The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1902-07-04

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him, and Jim climbed up TO safer
place where he could get more com
view.
Say, Bill" he yelled, there goes
those boys. Run! run! you fellers,
he's after you!"
didn't see anything, but I took up
the hue and cry.
Sic 'em, sic enl, shouted the old
fellow and away he went.
AS soon as he was at safe distance,
we slid down and mads for the barn,
where we found the other boys.
whats the matter with your pants,
Jim; tore 'em running away?" asked
Ed Devon.
"Ycu fellers needn't talk about run
ning," | said, the old mans dog bit
Jim on the leg and he's going to have
bydrophobia, and | began to back Oft
from him. The sagacious Jim took the
hint and began to growl ominously,
and getting down on his hands, ran
snarling towards sSamivel, who took
W ma iiNNio Gnu oil tOWdiu tub houSCs
yelling for help. The rest of us scram-
oiled up the ladder to the loft and
armed ourselves with pitchforks, and
looked anxiously down at our canine
friend below. Jim had the barn floor
all to himself and ran back and forth,
growing, barking and swapping at
everything ard soaring the hens into
futtering fits. Once he started up the
ladder and the boys got behind one
another, trying to give tho other fell
low the preference of being in the
front rank. But by and by Jim got
tired of being the only dog in the
human shape. and then how we guyed
the boys! Bat they laugh best who
laugh last, and Jim subsequently got
very tired of being called "doggie"
and told to "sic 'em" whenever the
girls went past. He had many more
fights than If he had remained re-
spectacle dog, and it also came near
breaking the friendship of lifetime
because he said l put him up to it..
But these troubles belonged to the fu-
ture, and that afternoon we had the
right end of the joke, and we also had
a very good time with artillery prae-
tice.
We had manufactured two cannons
by saving an old octagonal gun barrel
in two, and one piece was mounted on
wooden wheels, while the other was
simply fastened to rectangular piece
of wood and held in place by staples
driven over the barrel We had been
very busy the week previous melting
lead bullets. "'
Lets shoot at the she'd" said Jim.
So with a great flourish we dragged
the small cannons around in front OF
the shed and unlimbered. Now this
was a fine place to lombard as it was
built of heavy timber some thirty feel
in length and about foot and hall
in thickness They were originally
bridge timbers, which recent heavy
food had brought down on the ranch
Wen shoot at this" said Tom
pointing to a large yellow knot near
the center Of the middle log. "You
ffellers fire first" he said to Jim and
his company.
So l put in charge of powder and
rammed in some paper and then drop.
ped a bullet down the BARREL Jim
took piece of punk and lit a firecrack-
or string which we used for 81 fuse
! jumped back, and bang 1t went and
tumbled over on its back. We rush
ed up to see where We had hit, and
there was the bullet imbedded in the
thick timber about two feet to one
side of the knot.
you fellers couldn't hit a barr
door," said Tom, scornfully. Com
pany A will show you how to shoot
Very carefully Tom sighted and We
stood behind him. looking on with in,
terest. Sputter! bang! and his cannon
fiopped over. We rushed to the shed
which still seemed to be standing, un.
shaken, but not a bullet scar coIld
Tom find. He suggested that it might
have gone through the hole where an
iron bolt had once been, but we didn',
agree with him.
Here she is" yelled Jim, pointing
to small hole in the sheds roof, you
fellows are dandies!"
'Tain't bullet hole, either, it's
a knot-hole," said the disecmfortet
Tom.
"Pl bet you all the marbles | havt
I'm nay pocket it's q bullet hole" sait
Tim 11,eE..sisf ~ se',.<~i' Er
We climber up on the roof, and ex.
amined IN the board, and sure enough
the splinters showed where the bull
let had gone through.
"You couldn't hit a flock OF barns
! II they were punched" said jim
scornfully.