The Monticellonian. [volume] (Monticello, Ark.) 1870-1920, 1917-09-06
BY MARY oRAY.


lower orchard this morning. II I'd had
a gun with me we'd had rabbit pie for
dinner"
sBut l never thought of rabbits! !"
was the exclamation. Il shall go hunt
ing right away"
But you can't shoot gun"
But you must teach me. Hurry upl"
The shotgun was struggled out of
the house and behind the barn, and the
lessons began with:
"Now put the gun up to your face,
like this, and aim at that old stump.
You must squint along the sights and
have both In line
Eyes"
you won't fire now, because your
want to, just curl your finger around
this trigger and pull"
How many cartridges have l got?"
was asked
Seven. You can pile the seven
dead rabbits up somewhere and l will
come and get 'em! !"
1t wasn't at all singular that Burt
Robbins, of the big fire insurance COM
pany in the city, should be stopping at
country inn mile away.
Young Mr.. Robbins had been at the
inn for three or four days. when the
landlord said:
There are more rabbits around this
fall than / have seen for years before.
Did you bring gun alongP
Il had none to bring"
'eThen l can lend you one. It's q
rifle. where you ought to have a shot
gun; but you can have some fun with
It"
Miss Nan reached the hunting
grounds and looked about her. Not a
bunny.
Mr.. Robbins had been out almost an
hour and had not caught sight of
rabbit. The red squirrels chartered at
him. and the chipmunks Knocked him,
but he let them go. 1t was when he
was scufiing up the leaves and his mind
far away that rabbit ran out of a
brush heap and scurried away. In his
confusion, the hunter ran after it, for
a few steps, and as it crossed open
ground he fired.
At the same instant his cap was
dashed from his head. When he had
advanced twenty steps he saw girl
holding up dead rabbit by the leg and
heard her exclamation:
"Oh, I've killed himl I've killed
him p
II beg pardon" said Robbins.
"What? What?"
81 killed that rabbit, if you please"
The young man walked back and re-
covered his cap and brought it to her
and said:
You have shotgun. You fired
high. Some of your shot knocked the
cap from my head. A bit lower and I'd
have got them in the face
"Sir, you are no gentleman to claim
the rabbit l shot!"
Mr.. Robbins sJuted and turned on
his heel and walked away, and after
watching him out of sight the girl
picked up the game and walked to the
house.
"Jewhittaker, but you have killed
one!" exclaimed the hired man.
"At the first fire, and a long shot,
too l had quite time over 1t, too. A
young man who was hunting claimed
that he shot him."
what sort of gun did he have?"
"a rifle"
Say" said the man, after he had
carefully examined the rabbit; "you
never killed this"
"Why didn't II"
because 1t was killed by bullet
instead of a shot"
The rabbit was given to the dog and
nothing was said to the sister. Mans
conscience began to trouble her. 1t
was settled thing that she had not
killed that rabbit.
In the middle of the next morning
she walked to the spot where poor
bunny had met his sad end the day
previous. 1t was nearly an hour before
she rose up, and then because she
heard scuffing footsteps.
81 am glad to find you here" said
Mr.. Robbins as Nan faced him. 81
want to beg your pardon. On thinking
the matter over, I am sure you killed
that rabbit"
But / am sure that I didn't"
And then they sat down on log and
talked of rabbits, and guns. When Miss
Nan returned to the house the hired
man called out:
"Well, didn't you get him?'
"Perhaps!' was the reply.
Copyright, 1917, by the Mcclure Newspa-
per Syndicate)