Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1903-07-09

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"Once before | had asked him that
question, and he had got up and
walked around and showed that he
was chained But this time he didn't
move; instead, he had sly look in his
eye that made me think. After | had
got the man away, | went quietly to
Faust and showed him TO one side:
and then | found out why he hadn't
moved-he was hiding big chicken
feather under him.
IF somebody had picked up that
feather and aimed it at me, he could
have sent me sprawlng with it. How,
in the name of goodness, | asked my
self. could that chained fox have got
that feather?
Bright and early next morning |
got up to investigate I found the
foxes in their den, and | was about to
turn back to the house, when | dis
covered the trail Of dragged rope or
chain leading across the yard in the
| direction of neighbor's chicken
coop. | followed it back; it led to the
fox house. After / had hastily
obliterated the trail, went 70 the den.
and what do you think found be-
sides several of my neighbors' missing
hens buried in the earth? Why. those
| foxes mad worked the chain from the
peg, and, in order to be free to rob
hen roosts, they had deliberately put
up the trick of coming out of their
house when | was around only so far
as the chain, when fastened. would let
them.
| Yes, sir; that's what they iid;"
and Mr. Beard chuckled over the cum
ming Of his foxes.
Then there was my pet crow" he |
continued, after another chuckle. He
was always up to some sort of |
mischief. | made a pond out of two !
old washing machines placed side by |
side, and in it | put 300 or 400 red |
eyes, or black bass A red eye is fiat
like sunfish and mine, when they got
scared, would throw their bodies on
their sides between the crevices on the |
rocks in the pond.
THE aquarium was the fayorfte |
bathing place of the crow. OF course |
whenever he started to take his hath
the fish would get between the rocks. |
He would pay no attention to them |
until he was through with his preenjng
when he would pull several fish out
from their hiding places, fly with them
to the rabbit-house, where he would
secrete them. Before | got on to this
trlck lie had nearly depopulated the
pond.
lie ala another mean thing, did that
crow. he pounced down on nest of
newborn rabbits, skinned them, and
deliberately put them among my
fathers choicest looks. In a day or
so the house got in pretty bad con
dition, but 1t was a good deal worse
before the crows work was discover
ed. And then there was a lively time
/ all around
MY Virginia owl, as fierce a speci-
men as I've ever seen, also kept me in
not water. AS an illustration, he got
loose by knocking my aunt down, and
when man tried to catch him. sent
talon clear through the fellows foot.
| finally chased him down, much to the
surprise of the lookelson, who expect.
ed to see me wounded; the owl did
not even try to injure me. lust
picked him up and held him as a game
cock is held, and that keeps bird
from using beak or talons.
But | got pretty badly bitten by a
turkey buzzard, and | still carry the
scar on my wrist, for a vein was COM
pletely severed. The bird got at me
while man was trying to sell him 10
me for an eagle.
! oh, yes, everybody for miles
around, when he caught anything in
the bird or animal line, hunted me ND
ana trled TO sell 1t to me. But caught
most OF my pets myself with my own
hands, and not with traps. That
sounds rather strange, but it's true.
ana Ill tell you how | did it.
one day | saw cat creep upon a
olfd. noticed that she would Green
only so long as she was not noticed
approaching by her intended prev
! me second she was observed she
| would stand motionless, as ii in an
endeavor to give the impression that
she were inanimate. Then when the
olrd was not looking, she would Green
httle closer, and again stop when the
oirds attention was attracted She
Kept this up until at last she was
near enough to spring, when she
pounced down upon her prey.
II a cat can do that, why can't
initiate her and do the same thing?'
asked myself. | first tried the
scheme on bull frogs. was success.
tul almost from the start, and | soon
mad the depression by the cellar door
well stocked with frogs caught by nv
hand swiftly shot around them,
Then got more ambitious. ana the
result was that caught a gray
squirrel and chipmunk. and even q
coon. Catching that coon was hard
work. | trailed him into hollow los
ana then | lay down on my stomach
on that log with my hand nc;sed
ABOVE the hole out of which ho hal TO
come lay there, quiet as a mouse