The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1904-01-24
WERDEN md DOG" SPUR
CONTRIVE 4 BIG JOKE
1t Would Have Been All Right if
Somebody in the Bunch
Hadn't Rubbered.
Minneapolis Journal.


1t was at a meeting of the Hot Stove Cir
cult, on the night assigned to the hunters.
AS usual. big Percival Werden held the
floor.
"You remember the time we were UP at
Camp Werden when they elected Bob Della
hunt sheriff in Stevens county?' inquired
Perry of Lefty" Davis and Hemstock. III
never forget the job helped put up on Doc
Spur. of Herman, then, though It was all on
the square with me at the time. 1 guess
Doc hasn't forgotten 1t, either.
You know Lefty and Hemmy and I were
at Camp Werden," continued the big
Moose" land Doc Spur used to run out to
the camp every two or three days. So Fri
day night after Bob was elected sheriff. he
came out and told us the bunch would be
along from Morris the next day. They fig
ure they're going to catch you foul and find
you short of grub. he said. They expect to
find you all starving out here?'
''Well, any time they looked to catch us
short we had them for fair. 1 sneaked into
town and got lot of oysters and celery and
cranberries and stuff like that. We had
Worcestershire sauce and tobasco and all
that stuff at the camp already, so / consid-
cred we were fixed. l went down that night
and speared thirty-seven pickerel through
down cellar, just waiting for some good fell
low to come along. When anybody dropped
and said on your way but If he was good good
fellow, like some of these greenhorns that
don't know how TO handle gun, we'd load
him up and send him home with big bunch
of ducks.
1.-The bunch was late getting in Saturday
We expected them about II, but there was
something on in Morris and they didn't
heave in sight till about Sunday morning
Saturday morning, though, Judge Kerr and
Pete Nelson dropped in from Minneapolis,
and Of course they got the glad hand be-
cause both OF them the best company
in the world out in the woods. We were
ready for the bunch when we heard them
coming along the road-four wagonloads or
them with the commissary wagon in front.
There were Bob Delahunt and his broth
Tuck. and about a dozen OF the other fell
lows from Morris. We had ten mallards
them till they couldn't hold any more. and
then took them down to the passes and
set them there to wait for the ducks be-
cause ii was just before daylight
I'VE called them up for breakfast about
9, and fed them lot of the pickerel. We
found every man fat on his back, sound
around for dinner at 3, and sent them out
again. Then / thought Of a little josh to
play on the bunch, so 1 sent Doc Spur
over to the farmhouse. about a quarter OF
a mile away, after the milk. / told him
to put on his hunting coat, and go down
cellar and fill the pockets full of can
vasbacks as they'd hold, and then leave
his coat in a little grove near the camp
while he went after the milk. The game
was for him to leave the milk there when
he came back, and then put on his coat and
pick up his gun and come In and show
the ducks and tell the fellows about the
sport he'd had, because none of them had
got a duck.
You won't give me awayY says Doc.
and 1 swore / wouldn't squeal to a soul.
So he left his coat and gun in the grove
and went across to the farmhouse The job
would have worked all right, but Tuck
Delahunt came in right then and saw the
doc going across the fields. He had on a
red sweater, so you couldn't mistake him.
Tuck sat down by the window and kept
rubbering out, and pretty soon back came
the doc.
Come here. you fellows says Tuck
see what the docs doing Then they piped
him of, putting on his coat and setting
the milk down and picking up his gun and
coming to the camp. He braces in large
life. Nothing to It,, he says Canvas
backs. hey? Finest sport / ever had And
he began to shed ducks out OF his hunting
coat. | could see what was coming off, but
| couldn't see a chance to put him next.
Me busy on the stove cooking and Doc
goes on driving nails in his coffin.
81 guess you fellows don't know much
about this game he said. Come out with
me and I'll show you where to find them
'Whered you get them. DocT says Tuck
Delahunt. oh. nothing to IT,. says the doc.
4 found the place all right Ali this time
he was still shedding ducks. I made a
pretty shot with my left on this one he
says. 1 got these two on a double, and
he went on and named the history of every
bird. Me busy at the cook stove all the
time. 1t was my play TO slip out and get
the milk, but / wanted TO see the thing
through.
What's the matter with this one?' says
Tuck Delahunt He's got a st1 neck
" Must have been rubbering.' says the
doc. He was next then, but he game
and didn't let on. You save me away he
whispered, when he got near me. No. /
didn't says /, but they're next. Go on
and go through with it He bluffed ii out
for awhile. and then Tuck sprung the gag
on him. The doc never would believe |
didn't give him away to the bunch then,
and / guess he thinks 1 did yet. But I'll
never forget him shedding those ducks out
of his coat and telling about the hard shots
he made on them, with that bunch waiting
till he got good and plenty In before they
called his bluff"