The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1918-11-28
Our Rifle and Pistol Club.

When Tom Prunty, the Clubs President,
Owls.
DEAR BILLY: Well, don't suppose it
is going to make much difference to you
boys out there in the spruce forests of
Washington, but coon-hunting time has
come again back East, and yours truly
happens to be one ex-coon-hunter (notice
those hyphens, but don't you 60 and &C
cuse me of being hyphenate6 who is 60
ing to get back into the game. Listen to
this:
am constitutionaIly averse to betting,
but while back one of the boys in our
rifle club got to talking kind of positive
about how soon the war would end, and
|, being generally conservative, didn't re-
spond enough to his ideas to suit him.
'I'll bet you a dinner for the crowd
that the war is over on OF before Elec-
ton Day." says he, in front of about SIX
of the hungriest guys in our suburb.
Well, they all looked at me, and as
usual tried to pass the buck to our es-
teemed club president, Tom Prunty. And
all old Tom did was to look as wise as a
tree full of boot owls-he just stared at
me but never so much as let twinkle
slide into his left eye or swallowed his
Adams apple. | had to hedge out some
way.
There'H be a Coon-Hunt.
had to think pretty fast, and | didn't
want to pull the old alibi about never
taking bet, because for one thing this
fat know-it-all gets my goat and for an
other it was just about time for me to
come to bat and show the boys that had
at least a drop of what they consider
sporting blood in me.
So af,er looking at Tom for about a
minute and thinking how darn wise he
looked, and from that thinking of Tom
MarShall'S expression about looking wise,
| happened to think of coon hunting and
decided that, if | had to lose that bet |
would rather take that guy and old Tom
and the others on a coon-hunt, and lose
tn m if | could, than anything else. SO
said | would take the bet on the condition
that for my end, if lost was to stage a
coon-hunt for the party, and this would
do if the war was over before Thanks
giving Day.
Well, early this afternoon, November 7
the whistles began to blow, bells began
to toll and automobile horns to honk, the
darnest racket imaginable, for there are
plenty of such noise making instruments
in little old New York, and | knew right
/ then that | was in for my coon-hunt.
Yes, and even though | am writing this
between and O'clock and you are
miles out in the woods, way out there in
| the State of Washington, I'll bet you
! have already heard the big news-Ger-
many surrenders.
Talk about your celebrations Why, by
| half-past o'clock this afternoon the
down streets were as white with paper as
! if it had been showing. The whole after
noon has been one grand uproar, with
impromptu parades going up and down
Broadway and all around about And
the worst of it is, later in the afternoon
some of the papers came out and said the
report was premature. So although
guess nearly everybody believes e re-
port actually is true, at supper tonight a
few fellows like Tom Prunty will be
looking very, very wise. called him on
the phone and Just as l expected,
couldn't get any enthusiasm out of him
Well, Billy, although was not confident
peace would come so soon, just the same
| don't envy these pessimistic guys who
are SO good at looking wise, and you can
bet am not going to let any ugly rumol
spoil my supper. Why, would even pull
off the coon-hunt tonight if it were pos
sible.
AND SOME WET SHIRTS.
Now, about that same coon hunt
down here there are plenty of fellows
who would laugh at you if you said you
We're going coon-hunting within twenty