The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1904-03-27
The Unexpected Outcome Of
Billy Tomiskye's First Hunt


CLASSY sleet. evidently the scrap heap of
some woodman's ak. But IL wasn't the
brush heap in itself that Interested Billy,
for right beside it little bunch OF gray fur
dotted low down with white puHoal,
crOuched a rabbit
The newness of the trail in the flaky
spreading of snow showed that Sir Bunny
was not long out. and Billy mad guessed
from the deViousness of its course that the
expedition was in search OF breakfast, a
search that might not yet be rewarded.
1t was this breakfast that Sir Bunny was
probably nibbling now, and the nearness
of his street entrance perhaps accounted
for his carclessness of hearing; for truly,
considering the situation, IL was inexcuSd-
BILE. He was sitting, hunched up rabbit
fashion. munchfng as oblivious to danger
as moth playing tag with spider web,
and as happy a rabbit, fat and furry
without, and reasonably refreshed within,
need be-
Along the gleam of the uplifted gunbar
rel glanced Billy. and the bead the little
streak of light eliminated in wavered
slightly with ''rabbit-fright." as the red
squirt of flame leaped under its nose
Murray, hur-r-r-ayi''
Billy leaped excitedly forward as he
shouted. The little grey ring of fur had
promptly answered the bang of his gun by
giving spasmodic bound TO one side with
the impact of lead. Then IL hunched itself,
Enthusiastically crippled, out of sight into the
sleety branches.
Billy hurried over the intervening space
and dropped 10 his knees. 1t was not hard
to locate the animals hiding place for the
way was spelled in red letters AS Billy
thrust his hand eagerly in it promptly
cringing with frightened Jumps away from
his touch. There was a warm slinyness
about the first touch that made him rub his
hand hurriedly on the ground before he
took good grip and brought the little
animal out.
NATURALLY the hunters bosom was agi-
tated. this being his first blood shot. He
had come into amicable contact with many
animals, but never had he gone a-gunning
for one before 1t was owing to this fact
doubtless, that his unsportsmanlike con-
duct Followed, Tor instead of taking the
rabbit by his two hairy, kangaroo-like hind
legs and with swinging smash beating
his head into bloody pulp against the
died IL up in his arms.
Say isn't he Jolly little beast now?"
he murmured to himself. II wonder If he
Is hurt so very much"
Billy was strokfng the smooth thick fur
that covered the meek-viSaged little rabbit
head. Rabbits are not particularly intelli-
gent-looking. but if you have ever held
warm and solid, you know how good to
feel they are. And as Billy held it, too
badly hurt and frightened, for it was a
wild thing, 10 make ii much of a difficulty,
he unconsciously shifted the weight of his
gun so that it might not interfere with the
rabbits comfort, entirely forgetting to ex-
tract the exploded SHELL
And as Billy held him a thought some
thing like this was running through his
mind. Now, why shouldn't 1 make a pet
OF him? There's that wire cage Cubby and
| made for the red squirrel, and. as L
haven't got the squirrel, | believe I'll just
take him home and see if | can't doctor
him up Then another thought crossed
boys never would get through guyng me.
I'll just take him over to Loony John S
and get him TO keep him till he gets well.
tell the truth. Billy rather shrank from
taking home the spoils of his first hunt
snuggled up in his arms
Accordingly, with the rabbit and his gun
| he turned and struck back through the
| timber, presently coming in sight of a di-
! lapidated little sliced half of a shanty
built in a small clearing by the river and
| on the edge of a prosperous farm The
shanty had lived its life up to weak-sided
| old age without a suggestion of a paint
| coat, and as Billy inspected it eagerly he
saw that there was thin curl of smoke
| coming out of the niger head chimney,
| and by 1T he knew that Loony John was at
| home.
| Loony John was a queer character.
| Grown Hilltownites spoke of him as half
right" but there was not boy who did
| not like him or hold a respectful reverence
| for his skill in coaxing fish from pools
/ where it never seemed to them fish were
/ for his strange influence over animals, and
| for his intolerance of fighting, swearing,
| or any form of meanness among them
selves. He was the fsiend of every boy
who came along the river in summer, en-
tering into their sports like one of them
selves His hair might be long and his
smile perpetual, but his gentle influence
| among them was manifest.
AS Billy climbed the fence Loony John
himself opened the door and came out bare
| headed 10 dump pan of potato Feelings on
! top of the untidy pile beside the shanty
| greeted him in his thin. gentle drawl:
| That you, Billy? Been hunting?"
Billy pushed his cap back; Yep. John. >
He indicated the rabbit in his arms with
an. awkward movement. Say, John, dc
you s'pose you could fix him?'
| You mean kill him."
Billy looked at him curiously: xiii moth.
! ing. Fix him up John. | don't believe he's
so very bad hurt. And think what jolly
| pet he'd make"
| Loony John took the rabbit from the
| boys arms, shaking his head wisely over
| him. The little animals long ears were
laid back fatty along his shortened neck
| and his soft, expreSSionleSS eyes were half.
lidded over Nature hasn't given ii to rab
bits to make outcry with fright or suffer.
| ings. and as the long, lean, big knuckleC
| fingers ran down over him feeling for the
| damage he merely tried timidiy to hide his
head in the flannel shirt he was pressed
| against.
| Loony John looked at Billy reproa chfully
What possessed you to go huntin' rabbit:
| in spring? Amt you know no better? No
| he went on. "he amt hurt real bad: no
| so bad but that you might ha crippled hin
worse. Hold up here, now; look old John In
/ the eye. There, little Teller; see that, boy
Broken leg. right smart peppered. Nov
| last year, boy, the MOUNDS run q rabbit III
| here. They had had him once, they had
| and he was chewed-right smart chewed-
| but 1 turned that rabbit out into a rea
! tolerabe animal in the end" Looney John.
| big hand was stroking the trembling lttl,
| animal in his arms with hypnotic sweeps
"Aint these woods folks the patientest lit
| tie animals?
Billy had forgotten that every ANNA
In the woods was Loony Johns friend II,
| amused the boys for hours telling then
| stories about the things he saw anon,
them. and as Billy watched the examination
| and listened to the reedy drawl of Loon,
| Johns voice, for some reason his cheek:
began to feel warm. Once Cubby Billings
| had purposely trodden the tail of tn,
| Tomiskye family cat to see what the re
suit would be. And the cat carried arount
by having trod somewhat harder than h
intended. Billy felt vaguely that Loon.
John felt something the way about tina
rabbit that he did about the broken tail o
the Tomskye cat-a cat that he had laugh
TO say her prayers, roll over and brin,
sticks out of water. the latter being
thing hard to believe. unless it was one
witnessed
Say. john" Billy SHE'D stone at a leaf
hen that invited it by peakipg red-eye,
around the shanty's rain barrel-"do yo'
suppose you could doctor that rabbit VI
well enough lowell. to turn him loose?"
Instantly the mans thin face broke int
a whirlpool of conflicting wrinkles. 1t wa
the smile people called silly.
Mean to say, boy, that you amt goin
to pen him up? I'm glad of that: am ga,
of that now. Someway. If / was a wild ami
NAL seems to me like Ia just wilt up and di
IL folks was TO ketch me and tie me or she
me up. These here rabbits is mighty har
10 kill: You most generally smash thei