The sun., 1909-02-28

| e-e~ ~ Ss' ePS>,H @
- An! Il didn't only come bad brinEtn,
that pair o. looms. he seys 'Itbrung tha
old dodwolloper Of pioksrl back With !
too, jest a. rempagin' an sassy ~ he va
when the Ash hawk swooped down ont,
him pan1.' says UnoleJ eJsse. II was mos
s'The week arter the fish hawk had dom
that, says Jase. 'PerkIomen's broths
josh. who lives down TO Mud Pond, oom'
up 70 see us, an l ast him II there was any
thin strange or new In the Mud Pond baili
wick. He said not as he knowed on, only
he'd had one Of his boat oars grabbed bJ
q picker'l an ohawed In two. He said HI
didn't know as he could blame the picker
much fer doin' II, neither, fer Il he'd beer
In the picker 'l's place he'd d been Jest as mac
''Josh said the way II was, as well as ht
could recomember IL, the Ice had broke uI
In Mud Pond, an he was rowin' over to ths
cove TO see II there was any signs o. ducks
when he seen q fish hawk sailin' alonf
pooty high up. an suddenly another flsf
hawk swooped out from somewhere's an
tackled the hawk that was sailin' along
squaw lin UP there In the air an bil
scatterin' O. feathers. an then Josh seer
somethin' droppin' down that the
first hawk had been olutchin'.
THE hawks KEEP right on fghtin'
josh says, an the thing that was droppin
plunked In the pond close 10 Josh's boat
Then he seen II was a slammin' big pick
erl, with its eyes a-glarin, as II i was
madder'n hit snake. The picker
give q gasp or two an bumped It's back
an II II was pullin' itself together. Then
seein' Josh an the boat it made q dash
fer 'em, grabbed an oar blade in it's jaws
bit 10 In two as II II hadn't been nothing
but a bait fish. shook it's head at Josh
an then duv down out o. sight.
81 asst Josh II he noticed anything
else about the picker'l wuth mentionin'
an he said no 'oept that It had sing lar
lookin' spoon hook fast in its jaw with
some queer trailers on q couple o. side
lines reachin' out four or five foot or 50.
So putin this an that an t'other thing
together l couldn't git over the feelin'
that that spoon hook an them trailers
was mine an o. course didn't never
s'pect to see EN- no more. l asst Josh
IL he found any sign o. ducks in the cove
an he says no but there was pair o.
looms noein' round there dodgin' every
body's bullets an buckshct an havin'
fun with the hull deestrict. Not 'speotin
to have any better luck at gettin' the
critters / thought I'd go down to Mud
Pond anyhow an see what mowt do"
Uncle Jase stretched his neck ag' in
an looked up the road. l could see he
was gettin anxiouser an anxiouser.
an he must "a see me chucklin',
Not afore the latter part O. next week
hey. DAMP says he. an ] gloated an
thought I'd rub 1t on him some more.
mo l says. Not afore the latter
part o. next week. says. I'D "a had
a new bar'l here though this afternoon.
| says. but Ellis Sam went an broke his
wagon down an can't got here with it
now / says. Not afore the latter part
O. next week l says.
That's onfort' nit fer Ellis Sam, says
Uncle Jase, cause he's needin' the money
jest now. An me an Perkiomen is goin'
up to the headwaters visitin her folks
for a couple o weeks says he. an
won't DO able to jine you the latter part
o. next week says he.
-'That'll be disapp'intin' to me. Jason, :
YES. knowed it'd be- says he. grin
min. Uncle Jase give another stretch
70 his neck an looked up the road ag'in.
Then he says:
81 went down to Mud Pond t'other
day says he, an there was the pair o.
looms. l banged an whanged away at
EN- fer an hour an O. course they lodged
the shots an duv every time. / thought
I'D give 'em one more shot an then pack
up an go home. They lodged an duv.
was beginnin' to be afeerd they had
drownded themselves somehow when
up they both popped with a yell that
most skeert me. They couldn't raise
outen the water, but they come to'rds
where ] was behind a stump on the shore.
swimmin' fer all they was worth, though
I could see somethin' was hinderin' EN-.
Their eyes was popped most outen
their heads they was so skeert, an well
they mowt been fer when they pulled
theirselfs out on the shore and / seen
that they was tangled up by one leg In
somethin', an then with a swish an
swoosh that throwed the water up six
foot out on their trial jumped a glarin'
an tremendous big pickerl an pounced
right on TO 'em.. i up an socked a bullet
through that picker1 without waitin' a
second, an it give few kicks an died.
Hurryin' up found the two looms hy.n
there dead-skeert to death, Danh> An
wrapped round their legs was the trailers
o. that patent trailin' pioker'l spoon
hook o. mine, an the spoon hook was
in the picker'Is jaw. Dan'l. 1t was my
yender he comes now, by hokey, says
Uncle Jase, stretchin' his neck ag in an
lookin up the road.
Il turned TO git ready to call Constable
Steve in IL he was goin' on by. an I most
fell of my cheer when looked outen the
winder fer instead o. Constable Steve
comm with a warrant or a summons or
sonnet him to git Uncle Jase who should
zee but Ellis Sam with his mule an a
stone drag. fetchin' in the new bar'l o.
cider! Fore l could git steady on my feet
ag in an find my tongue Els Sam had
druv up with the cider, an he says:
"'You kin thank Uncle Jase fer gittin'
it to-day. Dan1,' says he. He heerd
about my wagon bein' broke down an
he says to me that a stone drag was better
anyhow to haul in cider on cause il
didn't shake it up like wagon an you
could tap an draw 1t quicker, an he says
to 20 right over an git his stone drag an
haul the bar'l in an not disapp'int you.
So you kin thank Uncle Jase fer gittin' il
to-day Dan1.' says Ellis Sam.
AN Jase he jest stood there a a-grinnin'.
an why ] didn't squash him III never
know, but didn't. an he says:
AN so | thought I'd come over an
help you roll IL in, Danl. says he. long
with fetchin' in the news about that pat
ent trailin' picker1 spoon hook comm
back, says he.
$50 they rolled il in an il was tapped.
an ! said then an ! say. now that when