New-York tribune., 1907-09-22
BILL FIKES'S FOX HUNT.
Described By the Nan Who Rode to
Hounds 7Cith Him.

Uncle Ezra did you ever ride to hounds!
inquired the grocery clerk in an attempt to
draw attention from the prune barrel into
which the upper third OF Boggs had disap-
peared At the query the prune chaser
Strengthened up and busted the mould off his
vest front.
"Eh? Ride two hounds?" he repeated in
mild surprise. Il should hope not, son: I'm no
juggIer"
L heard YOU were quite a fox hunter once
Just thought I'd ask. you know" said the clerk,
as he put handful of desiccGted cabbage leaf
into the free tobacco box
Fox hunter, Well. I calk'late some that I
was. Why, son. 1 was chasin' the animals
years before you was born. an probably would
he yet If I hadn't run em all out O. th' coun-
try"
7 suppose you've hunted foxes with Bill
Fixes. asked Jim HaIlett. as he peered around
the stove.
Hunted with Bill? Yes. once. I remember
that time very partcular-it finished poor Bill
for fox huntin'. Makes me laugh every time
recall Bill ridin that slow suicide OF critter
he drawed. And that hunt. 1 could just get
down an roll"
At this juncture the clerk clapped the cover
on the prune barrel and the peril was averted-
You see. Bill had always swore he was
regular rinGmaster at hossback ridin'. Even
offers once month for tn past ten years from
circuses all over tn country jest TO ride hosses.
l never see i'm straddle a hoss. though. till
we went down 10 Squire Eaton's fox hunt. Bill
had to go. seem he was some maple sugary
on tn Squires daughter. an tn daughter had
egged tn Squire on TO invite Bill SOS she could
see how he looked in high-water pants
After we'd got down there tn Squire pulled
me off 10 one side an says. in a whisper:
ha3 old Oir~
I'm dunn glad OF 1t. I've got regular devil of
a hoss for i'm ride. an an ordinary man
couldn't manage i'm
Is that so? says L Well guess my pard-
ner is tn one to make that boss feel rs oats
If any one can You'll ENJOY watchin' Bill ride
that boss. Squire l says.
I'm glad of that. Ez. he says real relieved
guess we might as well start 'er Off
Then he turns around an blowed a blast on
a powder horn an yellS:
"'Ahoy. boys! Yoho. Yohoi Yoicksl Yohor
This brought the hull crowd of men an dogs
an hosses an admirin' females up In a knot.
an tn mOuntin' begun. BIZ hung back on tn
edge lOOkin like he'd swallowed a Jews harp
an it was interferin' with is air When M
stable bridegroom led out BilFs noble steed nv
poor pardner nearly fell down. So did l. after
one look at that nag. I see then that Squire
Eaton was a professional joker with capital let
ters a foot high.
THAT animal so high up from tn earth
1t was Jest like lookin' up at tn Masonic Tenn
pie Away up on TIL roof of i'm he had
backbone that looked like tn map Of tn Rocky
Mountains done in bone. Bill run lis hand
loVtnly over tn critters spine an said he'd
seen worse but couldn't recollect Jest where
"Th' Squire's daughter bein' present prevented
Bill from maxim tn remarks he wanted to but
tn looks he gave me made shiver as though
I'd had a nightmare. We got i'm aboard finally
by usin' a stepladder an main force an tn
Squire footed TIL Cornet a signal that all was
set.
"Th first thing Bits boss done was to jump
tn pump an then hurdle a row o. beehfves In
doin' this half dozen beetle browed honey pro-
ducers anchored to Bill an tn boss an done a
lively business, Bill took tn lead-jest like I'd
said he would-au' he held II. He showed us
some ridin' that you don't often see even in
circus rings. too. ] never see feller ride so
far away from is nag an still stay with i'm
Most a. tn time Bill peared 10 be sa iin along
in tn sunshine jest like a butterfly touchin' 'is
hoss occasionally to give I'm a pointer where he
Some a tn boys who got up near Bill said
tn remarks he was castin' off was ekal to any
tened to. About every third time Bill'd come |
down he'd meet tn hoss goin' up tn next
iumn an N sound was similar to a man |
pnundin' hollow stump With sledge hammer |
In about twenty minutes Blll's hoss had over
took tn dogs an waded through tn bunch |
putin two of them III hospital list with on |
Cnught ND with tn fox. an after rlnnin' I'm |
rocc a1' neck for half n mile passed i'm easy. /
TIL FOX SO diSgUsted he tried TO bite Bill |
IN tn leg as he went by. but BIZ too high |
IN to he rea Ched
'''rNo' corire hIowed c rew toots on rs fog |
horn to advise 2uI n h1cl< an he sociable |
hut that boss fest tuck in is tail good |
an veful an ctrn" rf r't llN p hor,1eSic
rahhit Pill vas rqn"in on like porous plas- J
t(r +-amns hack.
''v-o could see i'm haulin' OF ~ rims. but
tn SQUIRE sGiA hc'd give anv man 5000 who |
could No~1 that 2rir1aIs mock on Till diHn't |
win was made o. cast iron. N c1rrn ssid-
.,-l,, last v-o squ- - my na rdne- r. r-as fns4
t"nDir' rfso = tn f@r diStauce with IN boss
ebinrin' alSn" 1i'fe gc9f~t cdtamount bout 9vr
fnnt below Th' SQUIRE sort q n1eIqncholv
for q while thirkir' =" boss ont but
told I'm 70 boar hrnvH an hePiu preparfr'
70 git hoot"d c1enr across Cofawba County
e moor TsfIl never chovvnd M a"afn
"Rut newt dav ri'l sent word from town
twertv miles off that he was alive an hungry
but that tn hoGr in difficulty throurh |
rea kin an enterin' hotel office an a+ten1ptin.
fo register 7 fo~ret what II ~ SQUIRE ~ |
rott1e for m hric-a-hra" thai aninnaI had NAL
treated hut It nothtn' small Rin waIka1 |
HE nair o carpenters csliners for six weeks |
~ threatenAd to tn Squire for permanent
ni-r~ies to rs beauty.
"That was tn last fox hr1. ever see Bu