The Brattleboro reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1907-1912, 1909-10-29
The MeddLer
~If The coat fits you. put it on.
Tallgrass Corners,
Tuesday, Oct. 26.

Tuesday, Oct. 26.
My dear Meddler:-
/ arrived home late last evening safe
sound and successful, and | am sure you
of my experiences. No, | haven't been to
the north pole, but | went deer hunting
and returned intact, which is equally mi
| raculOus. Say, but it was thrilling eX-
| perience. | may as well begin at the very
| beginning Some time about the middle of
| last week a desire for venson came over
me and ] determined to be one of the
mighty army of nlmrods that was planning
to make sortie the following Monday.
But | was equally determined not to fur
-nish material for Mistakenfor-a-B Buck
special in Tuesdays papers, so | began
preparations that were doubtless bit out
of the ordinary. After thoroughly clean
ing my rifle and laying in a supply of am
munitlon | went down to the store and
purchased purple cap, two packages of
red fire and tin horn. | wanted to be up
soon after midnight Monday morning so
as to be located by daybreak and | was
somewhat worried about the reliability of
my alarm clock, but the worry part of it
was false alarm.
About o'clock Sunday evening people
on foot, in teams and in automobiles be-
gan going by the house and they seemed
so pleased over their chances of being
killed on the morrow that | couldn't get
any sleep all night. About midnight | got
up and donned my hunting costume, which
consisted of bright red flannel shirt, five
pairs of overalls and my new purple cap.
| figured that my shirt and cap ought to
form combination of colors that would
preclude any possibility of my being taken
for anything but d fool human being.
The extra overalls | put on so that !
might be able to sit under a spreading
chestnut tree if necessary with comfort.
| knew, however, that bright colors were
not plainly visible in the cold gray dawn;
hence my other purchases.
Taking my rife, cartridges. horn, illum-
nation powder and lunch which had
been put up the night before | hied myself
to a clump of small chestnut trees on the
edge of an apple orchard about 100 rods
from the house and proceeded to make
camp. First | sat down on chestnut
burr whose points were several inches
longer than the combined thickness of
my five pairs of overalls. | Immediately
changed my location, Then | lighted my
first package of red fire and blew two or
three long blasts on the horn Just to let
other hunters know there weren't any deer
under my particular clump of chestnuts.
The tire-and-horn combination worked |
1t had not been in operation |
more than two seconds before | was sur |
rounded by disappointed hunters. At least I
a dozen Of them had heard me locate and |
feeling sure | was fullgrown buck were ,
only waiting until 6.24 a. m. before filling
me with soft-nosed bullets. They were so
to find | was mere man and so
at my method of selfdefence that
most of them Immediately began seeking
new locations This gave me relief and
encouragement. A few minutes before 6
} clock | ate my lunch so to be properly
1rimed for the fray, building a cheerful
ire over which to heat small kettle of
offee. At exactly sunrise according TO
he Farmers Almanac and my watch |
ired three shots from my rife in quick
uccession Just to let everyone in the
woods know that the open season had be-
un promptly.
Just as l pulled the trigger the third
ime | heard twig crack behind me and {
urning quickly beheld a beautiful little l
uck gazing at me in wonder. He was in t
he pink Of condition. weighing perhaps 10 )
ounds. My first impulse was to fire at {