The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1906-07-19

the deer had grown into splendid
specimen Of it's kind. He was by long
odds the largest deer ever saw.
Well. Steve got the surprise of his
life. 1t didn't take him long to see
the battle was all against him; that
the best he could hope to do was to
hold his own until help arrived: so
he sent the boy off hotfoot Although
his power for short eXertion was
great Steve was in no kind of train
ing, having allowed himself to fatten
up and being an inordinate user of to-
bacco. Per contra, the deer felt fresh
ened and invigorated by eNertion.
That is the deuce of it IN struggling
with an animal-he doesn't tire.
l knew that Steve was in sore trou-
bic, or he never would have sent for
help. The boys evident distress denied
the joke l might otherwise have sus-
pected, so l grabbed up rope and
made for the grove, the boy trailing
me. should have waited to get gun,
but didn't think of it. Those were the
days when could rum when it was an
The Importance of my position as res
cuer, which any one who has been
boy will understand, lent springs to
my feet.
1t was we'll for Steve that mine were
speedy legs. When got there his face
was gray and notified, like an old
mans, and his mouth had weak
%1,N
Steve. The two had paved up the
ground for rods around in the fight.
The deer's horns beneath where the
man gripped them We're wet with the
blood of his torn palms. Steve's knees,
arms and head We're trembling as If in
an ague fit. He was all in physically,
but the inner man arose strong above
defeat. "Here's-your-dee he
sasped. 'I-kept-him-for your
yelled to him to hold hard for one
second, took Il running jump and land
ed on Mr.. Bucks flank with both feet.
1t was something of Il shock. Over
went deer, man and boy. was on my
pins in jffy, snapped the moose over
the deer's hind legs, tangled him up
anyhow in the rest of the RATA and
snubbed him to the nearest tree Then
Steve got up and walked away to
where lie could be i'll with comfort.
And he was good and sick.
When he felt better he arose and
opened his knife, swearing that he
would slit that critters throat from ear
to ear, but Steve, Jr, who before this
had arrived on the scene, pleaded so
hard for the life of the pet that big
Steve relented and Mr.. Billy Buck was
saved for further mischief.
That afternoon two of us rode out
and roped him, spreading" him be-
tween us as we dragged him home
He fought every step of the way. MY
companion, a hot headed Montana boy.
was for killing him half dozen times.
However, feeling that the deer had
vindicated me, l had pride in him
and kept him for a timely end. We
turned him loose in corral with Il
blooded bull calf, some milk cows,
work steers and other tame animals.
"And l bet you he has 'em all chew
ing the rag inside of twenty-four
SdlS MY
That night Steve made ample amend
for his former mirth. Indeed, he prais-
ed my tleetness and promptness of ac-
ton so highly that l was seized by
an access of modesty as unexpected
as it was disorganizing.
The next day Steve stood Oh the roof
Of the shed at the end of Billy Bucks
corral. Suddenly he Strengthened up
and waved his hat. "Deer and bull
fight" lie called. Come a-running,
everybody" We dropped our labors
and sprinted for the corral there to
sit upon the shed and watch the COM
bat. Steve didn't know what began the
! trouble, but when l got there the
young bull was facing the deer, his
head down, blowing the dust in twin
| clouds before him, hooking the dirt
over his back in regular fighting bull
fashion and anon saying, "Bh- ur-ur-
ooor!" in an adolescent bass profundo,
most ridiculously broken by streaks of
soprano. When these shrlll notes oc-
Cured the little bull rolled his eyes
around as much as to say, "Who did
that?" and we, swinging our legs on
the shed roof, laughed gleefully and
encouraged him to sail in.
The bull, having gone through the
preliminaries of his code, cooked his
tail straight in the air and charged
The buck waited until he was within
three feet; then he shot sideways and
shot back again, his antlers beating
with drumstick sound on the bulls
ribs. 'Baw-aw!" said the bull. Prob
ably that hurt.
Again bull faced buck. This time the
bovine eye wore look of troubled
wonderment, while one could mark an
evil grin beneath the twitching nose
of his antagonist, and his beat had
changed to a tone which recalled the
pointing finger and unwritable "Hnh-
ha!" that greets misfortune in child
hood. II told you sou it said. The
bull, however, Is an animal not easily
discouraged. Once more he lowered
| hiS foolish head and hr0vod forth I;l,o