The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-06-30
.,Bu. .he spO0L VIA duok ain". truel

havip' a tame duck that one uine hot on 70
settin' o. turtle eggs that she Z me why
found in a sandbank over on the edge o tht
farm an hatchin' Of 'em out.
"'Old Pop was madder'na wet hen when ne
found II out, IN he yanked that mieguloeo
duck back to the harnyard an shet her up
an the young turtles went their way.
1T used TO be hat when the wild quckt
was iyin' back north in the spring they'd
quite a good raft Of 'em flop down IN me
still water bend o. the creek an rest awhile,
but wild ducks got skeercer an skeerter
till there hadn't been a duck heerd or seen
there or thereabouts fer years, not ~ last
spring, when old Pop ketched an killed
one. This spring, though, he heerd a
quaokln' down lords the bend an he
sneaked over there with his gun, Ter u
seemed e'zacly as il the ducks had come
back ag'in fer sure. But not a duck did ne
see, but soon as he started to come away
quack. quhck. quack II went egfnl -,
AN so it KEEP a-goin', old Pop hearln.
the wild duck as plain as day but never
bein' able to git sight Of il, an then one
day his wife says to him that she knowe,o
what it was now, an IL wasn't no more u
what NOR n q be expected, she 6ays.
THE duck that old Pop got last spring
he ketched on to a set line he had u for
cells, an not havin' no gun with MIN ne
killed the duck as it was ioppin' at the
end o. the line with a hook in its, .gulet
by poundin' il with his oar. When his wife
heard how he killed the poor duck she says
to him that she didn't see how he could go
to sleep nights after 1t.
so after old Pop had been hearin'
this quackin' fer a week or more: an the
duck it maturity must be comm from not
bein' visible nowhere, his wife says to him
that she knowed what it was now, an L
wasn't no more n what mowt be expected,
she says. IL was the wild duck that ne
had killed SO cruel the spring before lest
comm back as a spook wild duck TO hant
him an ha'nt him; to hR'nt him, like as not,
till the day he died, she says. ,
Sure enough, that invisible duck II KEEP
quackin' an quackin', as old Pop could
hear il every day, till he didn't have no
doubt that what his wife said was true;
an it Worried him 80 that he says they,d
He couldn't stand it. he says, to be ha'nted
by a wild duck all his life. ,,
well, hearin' that old Pop wanted
to sell his farm, Pete Cripps made a dicker
with him fer IL, an the day he was TO close
the bargain an turn it over TO Pete old Pop
was goin' along by the bend an he stopped
by a stump to think things over, when
somethin' dropped down often the stump
that Pop hadn't seen.
"'He looked at 1t as it was addlin' away
lords the creek. an he see that it was a
turtle, but the dod dinkin'est funniest
lookin' turtle he aver did SET. 1t had a
little feather tail trrnin' up from under
its shell behind, an 1t had duck feet!
while old Pop was stariD' after his
amazin' %critter, it got TO the edge o'the water
IQuack, quack, quack!' an duv into the
creek an disappeared.
"'OId Pop is toler'ble cuick at thinkin'
an he figured this thing out to wunst.
1t was one o. the brood o. turtles his tame
duck had h7tched out that time, an which
had took so strong after it's mother that it's
ouackin' had been foohn' him into thinkin'
that he was bein' ha'nted bya spook wild
duck.
"'Plain enough. want it,. Consistently,
the s1ook wild duck not bein' 80, old Poo
backed out from sellin' his farm an movin'
back to Jersey.
$50 that's about all you kin edit into
the pager about ii. But it'll tickle old Pop
amazin' to have il in that he amt. goin'
to nov back to Jersey, an I'm gladl got
sot to tninkin' about 1t.
person from Wild Camden and he was
gone before ] had time TO say a word.
Il had scarcely got to bwinging away
at the press again, though, when Jack
he came.
he, that In our esteemed Teller citizen,
Hiram C~oodapper. Esq, jest because I'm
carryin' q new double bired axe, but If
you've got time to go up here TO the tavern
an take that bet O. his'n him to hold his
sheer O. the stakes TO wlnst, It mowt be
sort O. corTobefatin' OF it..
Il was too busy to go and take the bet,
however, and the man andhis axe went out
and ! saw them no more! l edited in the
Wild Gander stuff though, not emitting
the unimportant detail Of the false spook
duck in its bearing on the old Pop
real estate deal end here VIA its
dire result confronting me in the irate and
vengeful presence Of the TnpPy personality
itself!
Jest run your eye over hat piece right
there!' exclaimed Mr.. Tuppy That leadin'
piece from Wild Gander!'
There was no need that ! should I'm
my eye over the piece. knew what il was.
! started ia TO explain aud apologize 10
Tuppy. but he stopped me.
You needn't 'splanity not one little
said he. Here's the piece sot down
in black an white print an you cant rub
II out!
Now. consarn you shrunk up pictur'!
you jest stop my paper An unless you
print somethin' fer me in the blaokest type
you got, free gratis fer nothin', III come
you anyhow, gizzard orno giszardl'
Il assured Mr.. Tuppy that the columns Of
the Trumpet Blast Of Freedom were at his
Well them said he, you jest print. in
The blacklist type you got, this here. to wit.
Notice-There has disappeared an van
shed from the premises of Dam p. Tuppy.
Wild Gander Ridge. one Hi Coodsprer. bis
man. which the said Dan1 p. Tuppy
iont care a durn about. but the said Hi
Coodspper hsvin' approrera stole an
,ook with HIM one bran new double-bitt ed Ak,
property o the said Dan1 p. Tuppy. the "a i'd
DAM r. 1uppy will pay ten dollars TO the
woman or child that viii put the said
Dan1 p. Tuppy on the trail o. one Hi Coodap-
Der aforesaid. jest TO put him on the ira II!
ALL
''There!' said MIR. Tuppy. You print
hat an. then stop my paper! Shet her
ight OFF, Dan1 p. Tuppy, Wild Gander
Ridge. That's my name an that's nv
tation. Stop her! Shet her of kerplinkl'
Then Dan1 p. Tuppy hurried out as IL
lie might be afraid that IL he fingered he
would regret his compromise With me
md proceed with his scrunchine, Rizzard
n no giz5ard, and the relief I felt was
yreat.
u never knew whether he was put on
he trail Of one Hi Coodapper aforesaid.
'ut | hope he was. But his paper was
And he was the only paving
ubscrtber The Trumpet Blast had at Wild
TROUBLESOME SOUIRRELS.
n q Colorado Town They Destroy Birds,
A.se 4. &c.,.