Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1903-02-19


summer and winter. Now each in turn
got down on his knees and looked into
the log-it was dark-bunny was
there.
A stick of wood was put in each end
OF the log, against the wild protests
CT the terrier The AK was now brought
| into play. and each took turns chop
ping Finally the hollow in the center
was reached and long switch was
pushed in the end where the cotton
tail had been located. After a vigor-
Gus punching bunny was forced to
back up against the hand that was
thrust in the hole that had been chop
ped, and he was brought out and
his head unceremoniously cracked
against the log.
Then the hunt was resumed and aft
er running around awhile, one was
found "settin'" Here the old gun
was called on to perform upon bre'r
rabbits head at distance OF about
four and one-half feet The first cap
didn't go but the second one did, and
each one of the game carriers had
rabbit
1t was now noon, and they were
about two miles from home. Although
none would admit it all were getung
hungry. The two rabbits were getting
heavy. By common consent they now
| hunted in the direction of home, and
just after crossing the creek "ole
Shep" struck squirrel track that
| took him back over hill couple OF
hundred yards, and finally freed him
in tall hickory that had nest in it.
Sticks were thrown and raked UP and
| down against the tree trunk, but 1t
/ took shot from the gun to bring the
old fox out. and then he went clear to
the top. Hurriedly the gun was load
ed and after walking around the tree
! three or four times, second shot
made old bushy tail jump out OF the
| tree and the dogs made short work OF
him.
| The homewaTd trail was again ta-
ken, and all the game seemed to have
left the country. The dogs followed
instead of hunting, and when the home
of the two boys was reached the AK
was. left, and the visitor slowly re-
] traced the route he had come in the
morning.
/ AS he went up the pack way he
went by the wood pile and picked
}, up an arm load of wood and car
! ried it in the house. This was done
with view OF possibly soften
ing the expected whipping into a
scolding 1t was long way from the
wood pile to the house, but he finally
, staggered in with his load of wood
and the rabbit.
Il The absence of the boy and dog at
[ dinner didn't worry pap" much. He
!; had been boy, too. And the mother
!. put some of the choicest viands in the
oven, lust to keep them warm" put
, couple of sticks of wood in the stove,
!, and left the oven door just little
way open. This mother knew that
about the middle of the afternoon
; there would be an awfully hungry boy
!, at their house. She had seen this
4 boys uncles come in this way years
before
i These mothers know lot about
; boys, and now the boy of twenty, thir-
ty or forty years ago would give much
| to have that mother with him again
!, even for little while. How wildly he
= remembers how she had a good fire go
, ing when he got homeli how she just
t happened to have pair of dry yarn
socks for him, and how good they felt
as he pulled them on his cold feet;
!; how she poured out the second cup OF
!, hot, steaming coffee for him, as he
!, was seated at the old kitchen table
4 too hungry to think how good she was
!, to him, and too tired to be very deep
4 ly affected by the scolding his father
was making bluff at giving him. He
! felt that he was not in any Immediate
danger of a whipping as long as his
mother was waiting on him, and some
way or other she always managed tc
stay there until his father had gone
! back into the sitting room to read OF
, talk to a neighbor who had dropped in
Il Too late-too late-this boy realizes
what a blessing he had in that moth
er's love. G. T. q.