her at the door where he was