Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1907-03-22

skazzxzsU EM&
| like spatterings from a pen, its size
and its remarkable eyes. The crea-
lures of the forest, fugitive as they
were, she considered as neighbors
and playmates. But this big bird,
with its attitude of immutable de-
| fiance, seemed far from neighborly.
Besides, it had taken possession of
! what she considered her especial
property. 1t was growing dark and
Lucinda made up her mind that she
and not the owl must have the grouse
for supper. She raised the gun, took
hasty aim along its brown barrel,
and fired.
The owl fell backward, absurdly
stiff, its wings half-open. There was
no sign of life about it when Lucinda
stepped up and looked down at it,
half-regretting that she had fired.
But the bird was not dead. A pei.
let or two had struck it's tough
i breast muscles, and one had plowed
across the top of its fat head, stun
ming it. When Lucinda reached for
the grouse, the yellow eyes peeled
open, the stout legs, lariganed in
fluff, thrust upward, and two sets of
talons clamped themselves to her
forearm, striking through the thick
clothing to the flesh.
Stung by the pain, she drew back
violently, but the owl kept it's grip,
and whipping its wings, came against
her breast. Lucinda dropped the gun
and threw up her left arm in time to
save her face from the keen, snap
ping beak.
Frustrated in this, the owl beat her
with its strong wings, until, con-
fused and frightened, she staggered,
locked the long tails of her shoes
and fell sidewise in the snow.
The owl, wounded as it was, be-
lieved that it was fighting for its
life, and it fought savagely. It's
beak got by Lucinda's guard and
gashed her cheek.
She screamed with fear and tried
| to rise, but the snow was soft and
deep, and her clumsy shoes ham
pered her. She tried to clutch the
owl by the throat, but her fingers had
too little play within the heavy nit
ten, and slipped from the sleek feath-
ers. A blow from the knuckle of
| one wing made her head ring. Her
right arm, into which the talons had
| stuck, was growing numb, and with
every movement her body sank deep
er into the snow, which came chok-
| ingly about her mouth. If Lucinda
had been a bigger girl, she would
have had the strength to extricate
herself; but small as she was, her
situation was dangerous.
Lucinda had not lost all her wits,
however. She was not a daughter of
the backwoods for nothing. Afraid
at first that the snow into which she
was sinking might suffocate her, she
suddenly perceived that 1t was her
best ally. So, rocking from side to
side, with her left arm before her
eyes, she began to deepen the pit.
1t took courage to do this, while
the owl tried with fierce snappings
| to reach her face, and its claws bit
more and more sharply into her be-
numbed arm. But gradually the big
wings found less space in which to
| flap, and this lessened the force of
the birds attack
Presently Lucinda succeeded in
getting one wing under her and pow
erless. Then suddenly thrusting her
left forearm against the birds breast,
she tried to roll over on top of it.
1.-the as she was it required some
seconds to accomplish this. At last,
painting and quivering, she found her
| self above the creature, and drawing
off her mitten with her teeth, she
| choked 1t until the films rolled up
over the fierce yellow eyes and its
| claws opened convulsively. -
Lucinda was merciful in her mo-
ment of victory; but she did a very
feminine thing. She slapped the OWLS
inexpensive face smartly with her
bare hand. Then she rose to her
feet, stepped out of the little pit and
picked up the grouse.
Nasty cati" she exclaimed. Hes
| mostly torn one side off my supper"
She glanced vindictively at the owl,
which had begun to blink with slow
righteousness.
II guess you'll know better next
time" she said. I'm a regular Mad
ders."
With the grouse. swinging in one
hand she shuffled to the tote-road.
/ The ox-team was coming The black
bodies of Star and Comet swung sol
EMMY toward her to the accompani-
ment of the mellow, frosty creaking
of the loaded sled. Her father caught
sight of her.
"Hullo, small girl! What you
doing here?" he asked.
Getting partridge for supper"
replied Lucinda. Lift me up on top,
pa" And no word about her strug-
gle. This was regular Madders,"
too.-Youth's Companion