Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1905-02-23
THE DUEL ON The TRAIL.

across with the zigzag. gray lines OF
the fences. and spotted here and there
with little clumps Of woods or patches
OF bushy pasture. The sky above was
AS white as the earth below, being
mantled with snow-laden cloud not
yet ready to spill its feathery burden
on the world. One little farmhouse,
far down the valley, served but to
emphasize the spacious emptiness Of
the silent winter landscape.
Out from one Of the snow streaked
thickets jumped white rabbit, its
long ears waving nervously, and
paused for a second to look back with
a frightened air. 1t had realized that
some enemy was on its trail, but
what that enemy was it did not know
After this moment Of perilous heslta-
ton, it went leaplng forward across
the open, leaving vivid track in the
soft surface snow. The little animals
discreet alarm, however, was danger
ously corrupted by its curiosity; and
at the lower edge Of the field, before
going through snake fence and en-
tering another thicket, it stopped,
stood up as erect as possible on its
strong hind quarters, and again looked
back. As. it did 80 the unknown
enemy revealed himself, just emerg-
ing, slender and sinister black shape
from the upper thicket. a culver
of fear passed over the rabbits nerves.
Its curiosity all efaced, it went through
the fence with an elongated leap and
plunged into the bushes in a panic.
Here it doubled upon itself twice in
short circle, trusting by this we'll
worn device to confuse the unswerv-
ing pursuer. Then, breaking out
upon the lower side of the thicket, it
resumed its headlong flight across the
fields.
Meanwhile the enemy, a large
mink, was following the trail with
the dogged persistence of a sleuth-
hound. Sure of his methods, he did
not pause to see what his quarry was
doing, but kept his eyes and nose oc-
cupied with the fresh tracks. His
speed was not less than that Of the
rabbit, and his endurance vastly
greater. Being very long in the
body, and extremely short in the legs,
he ran in most peculiar fashion,
arching his little back almost like a
messuring-worm and Strengthening
out like steel spring suddenly re-
leased. These sinuous bounds were
grotesque enough in appearance, but
singularly effective. The trail they
made, overlapping that of the rabbit
but quite distinct from 1t, varied ac-
cording to the depth OF the surface
snow. Where the snow lay thin,
just deep enough to receive an imprint,
the mink's small feet left a series Of
delicate, innocent-looking marks,
much les. formidable in appearance
than those of the pad-footed fugitive.
But where the loose snow had gather
ed deeper the mink's long body and
sinewy tail from time to time stamped
themselves unmistakably.
When the mink reached the second
thicket, his keen and experienced
craft penetrated at once the poor
ruses of the fugitive. Cutting across
the circlings of the trail, he picked
it up again with implacable precision,
making almost straight line through
the underbrush. When ne emerged
again into the open the rabbit was in
full view ahead.
The next strip of woodland in the
fugitive's path was narrow and dense.
Below it, in patch of hillOcky pas
foreground slOping to a pond Of
steel-bright ice, a red fox was diligent-
ly hunting. He ran hithsr and thitter,
furtive but seemingly erratic, pOking
his nose into half-covered moss.tufts
aud under the roots Of dead stumps,
looking for mice or shrews. He
found couple o. the latter, but these
were small satisfaction TO his Vigor-
GUS winter appetite. Presently ne
paused, lifted his narrow, cunning
nose toward the woods and appeared
to ponder the advisability Of going on
rabbit hunt. His fine, tawny,
ample brush of a tail gently swept
the light snow behind him as ne stood
undecided.
All at once he crouched fat upon
the snow, quivering with excitement
like puppy about to jumPst a wind
blown leaf. He had seen the rabbit
emerging from the woods Absolute
ly motionless be lay, go still that in
sn;ts of his warm coloring be might