Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1913-05-23

4 iSht ihlcltbl.
There was still no reply.
Il understand the foxes are very
! troublesome"
Warner threw down his spade and
strode up TO where we stood. His
eyes had In them the dumb agony or
a wild thing in trap.
Il am a married man, SIR" ne said
For my wItes sake take me away
quietly"
Il have not come to arrest you,
Jake Warner" said Peace If you
are responsible TOR your masters
death. ii was by sheer accident But
the question is. are you responsible?"
mo, sir, am not. But can never
prove it,
Perhaps 1t would be best If you ex.
| planned
We remained where We were, with
the renee between US. while he told
his story.
1T was on Monday afternoon, SIR"
said Jake Warner. addressing Ad.
dington Peace OF the Criminal lnvesti-
cation Department of Scotland YARD.
Il was crossing the public path that
runs near the other end OF the lake.
| when | fell III with a middle-aged,
spectacled gentleman, who was stroll
ing along with a tin collecting case
| on MS back. such as botanists use.
we fell TO talking. and one thing led
| 10 another. until. when | turned on
down to the lake to see after my
DUCKS, he came with me. He never
meant no harm as | know OF, but
would give all | have never to have
seen him"
What was he like?" asked the III
spector.
"A short fellow, with a brown full
beard and a slight stutter. Very
peasant he was TO talk to; but this is
outside the point sir, as you will see.
we walked down the causeway, and
Just before the pavilion what should
we come across but three dead birds,
all with their heads bitten clean on.
IL made me wild, for the foxes have
peen plagutng me cruel this spring.
Sir William never would have one
shot. though he had given up hunting
many years. AS for the young mas
ter, l couldn't say as to his views,
Tor had never set eyes upon him.
The stranger. he sympathized very
kindly with me, and | told him my
troubles. How they can expect a
keeper to rear decent lot OF wild
duck with a plague of foxes In his
midst, I'm dashed If | know, | said.
He allowed that fox who would kill
ducks like that was as bad as a man.
eating tiger. She's a cunning old
vixen as won't let me get within shot
or her. told him, but I've half a
mind to set spring gun for her on
the causeway here
| Bless my soul, how that fellow
laughed. He threw back his head and
crowed with Joy at my idea. "A spring
gun for fox. he says; why, keeper,
It's the very thing! Think OF the sim
plicity of 1t and the certainty Of It
and the security Of It, Those were
his words. After that he sobered
down and began talking more serious
| Did l really understand how to set a
spring gun! told him no; and then
he explained how he had a friend
from India who had often used them
to kill 1ackals. Whether I did right
or wrong. the fact Is that | agreed
| to set the gun when he sent me the
instructions
Late
terday morning with careful little
plans and all. l loaded my gun with
buckshot and carried 1t down to the
causeway shortly after dusk. had
loot several more ducks each day, and
my mind was made up to have that
old vixen. fixed the gun, with a
thread Of strong cotton across the
path and round the trigger. You may
think took wicked risk, but l had
hardly ever known any one to pass
along the causeway in the daytime,
far less at night Yet, for safety's
sake, l meant to take 1t up again at
dawn.
II walked home and sat smoking
my pipe for while But was wor-
ried and disturbed. couldn't get II
from my mind that there was danger
in that spring gun left to itself as II
were. Even II bagged the old vixen
some one might hear the shot and
find the body. A dead fox would
make me marked man amongst all
the hunting people about didn't
like that thought neither. At last 1
couldn't stand 1t no longer, and set
OF back to the causeway. was more
than halfway when | heard the shot,
and that set me running When | saw
the policeman I was nightly afraid
he would be finding the vixen dead.
That's why I lied to him"