The weekly tribune and the Cape County herald. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1914-1918, 1915-12-31
Bill Sanders Old
Coon Dog Trees
A Tail OfACow
Farmers Prize Canine, Sick
ed" On Chicken Thief, Is
Duped BY Poultry Bandit
And Then The Dog Plays
Trick.

Trick.
William Sanders, a farmer, living
near limo, is compelled to report that
his famous coon dog has disgraced
itself.
"Bill," as he is known to his friends,
has spent his leisure hours this fall
and winter praising his coon dog. The
hound has virtually captured every
coon on the Sanders farm, Mr.. San
ders reported.
A few night ago, while Sanders and
George Wills, farm hand, We're pre-
pairing to go coon hunting, they heard
commotion in the Sanders chicken
house.
II wouldn't be surprised but that's
one iof those pesky coons, now" San
ders remarked to Wills as they dashed
out of the kitchen door and began
shouting for the coon dog.
4 moment later, they noticed the
fieeting form of man dart out Of the
chicken house and into the woods
nearby. The coon dog, which is also
known as a faithful watchdog, too, was
taken to the chicken coop door and
placed on the trail of the man.
The dog ran baying into the woods
while Sanders and Wills trotted along
behind, each carrying several rounds
of ammunition and one shotgun.
The coon dog circled a small knoll
and then started away, following the
brow of Il wooded hill.
"He trails that chicken thief like
real bloodhound, don't he?" Bill said
to Wills.
eyes, he does; there's some fine
blood in that animal" responded Wills,
with heavy emphasis on the word
blood"
They were jogging along in long
COW trOt when Bill heard his dog bark
"treed."
"Ah, Haw he exclaimed. 81 guess
that amt some dog"
Wills suggested that they slow
down in order to return the fire, pro-
vided the chicken thief began to bonn
bard them from Il tree top. When
within thirty PAGES of the tree up
which the coon dog was baying, the
two men halted and peered through
the naked branches to get line on the
location of the man.
They recognized nothing as the form
of man. 'I'H stake Jug of mo-
lasses," op.ncd Bill, chat he dropped
the trail Of that chicken thief and
picked up the scent of a COON"
"Reckon that's about the facts" re-
sponded Wills.
About that moment Sanders noticed
small object resting in a fork about
ten feet above the ground.
"Well, I'll be dad-swizzled," re-
marked Wills; that looks to me like q
mink"
Sanders propped his gun against the
tree and began climbing for the quar-
ry. "This IS a new animal to me-"
chirped Sanders as he came nearer the
object.
He almost relinquished his hold
when his hand came in contact with
what he supposed was the animals
tail, and which was hanging down the
trunk of the tree.
Gosh. This must be a spider tailed
Monkey" Bill shouted as he seized the
object and gave it a yank.
A long slender object dropped to the |
ground and lay where it fell. The |
dog drew away from it and barked as
if he had encountered a ghost.
Sanders remained in the tree and |
urged Wills to light match, which |
ne finally did.
The flash of light solved the nlys-
terry. Gust an cid cows tail" drawl-
ed Wills as Sanders slid down the !
tree.
"Well, that chicken thief must have
carried it," said Bill Sanders, the big
Sherlock Holmes. "And when he got
to this tree, he tossed it into the
branches. The dog picked up the
scent of the tail instead of tracking
the thief"
Wills accepted the explanation, and
as they strolled back home, they Won
dered whether or not they could pre-
vent their coon dog from trailing tails
in the future.