Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-11-22
WOMEN AS NIMR0DS

'"rhe other day." said the homely man
with the raveled smoke, II read, some
where or other, bout a woman hunter
who's killed a lot of deer with her
own gun this year. She's one O. these swell
society women, il I remember right, and
she's been minging along with the hunting
trips of her men folks since ner girlhood
She's got all their records, so this piece In
the paper said for slaughtering deer-that
Is, for her sex-and the piece said that she
was a mighty proud woman over those
deer that she'd shot to death this year
had their antlers all fixed up and hung
over the doors OF her home, SOS she could
look at 'em and pat herself on the back
and say to herself that she herself had
killed the owners Of the antlers, and al!
that.
We'll somehow that piece in the paper
didn't make much Of a hit with me. 1t
didn't make me rise up on my hind legs
and take or my bonnet to that rich deer
killing woman little bit-her picture was
published with the piece in the paper, and
rife shot-as to her fringey buckskin togs,
I mean. Dye know, In looking at the pic
ture OF that woman. 1t kind O. struck me
that there was something hard about her
face and something mean In her eye.
Il dunno much bout deer, except what
We seen Of 'em in Zoos and the like O. that
never saw one in the woods, running
loose. for I've been living right here In lit
tie old washington all my life, and there
aln't airy deer roaming loose around here
that know of. But I've watched the deers
IN Zoos pretty close, and I've heard ana
read whole lot about 'em, too. one time
and another. and It's always struck me
that there's something mighty fine and in
spring and-well, let's say noble about
deer. l never heard anywhere that q deer
ever did any harm to anybody or any crea-
If IN a
got mighty good eye, too-everybody
knows that; one o these appealing eyes,
that there's no guile lurking in; and deer
has got a mild look, and an all-around dig
nified, gentle, its-own-business sort o
look. Every time I've stood around at a
Zoo and watched the deers, and had one
of EN- look me in the eye, fair and square
and honest I've wondered how fellers must
feel that go Off every year just to kill EN-
1 m city duck, of course, and you could
lose me In half an acre Of Adirondack for
est sos l never get out again, but I'll be
blamed II I'd ever take a gun and shoot
one o those deers to death-no. sir. Just
nachuliy couldn't do it, that's all. And I
hope amt no softly. either. But If I were
to take gun and bore one Of those fine
outstanding fellers to death. I'll bet smoke
that I'd find myself lying awake O. nights
thinking bout the feller's big brown eyes,
ana about how needless 1t was that I
should've slaughtered him, Just to come
back here to Washington and brag about
1t, when he was minding his own business
and going on and living the life that God
meant him to live. And that's honest.
But there are. of course, other fellers
that think different bout these things from
the way l do, and that've got a right to
think different, and so they go off every
year and kill deers SOS they can mount
the antlers in their houses and look at 'em
O, winter nights and tell the other fellers
all about how they killed EN- That's all
right for the fellers that like 1t.
But, femme tell you somethin, Bud: If
hAy Ianr l.
death this way they are, then it's job, or
a sport, or whatever you want to call It,
Tor men-its never woman's work, in my
opinion, ana it's never a-going to be. I'd
sure nate TO nave woman In my family
that 'ud have the heart to kill a deer-I
sure would. There's something about a
woman that seems to disqualfy her for
that kind O. work-that's the way I think
anyhow. Don't like to see a woman xiii
any old thing. in fact-even a chicken. I'd
heap sooner cotton to a woman that 'ud
pick up a frozen bird and warm It in her
hands and breathe on 1t, and talk baby
talk to it. and take it in by the fire and pet
1t and feed it. and adj that. than to have
any truck with a woman that 'ud take
gun and go out with her men people and
shoot the poor little hoppity fellers a-sittin'
on the trees or flying around, trying to do
the best they could for themselves. l I'M
derstand, of course, that there's new
breed o women nowadays that's different
from the old-fashioned kind, but you're
never going to tell me how a womans
going to be a real, sure 'nough, honest
Injun woman, and not be a gentle and
kindly, and considerate, and sympathetic
with the tears for things in distress on'y
just a little ways back all the time, and
ready to follow when they see any old kind
of Twin thing getting the worst of 1t.
That's me, Bud. I'm not trying to do
any knockin' or anything like that. but It's
my idea that woman that's slaughtered
twenty-seven deer in single season, in
stead O. preenin' herself and feeling proud
Of 1t, ought to go off somewhere to rest
cure and take good long line of thinks for
herself-and then, when she comes out try
to take a brace and be a woman"