Free press., 1908-01-04
BILLS FOX HUNT.
As DESCRIBED BY A MAN WHO
RODE WITH Hin
BY NORMAN X. CRoWELL

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. 4 should hope
not, son; I'm no juggler
81 heard you were quite a fox hunt
er once. Just thought I'd ask, you
know, said the clerk, as he put a
handful OF desiccated cabbage leaf
into the free tobacco box.
Fox hunter. Well, l calk'late
same that I was! Why, son, I 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, l re-
member that time very particularly
finished poor Bill for fox huntin.
You see, Bill had always swore he
was d regular ringmaster at hossbaCk
ridin' Even went so far as TO let on
he'd been refusin' big offers once a
month for tn past ten years from
circuses all over tn country just to
ride hosses. 1 never seen m straddle
a boss. though, till we went down to
Sqdire Eaton's fox hunt Bill had to
go, seein he was some maple sugary
on tn squire's daughter, an tn
daughter had egged tn 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, liz a whisper:
81 hear Bills 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, l guess
my pardner is tn one to make that
| hess feel is oats il 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 l, after one
! Squire Eaton was professional
| joker with capital letters a foot high.
That animal was so high up from
tn earth it was jest like lOokin' UP at
tn Masonic temple. Away up on tn
| roof of i'm he had d back bone that
| looked like tn map of tn Rocky noun
| taing done up in bone. Bill run is
| hand 1oyin'Iy over tn critters spine
an said he'd seen worse, but couldn't
recollect jest where
9TH first thing BiIl's hoss done was
! to jump tn pump an then hurdle a
| row O beehives. in doin' this half
| dozen beetle-browed hOney-producers
/ anchored to Bill an tn boss an done
a lively business. Bill took h lead
jest like I'd said he would-an' he
held it. He showed ns some ridin'
that you don't often see even ia cir
| Gus rings, too. l never see a felleF
| ride so far away from is nag an still
stay with i'm. Most O tn time Bill
'peared to be saiiin' along in tn sun
shine jest like a butterfly, touchin'
is hoss 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
/ GladiatoFs they'd ever listened TO.
About every third time Bill'd come
| down he'd meet tn hoss goin' up on
] tn next jump, an tn sound was SIM
! liar to man pOundin' hollow stump
with sledge hammer.
In about 90 minutes BilTs boss had
| overlook tn dogs an waded through
| tn bunch, putin two Of them on tn
| hospital list with onjointed backs In
minute or so more he'd caught up
| with on MI
| neck an neck for half q mile, passed
i'm easy. TIL fox was SO disgusted
he tried to bite Bill in tn leg as he
went by, but Bill was too high up to
! be reached
9TH squire blowed a few toots on
is foghorn to advise Bill to come back
an be sociable, but we see that hoss
! just tuck in his tail good an careful
| an stretch out like a homesick jack
rabbit. Bill was hangin' on like a
| porous plaster TO a tramp's back.
'Th' last we saw O. my pardner he
was just toppin' rise in tn far dis
tance with tn hose skippin' along like
scairt catamount bout five feet be-
low. TIL squire was sort o melan-
choly for awhile, thinkin' he was a
| hoss out. but | told i'm to bear up
brave an begin preparin' to get boot
! ed clear across Catawba county if
| poor Bill never showed up again
But next day Bill sent word from
| town 20 miles off that he was alive
an hungry, but that tn boss was in
difficulty through breakin an enterin'
a hotel office an attehptin' to regis
! ter. 1 forget what it cost tn squire
| to settle for tn bric-a-brac that ami
NAL had maltreated, but it was moth
! in small. Bill walked like a pair o
carpenter calipers for six weeks an
| threatened to sue tn squire for per-
manent injuries to is beauty
| ssrr,I, mos III, 10 frrr 1,....4 nrrnr