Rocky Ford enterprise., 1908-06-05
(Copyright, by Joseph B. BowIes.)

very short order.
Generally in November the SHOWS
begin in that locality, and when the
snow did come We were thoroughly
prepared for it. From the tenth OF
November to the twentieth OF Decem-
ber the quail season was on, and
squirrels and rabbits could be shot
at that time also, and as game OF
this kind was very plentiful. not only
on the farm there. but on all the ad-
joining farms. 1t was the easiest mat
ter in the world to keep the larder
always stocked with game. Rabbits
dressed and hung up for few days
in the cold will turn as tender as
chicken. and then is the time OF the
year when they are literally rolling in
fat. Squirrels. unless you get young
ones. are tough muscled as athletes,
and require from a couple of days
to three weeks stewing to render
them "chewable."
But the quail were there in plenty.
Lenore called them ''cuckoos." and
she displayed a most lively interest
in my comings and goings with the
gun. as she was very fond Of ''cuck-
oos'' The bevies ran from 15
to 40 birds, the larger bevies
being probably where two bevies
had mingled. l hunted entire
ly without n dog. and 1t was
simply pitting my long experience
against the cunning of the birds. l
never needed to shoot more than
three or four birds at the outside, and
did not do so unless hunting on a
neighbor's farm. and then 1 would
shoot him some birds for his table.
The ominous signs of keep out" and
NO hunting allowed" stared at me
from every side. but as l was a ST.
mon-pure .neighbor." these signs were
not so much intended for me as they
were for hunters from the towns or
cities. l had gotten acquainted with
nearly all Of my neighbors within a
radius of a number OF miles. and when
they saw l was not hunting to slaugh-
ter game. they were very generous in
their willingness to let me shoot over
their farms.
Some Of them, though. did not want
any quail shot on their places. and 1t
was sore temptation when hunting
bevy Of quail spring out. from under
my feet, in easy range. and dart into
nice cover a little ways ahead. Many
time l would sight on some fat
bird and say to myself dead bird as
the quail sailed of, but refrain from
pulling the trigger. l did not shoot
because the man relied on my prom
Use to let his quail alone II / came
on the farm to hunt, but / wanted to.
nightly, every time l had the chance.
But did not kill the quail where
had promised not to. and I went on
no mans land without his permission.
sire strongly to do a forbidden thing,
as to do it
'Tis one thing to be tempted, Horatio:
Another thing to fall"
We took long walks in the winter
days even when the weather was cold,
striking across fields and pastures,
and going into the timber and along
the ravires. Winter woods are al.
ways beautiful, and by bundling up
warm even women and children will
enjoy these tramps. Sometimes we
went on sled-rides. wrapping up warm
in old coverlets and blankets and
climbing into "low-sot'' .'bob-sleds''
and spinning around on the country
roads. The Jingle of sleiSh.bells was
an almost inevitable accompaniment
of winter nights when snow lay thick
and hard on the highways, and often
when We were in bed, we would hear
them sound faint and far. and then
near and nearer until they clashed
past the gate in
Naturalization of the bells, bells,
BELLS
TO fade out in the distance and leave
the silence less than sound when
they were gone.
We read a good deal during the win
ter days and evenings, and Cecile read
the Bible clear through one winter
from cover to cover. l wonder how
many women have really read the
Bible through? Or men, either, for
that matter. / devoted some con-
siderable time to the Encyclopedia
Britannica, and refreshed my mem
ory with my old favorite books. The
old literary landmarks! How they
shine steadfast and serene while
everything else seems to diminish and
wane.
Books were his chiefest friends; in
them he read
OF those great spirits who went down
like suns,
Yet left upon the mountain.top of
death
A light that made them lovely"
In the really blustery and disagree
able days, when the winds roared in
the chimney, and the atmosphere was
gray with shifting SHOWS. we gen.
orally retired to the kitchen. The
kitchen of a farmhouse. 1t may be re.
marked in passing. is the really COM
Portable and ultra. sacred precinct Of