The Houma courier. (Houma, La.) 1878-1939, 1903-04-11
Gun ming for
Bf8 Game

n
ME- WE'RE not bad boys at all ly
n brothers and 4 and oar play-.
mates but we were full OF life, and that
means fun of mischief too. Brother
Fred as natural born Nimrod-
he al# wanted to hunt wen though
there was little game to BE got and
e bTQfhefs liked to go OF with him.
n th aes 1og Had to hpst
ans hing they wanted. fo1 atheT was
Q minister with nine dren, and
couldn't spare money for playthings.
How we all worked and saved our pen-
mes until we had money enough to buy
q shotgunl 1t was note new one, but
an old seeohd-hand thing, yet we all
thought it, was the greatest of treas
ures, The barrel was bent, and
though we WoSked over it a good deal,
we never could get it quite straight.
But little defect like that didn't
bother us. We learned to "allow for
the curve" as Fred said, and IL we
wanted to hit a certain object we knew
just how far away from it to aim.
Fred was the best shot, and he used
to say with greatpride: 81 can shoot
around a corner with that gum" and
probably he cOIldl e..
Well, there wasn't much cunning in
the neighborhopd. We wouldn't kill
small birds, because mother had taught
: us to love sthem. Once in awhile we
could get a partridge, but as we be-
came expert in shooting we boys longed
for bigger game. We wanted to
shoot something. that would need a
bullet to kill It, for this seemed far
more fun than to use shot.
Our neighbd, Farmer Eaton, didn't
seem to Appreciate our efforts at
sport. To be Ypre, we tramped down
his grass, aTA once we broke his
fences in chasRg a fox, but when his
woods caught fire from our "Indian
camp" Mr., Eailn got really mad and
forbade our sepping foot on his
premises again. We boys couldn't see
why he'should Re SO set" about it, for
YEA know boysdon't look at such
things as older Bllys do. He really had
stood a lot fron1s boys, and we ought
10 have been gIsseful for it. Instead
Of that We debaed long and earnestly
about how we sl6uld ''get even' with
him.
''I'Ye got i$y3 Baid Fred 20 naIL .
dozen Of us one oHe afternoon.
SCOT what?" Fall asked.
"Why way get even with old
Eaton" -.
"How?" asked he boys in chorus,
''That's a secr& tbut you fellers fol
low me and YOU'LL Re," answered Fred,
mysteriously.
/ At once we we1i all eager to know
u what the scheme las. Fred sent one
of us. to get the gtn, he put in a big
charge of powdSS&4 4lnd then, much to
our surprise, put ia good-sized stone
marble.
"What's tat fqsB" I said.
bA,HThat's'S 'S0 a bqb qbrt--couldn't buy a
Rd one. BR gaPsYthis afternoon"
EEhis made Is s.M more curious, but
ftore wecould ask further questions
ad saiG ~
YSow, boys, follow me, single fil&
Pnt make a sound, and do just@as
! fBT fhat time we were so wosked up,
fstI-c5nsumed with curiosity that we
would have almost foil Sed through
Ire and food.
Fred led the way1bacls of the barn
and over the wall into the big field-of
tail grass that stretched between our
house and Mr.. Eaton's. Then he got
down on all fours, and we did likewise,
creeping noiselessly toward the Eaton
barn. Aswe got nearer, twig beneath
ussnapped with a noise that to our ex-
cited imagination seemed as loud as
pistol. 3
Hist" said Fred, lying fat on his
stomach. The rest of us did the same,
keeping perfectly quiet, though the
beating of our hearts made noise
enough to let everyone know our pres
ence-at least it seemed so tous. After
an awfully long time, Fred put his gun
out in front of him, and then glided
noiselessly forward with the snakelile
motion affected by the Indian who
would surprise his enemy. The six
boys also followed along like snakes.
We couldn't make out what he was GO