The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1907-11-24
BILLS FOX HUNT
AS DESCRIBED BY "A MAN WHO
RODE WITH MIN

In an attempt to draw attention from
the prune barrel into which the upper
third of Boggs had disappeared, At
the query the prune chaser straight
ened up and busted the mold off his
vest front
"Eh? Ride two hounds" he repeat
ed In mild surprise Il should hope
not, son; I'm no juggler."
Il heard you were quite fox hunt
err once. Just thought I'd ask, you
know" said the clerk, as he put a
handful OF desiccated cabbage leaf
into the free tobacco Iox.
Fox hunter! Well, | calklate
same that was! Why. son, was
chasin' the animals years before you
was born,
Il suppose you've hunted foxes with
Bill Fikes?" asked Jim Hallett, as he
peered around the stove.
Hunted with Bill? Yes, once, re-
member that time very particular-it
finished poor Bill for fox huntin',
You see, Bill had always swore he
was regular ringmaster at hossback
ridin'. Even went so far as to let on
he'd been refusin' big offers once a
month for TIL past ten years from
circuses all over tn country just to
ride HOSES. never seen m straddle
boss, though, till we went down to
Squire Eaton's fox hunt. Bill had to
60, seein' he was some maple sugary
on tn squires daughter, an TIL
daughter had egged th squire on to
invite Bill SOS she could see how he
looked in highwater pants.
After we'd got down there tn
squire pulled me off to one side an
says, In whisper:
i hear Bits an old circus eques
trian, an I'm dunn glad OF it, I've
got a regular devil of boss for i'm
to ride, an an ordinary man couldn't
manage i'm
Is that So? says |. Well. guess
my pardner Is tn one to make that
boss feel is oats If anyone can. You'll
enjoy watchin' Bill ride that boss,
squire, | says.
When the stable bridegroom led out
Bills noble steed my poor pardner
nearly fell down. So did |. after one
look at that nag. | see then that
Squire Eaton was professional
Joker with capital letters foot high.
THAT animal was SO high up from
tn earth 1t was jest like lookin' UP at
tn Masonic temple. Away up on tn
roof of i'm he had backbone that
looked like tn map of tn Rocky noun
tains done up in bone. Bill run is
hand lovin'ly over th'acritter's spine
an said. he'd seen worse, but couldn't
recollect Jest where.
@Th' first thing Bits boss done was
to jump tn pump an then hurdle a
row o. beehives In dom this half
dozen beetle-browed honey-producers
anchored to Bill an tn boss an done
q lively business. Bill took tn lead
jest like I'd said he would-an he
held It, He showed US some ridln
that you don't often see even in cir
Gus rings, too. | never see Teller
ride so far away from is nag an still
stay with i'm. Most o tn time Bill
'peared to be sailin' along in tn sun
shine Jest like butterfly, touchin
is boss occasionally to give i'm a
pointer where he wanted to go,
Some o. tn boys who got up near
Bill said tn remarks he was castin' of
was ekal to any 'Spartacus to the
Gladiators they'd ever listened to.
About every third time Bill'd come
down he'd meet tn boss goin' up on
tn. next jump, an tn sound was sim
liar to a man poundin' hollow stump
with sledge hammer.
In about 20 minutes Bills boss had
overlook tn dogs an waded through'
tn bunch, putin two of them on tn
hospital list with onjointed backs. In
a minute or so more he'd caught up
with tn fox, an, after runnin' i'm
neck an neck for half mile, passed
i'm easy. TIL fox was SO disguised
he tried to bite Bill in tn leg as he
went by, but Bill was too high up to
be reached.
9TH squire blowed few toots on
is foghorn to advise Bill to come back
an be sociable, but we see that boss
Just tuck In his tail good an careful
an stretch out like homesick jack
rabbit. Bill was hangin' on like a
porous plaster to tramp's back.
9TH last we saw O my pardner he
was Just toppin' a rise In tn far dis
lance with tn hose skippin' along like
a scairt catamount bout five feet be-
low. Tn squire was sort o melan-
choly for awhile, thinkin' he was a
boss out, but | told i'm to bear up
brave an begin preparin' to get boot
ed clear across Catawba county II
moor Bill never showed up again.
But next day Bill sent word from
a town 20 miles of that he was alive
an hungry, but that tn boss was In
difficulty through breakin' an enterin'
a hotel Office an attemptin' to regis
ter. | forget what 1t cost tn squire
20 settle for tn bric-a-brac that ami
mai had maltreated. but it was moth
a. small. Bill walked like pair O.
carpenter calipers for six weeks an
threatened to sue tn squire for per-
roanent injuries to is beauty.
.,-I.. .vas tn last fox hunt / ever