Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1902-12-21

the hes' place fer or meet was tou'
dead fox JUS as soon as you could set
there after the dawgs.
OF course we didn't say anything
much, as TIL Sheriff was er ole fox-hunt-
er. and besides. we felt sorter foolish.
I, startin' up with a new thing. SO we iet
the matter drop there, saytn' wee would
take 1t up later on. Meantime we got
to talkin' erbout getting up hunt for
mex day. OF course, all OF US were
| busy: but the mex day was Saturday and
we didn't belong to anybody any way
So we got er boy to take note to Cap
tain Sam Fisher an asked him to meet
US at the Horse bridge early mex morn
inf it was a good mornln The black
smith said my mare was ready, but l
warn't quite, so tole him to tie her,
which he did an came along over to the
store an got in er game er marbles with
some small boys. It was gettin' towards
sun down an started to go. The clerk
said he believed he would ride erlons IS
he wanted to get home In time to roost
some turkeys. "And I would cert'nly like
to so fox huntin' in the mornin with
you boys" he said, but I've got to
marry dern fool tomorrow at 'leven
O'Clock who had long ways better stay
single, an besides want to see what
a meet looks like" Tom Mason an all
the other boys got after the Sheriff to
! make him so, but he laughed an said
he didn't know whether he would know
what to DO at a meet; but presently he
promised to try to go. if he had the time
to spare. Tom asked him what he was
busy about an the Sheriff said he ought
to go up the road mex mornin' to levy
on po' Dick Johnson's mules an wagon;
tba: he had been putin It off fer some
time, as he liked Dick and felt sorry for
his wife. but that Dick had ben lyin'
erbout comm down en- settlin the claim
for the last two months and business
was business an the whole id thing
had to be fixed up; but if can arrange
eny sorter way" he finished, 81 will
come out in the mawnin' an see what
these fees can do
JUS as Billy an I an the clerk were
startin' for home up rode ole Colonel
Williams. Seem several OF US together
he asked US if we are for1nin' commit
tee to work the roads.
Everybody burst out laughin' at this;
because the workin' of the public roads
has always been, a sort er joke. less it
was to cut tree away that had fallen
cross the road an you couldn't drive
'roun' it.
The sheriff answered him: Nav. nav.
Colonel, we are maxim arrangements to
have meet in the mountaineering
what you an would have called fox
hunt"
man. i've bin a steady huntin' off an
on for forty years. but never saw meet,
excep' roun' dead fox, soon as you get
there behine the dawgs I'll come if I
can; but I had q little corner Of field to
SOW IN wheat. an I can't trus' dar!:ies
these days. But I can't promise to come
dressed in pink coat an rider breeches.'
Come any way you choose, Colonel"
said Tom
Then the Colonel an the Clerk an Billy
an rode off together. an Billy an took
supper with the Colonel an played guards
till erbout 'leven o'clock.
It was erbout half an hour to day when
we got up. Billy went to feed the horses
while fixed up little breakfast. went
out to get an arnfui Of wood an took
lcok of the weather Twas cloudy an
damp, with a little wind from the south.
[ felt easy. Billy came back pretty soon
an said: Wed better hurry up; that
he heard the Cap'n's horn down by the
tHorse Bridge" and thought he heard
Ole Reckless trailin'. I didn't want much
BREAKFAST. We put on our spurs, pitched
the keys on the dining-table dhe boy
hadn't Gomez and moved out. Runnin' down
to the stable we saddled up an went
out Of the stable YARD side by side (Billy
and always ride that way when we CAM,
Ole Sally tTotti.'-she could trtt close to
three minutes when she got warmed
up-an' bred back to Ole Revenue an
Bily's mare lopin' along like an ole hare.
Billy asked me for q match. / handed
him one an he dropped his reins. an
settin little on one side, scra tched it
on the saddle-slirt an lit his cigarette
JUS as easy as if he was sittin' in his
chair.
It was good daybreak then an so damp
c,I}
stopped rlinet to see if we could hear
anything, but didn't have long to wait.
The dawgs were erbout q quarter of a
mile off on the edge of the swamp. Ole
Cap'n Sam was right with en- and it
was so still you could near him talkin'
to the dawgs-an there never was q man
could beat him at that Ole Reckless an
Maud were touchin UP on a trail.
The next minet we heard Lee an Jack
son an Molly goin' in. We could tell
their voices as we rode nearer TO EN-.
Twas getti1 hotter every minet an Ole
Sally an I both had the tidgets.
We could hear the Mason boys comm
down the road on our left hushin' their
dawgs in. Three or four puppies jumped
ilyar an broke away like the devil. but
the ole dawss didn't notice them any.
Billy threw away his cigarette an run
his hand deep in his pocket an pulled
out q. cilaw Of tobacco, then buttoned
up his coat tight and pulled his old felt
hat hard down on his head. I reached
down an frightened UP my girth hole
BY this time, ell the ole daWgs had got
in. erbout fifteen in all, an were worllin'
almost straight ahead. JUS then we
heard horses comm in hard gallop an
somebody laughin' an tal:sin' I said:
Billy, there's the Sheriff. an he said,
Course. it Isl an the Sheriff an Clerk
an Old Colonel Williams came roun q
turn CT the road a-ri6in' like thunder, an
hollered, Good mornn', boys, suppose
this is a meet" an all Of us went after
the dawgs in a long gal!op JUS as we
got up with en-, we saw a niger boy on
the edge Of broom-sedee field a-wavin'
his arms an hollerin Oar he goes, OAR
he goes!" But we didn't stop to fool with
him For at the same time Capn Sam
came out of the woods an hollered. "By
sollv bows it's fight; come on after the