The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1905-08-21
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wrapped In silence. Ear away to the
east a st-eak Of gold heralded the com
ing day.
,s,Inst the sky, and the little group Of
- .beIters seemed timid pygnlles
1e.+iIn1l beneath them for protection
sT,bere vaa a touch of frost In the all
which set the mans teeth chattering
He picked up his gun and strobe bEisk
" through the underbrush toward the
little pond some rods back of the camp
1t was an ideal morning for black
| ducks. and unless he was vastly mis-
taken. he told himself, there should be
| quite a flock of them padding about
the pond. He jammed shell into ell
ther barrel of the gun, and, swapping
the breech shut, he began to move Gnu
tiousIy through the woods. carefully
avoiding the broken twigs lest the noise
of his footsteps should alarm hts
quarry.
The last few yards between the camp
and the pond he covered ON his hands
and knees. creeping silently forward
and paustng now and then to peer
through the half light and listen In
tently.
When finally he reached the pond the
band of gold along the eastern horizon
had widened, and the light was consid'
erably stronger. There were the ducks.
| Just as he had expected. In the mid
| die of the pond was large flock, while
close at hand dozen black figures lay
quietly on the surface of the water.
Very cautiously he raised the gun.
took long, cool aim at the nearest
| birds and pulled the right barrel. To
his unbounded amazement not a bird
rose from the nearest group. The large
flock In the middle OF the pond rose
with a great tapping OF wings and
hoarse croaks OF alarm. He hred at
them with the left barrel, but the dis
lance was too great for the shot to In
| dict any apparent damage on the re
treating flock.
He jumped to his feet and stood
staring at the dozen black dots still
motionless on the water. To his tnh-
mite chagrin, he discovered that those
twelve motionIess figures were canvas
decoys, two of them with gaping sides
where his shot had told. He had vast
ed his ammunition on the decoys, while
the ducks themselves had Town away
| unframed.
AS he turned dissustedly from the
| pond a peal of merry laughter echoed
| from the underbrush. BE made his
Vzay toward the sound and behOld Miss
| Cuyler seated on the ground, a gun
| acress her knees and tears of merri
ment streaming down her face Pres
ton stared at her In amazed helpless
ness.
The girl held her sides.
81 mnde an early start for black
ducks, too.r she explained, "and while
| I was waiting for the nock to come In
nearer you came stalking along and
| and'- She went into another Bpasm
of merriment al camel Baw-Rnd,
| oh. heardF' she gasped, breathless
from laughter
"You heard2" Preston said In dis
may. ''I didn't really intend to say
| that It slipped out before thought"
At see,'' she said mOckingly- you'd
| better get the punt and hsh out those
damaged decoys, or the story of your
adventure may get around"
Preston turned to her questioningiy.
"Aren't you going to tell the story to
me camp?" he asked.
"No," she said smilingy.
He looked at her with undisguised
.'You are a TRIUMPH he said en-
phatically.
She laughed lightly.
$50 long rs I'VE frightened all the
ducks out OIL Gue VlClulIy WIN NY can
nonading suppose we may as we'll go
back to camp for breakfast" he sug-
Eested.
He heIped her to her feet, and they
trudged back through the underbrush.
Preston noted that she was doubly
pretty with her short skirt and shoot
ing jacket and the frosty air bringing
out the color in her checks. And OF
course, he told himself bitterly, It must
needs be before her OF nil women in
the world that he had made nm idiot of
himself.
Halfway back to camp the girl turn
ed to him impulsIvely.
I'm going to make a confession" she
said.
they paused under a tail pine. The
drst rays of the sun were lighting the
tree tops.
''Yon didn't blow holes In both those
decoys," she said. 81 fixed the FIRST
one just as you did an hour before you
came. It was very dark then, you
see," she added by way Of Oxt0nuatIon.
"You took a shot at the decoys, toeT
he cried.
She nodded slowly.
"You are very generous to tell me
that" he said, with considerable
warmth.
''It's only fair to tell you" she said,
| and then added: ''You looked 50 funny,
and 1t would make such n beautiful
story TO tell the camp. Now you have
sk,oy-,v ~, mo That