Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1909-11-12
WOMAN AND GUN.
When Hannah Toes The Mark The
Hunters Take To Tall Timber.

uuntRIS ldkS 10 dit ilIDDeT.
1t is necessary to take out a license
in Maine. the same as in Wisconsin, t.
shoot game. and any person who ex
poets even to shoot cats on a back fence
fortifes himself with license, for fear
he will be arrested, for cats are always
in season. everywhere, and Wisconsin
cat hunters had better see that they have
license. The other day woman il
Maine took out license as a hunter,
and conformation seized the male hun.
ters. and they will not go to the woods
until she has shot herself. in fact the
State Game Warden telegraphed the
news to all parts of the State that s
woman had taken out license. and re.
quested the hunters to keep out of the
woods until she had got through shoot.
ing. There are women who can shoot
fairly well. at the trap, but when they
show up at bird shooting tournaments
the men instinctively get behind some.
thing while the woman is on deck with
a gun. They know there is no particu.
lar danger. except in front of the gun,
but woman with a shotgun is always
turning around at a critical time, with
her gun cooked, to ask somebody if her
hat is on straight, so men who are not
so heavily insured, had rather get be-
hind something when Hannah toes the
mark. A young lawyer who is a great
sport with the shotgun was telling two
or three years ago about teaching his
young wife to shoot, so she could &c
with him on his hunting trips,
and man who used to hear him talk
about the fun he would have when she
got so she could shoot, met him the
other day. taking his gun into a gun
store, to have it got ready for the open
ing day of the season, and said to him
Hello, going hunting are you?
suppose your wife is going along. Ire,
member you told me couple of years
ago you had bought her . sixteen guage
shotgun. suppose she can shoot all
around you: eh?"
Yes, she has shot all around me. and
hit me couple of times" said the
young lawyer, ''but she is not going
with me. 1 shall sneak off alone, on
pretense of having case in court at
st. Paul"
Whats the matter? Don't like
hunting? l thought she was carried
away with the SPORT
"Say old man." said the young law
yer, looking solemn, ''now this must be
IN strict confidence, mind you. NV
wife would be dangerous with a gun.
If she was out in the middle of a forty
acre field, alone. She has no more idea
OF the danger Of a shotgun than she
would of a broom. The first thing I
taught her was to always point the gun
away from herself. She was the dear
est thing in the world to me; and I
didn't want her to shoot herself, but
by Jipks she points it at me, and every
body that is IN sight; and laughs about
1T, and never seems to think there is
any danger. The first time we went
out shooting chickens she fred into a
flock and killed one, OF scared it to
death, and she dropped the gun and ran
after the bird. stepped on the trigger
and the other barrel went off, shooting
the heel of my shoe, and filing one of
the horses with bird-shot, and the team
ran away. 1t cost me sixty dollays for
the wagon. Then she claimed every
bird shot for week. She has no
idea of distance, and will shoot at a
bird as far as she can see it. left her
one day in the field and started off to
have quiet life, and l scared up a
bird, and she plugged at it with me
between her and the bird, and she filled
my canvas coat-tail with No. 8 shot,
and when yelled to her she fired the
other barrel and had to lay down be-
hind log or she would have been firing
yet. tried to scold her, when l dared
get near her. about being careless, and
she laughed, looked go sweet that Just
looked at her and admired her, until
found her gun was loaded and at full
cock, and pointed at my head, with he,
dear little finger on the trigger. / haf
to quit hunting with her or she woulf
have been widow before this. do moi
want to hurt her feelings by telling he,
| am afraid Of her, but suffer from
nervous prostration when she has thu
gun in her hand, and so / tell her tn.
shooting is no good. or it is too hot, OF
too cold, and l leave my gun at the gur
store. and when want to go hunting
sneak off, and she thinks am attend
ing to business. o, yes, she will fine
it out, some day. and be heart-broker
at my deceiving her. figure tits bet
ter for me to have heartbroken wifi.
than for her to have a headless hus
band.