The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1906-07-07

| like the NOTED folds of some mighty
| serpent on its prey, the watching
| deer stood an instant as If tralsfixed
| with horror. Then, as if conscious OF
his great strength. feetness and en-
durance, he bounded high in air,
stamped hard the earth. expelled his
pent-up breath in shrill whistle, as
if to challenge the pack, and sped
awaE over the hilltop.
The eager dogs lelped forward. but
the deer had mighty strides that ate
up distance. Oyer the crest he
sprang, and down 10 the brink Of some
crasgS lodges where the hill falls off
steeply 10 4 bread river valley. He
leaped out far from the topnost rock.
head and tail nelI high, antlers
thrown back, and seemed to sail down
on the air, scanning the rocks. as
would a bird looking for a safe place
to alight
Surely it seemed that he must be
crushed and broken Oh the jagged
cliff. But no. He struck the ledge
with all four feet; he sprang again,
ard so, sprin@ing and plIngirg. quick
eyed and sure footed, he flew unhurt
down the Drecipirous slope. leaving
the baliied Digs u til3 scent ANA fol
low as best they might. When they
reached the li!Itop he was speed
ing over the lcw.ands. clearing fences
and bitches with tremendous bounds.
~ Fn1 ~. rJ-;
raced by; the ar sang in his ears;
the earth flew back beneath us fee;
~ he spraEg Oh ana On.
At last. with hearing tanks and
steamiEg nosIriis, he stopped On the
shore Of the Merrimac 10 slack his
thirst. for the cries Of the pack
sounded faint and far i'll the distance.
Here on the shelving bank. where tie |
cattle go down to drink. he entered |
the shallow water. He waded along |
shore for awhile and then, as the |
sound of the pack was nearing, ne !
plunged boldly into the cold and shin |
ing flood, breasting his way to the
southern bank
His pursUers were baffied at~he |
shore, but still the deer fed south !
to breathe and listen The cry OF |
the pack no longer rang in his ears
and he lay down 10 rest. With the
scuthing Of the moon he rose and |
wandered through the woods, MUNICH
Ing newly fallen nuts under the tall |
;nt 10
fields, tasting fine grasses and the
seeds of bitter weeds. He found a
few wild grapes at the edge of a
thicket and picked up some windfall
apples in an old orchard AS morning
came. he found soft bed under a
branching pine. at the edge of
great pasture. There he lay YEARLY
down, tired. but happy, to ruminate
in peace. A faint deer-scent In the
air gave him a feeling CT safety, Sc
ourity and companionship. He lay
there as the rising sun threw its
slanting rays over the slope, bath
ing him in its light. In safety he
heard the sounds Of awakening day;
the rustic of the morning breeze
among the Autumn leaves: the crow
ing cock; the barking dog; the cav
ing crow: trains hurrying cityward:
carts rLmbling along the Stony road.
And SO, dreamily to his semi-cons-
ciOusness, the warm October day
waXed fair and slept upon the hills.
AS the sun reached the meridian,
he threw off drowsiness and began to
feel renewed interest in life, for
there fingered in his ears the faint
sound of footsteps in the pasture. In
a moment more seven deer, does and
yearlings, came over the pasture hill.
He went gladly to meet them, but
was stopped by strong, high, iron
fence. He and his new friends could
only touch noses through the fence
IN silent sympathy.
From that time on, the stag hunted
the hill pasture. He saw his new
friends fed by human hands. He got
appetizing shifts of grain and sweet
hay but from all the good things
within that fence of steel he was
shut out. His blood was filled with
1 fever Of restiessness. Night after
light he charged against the fence,
n vain attempt to reach spruce
rcung buck who threatened him from
he other side
His light was not long hid. The
anne of the big buck of the pasture
was noised abroad. He was bounded
~ dogs, shot at by hunters and way
aid by camera fiends, but Winter
anne on and found him still haunting
he pasture, unscathed, unpictured,
can and wary. Then came his crown
ng trial. One snowy day in Deem
,er the air rang with the cracking
IL ri Tia Axinu hlIllat.