Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1910-09-14

ttce of the peace. He groaned as he
saw them approaching. He knew the
law, and must issue warrant and
impose the penalty, but his neighbors
would look at him askance for doing
his sworn duty. Johnny told his story,
and Miss Nina demanded a warrant.
As 1t was being made out, the gun of
the sportsman was heard firing on the
gulls. The constable wanted to delay
serving the warrant. He also feared
his neighbOrs. He was talked to in a
way to put springs under his heels.
He had always supposed little women
were tinAd, hesitating creatures, and
he was saying "Gee!" to himself as he
started off with the warrant.
Johnny followed on. He had never
seen a man arrested, and the oppor-
tun1ty had come. Besides, that con-
stable wasn't going TO be given a
chance to go off fishing, leaving the
guilty to make his escape from the
United States. The gull-shooter was
to be taken red-handed, and if he
didn't go to the electric chair it
wouldn't be the boys fault. He in
tended to swear hard enough.
Mr.. George Lawrence of New York
mad come up to the South Bay for a
fortnight's recreation. He knew the
rules of the three or four clubs he be-
longed to, but he never paid much at
tent1on to state law. No one had said
he mustn't shoot birds He had a sis
ter who had taken up taxidermy as
fad, and he had promised to bring her
specimens.
He had shot and secured five gulls
when the constable reached him. The
officer had lost his enthusiasm, but
Johnny had not. He had gained more.
He ran on ahead, and Selling the
shooter by the arm he called out:
The schoolma am and l arrest you
for shootin' gulls, and if you stir hand
or foot blood will f1o@!"
It took some time to explain things
to the guilty party, but when it was
all clear to him he willingly went
along with the officer The justice put
the case for two o'clock in the after
| noon, and it was not until that hour
that Miss Nina saw the prisoner She
had meanwhile been hardening her
heart She had mental picture of "a
big fellow with an ugly mug on him."
and she would show him no mercy.
She got surprise when she came into
court. The prisoner was not a great.
big man, he was not ugly. In fact, he
looked like a gentleman. He was also
in a serene instead of a desperate
mood. She had scarcely looked at him
when she began to feel sorry over the
situation.
But it was Johnny who got the
greatest surprise. He would get a
licking anyhow, and he determined to
, earn an old whopper. He was going
on the stand to swear that Re believed
the prisoner guilty of at least two MUIR
ders and several highway robberies,
and that he expected nothing but a
bloody resistance when he helped to
arrest him, but he was cut out When
called to plead Mr. Lawrence not only
answered guilty but asked to be
fined the full limit He said he was
ashamed of himself for what he had
done; that he had been needless; that
it was right to preserve the birds, and
that he wanted to join the Audabons
and present the club with the sum of
fifty dollars to aid it in enforcing the
law
The little school ma'am blushed
, and blushed and kept her eyes on the
floor
Johnny wriggled and wriggled and
wriggled and said to himself in
loud voice: ooh, what's de use!"
The justice hummed and hawed and
stammered and finally observed that
the example was a most worthy ones
and that he would let the defendant
off as easy as possible under the law
Mr. Lawrence was fined and paid over
the cash. Some folks looked to him to
get right out of town, but he didn't go.
He had g duty to perform. 1t was to
hunt up Miss Nina Anderson and re-
iterate that he had said in open
court, a. then go on and add to It
He did become a member of her club,
and he did hand over that fifty, and
| he did make it known that he should
have an eye on any one else who was
tempted to break the bird law.
And of course that opened the door
for Cupid to come in, and he didn't
linger outside. Mr. Lawrence had
come for a fortnight He stayed
month, and then went home to be
back in a week and stay longer. He
fshed and shot and visited the school
He hunted up and down the shore for
law-breakers and visited the little
schoolma'am's boarding house to re
port all we'll Things had gone on this
way for a long time when the teacher
found Johnny with tears in his eyes
and asked the cause
What I want to know he replied
as more tears came-"what I want to
know is where do l come in"
Alas, he was left out in the cold!