Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1921-11-15
STUDIES in
NATURAL HISTORY
By JAMES HENRY RICE, jr.
THE WONDERFUL RABBIT

s;lecns, MY friend DR., T. S. Palmer
Swho has spent much of his life study
ing rabbits, gave to the authorities as
) tGsembled measurements of rabbits from
all over the United States, Some
were of immense size, and one he de-
Y cIared was the largest rabbit known,
s. took issue with Dr. Palmer and
bsclaimcd that had seen and handleu
I a rabbit much larger, than the biggest
he cited in evidences This Of course
1Gcaused somewhat. of sensation.
! There were authorities present from
an over the United States and many
$from abroad. Proof was demanded; ;
81 was forthcoming. Hero i is, and
Il any DISCERNING person will be able 70
tiecide on the evidence presented.
Nearly fifty years ago in the Up
3iCountry of South, Cerolina. there was
"a large farm house, built by q gentle
man from Ed.sto iclard in the early
ttdays of the Nineteenth century. 1t
was grand house and sat in the CEN
tire Of an. extensive plantation
nf For many a mile there were aban-
dofed fields Of woods; for the war be-
tween the states was Just over ana
ythe Southern people were crushed ana
without heart. Their situation was
desperate. and the future looked dark
{ and grim
p There were two little boys on that
plantation, who knew, nothing OF the
war. except that they heard tales OF II
every day and the community was
fuil of men with one leg or one arm
Or one eve, and some that went on
crutchess- But II seemed that this had
alxasis been so; the little boys had
neyerr known anything else; and the
world to them was bounded by the
plantation. the bounds Of which seem
ed a long way or. Their imaginations
filled the woods with all sorts Oh
things. :.
the mother of invention, and having
nothing except what they could make
for themselves, the little boys, with an
occasional help from friendly nesroes'
learned to make various things:
Among these they learned theyart OF
milking bird traps and rabbit gums
They had caught good many small
birds. but the taking of rabbit was
a thing to dream of. They had made
several gums and had set them; but
nothing came Of It. Their main gum
was put out to the west OF the house,
not far from the rock Wall OF an oid
graveyard, which stood III a srnail
match behind the garden. Beyond the
Rr1VeYdTQ was q lSiiSO -
field. most of the field grown up In
broomstraw and briars.
. The field abounded In rabbits; FOR
the hands caught rabbits in It. A
youny uncle of the boys. who was
famous rock-thrower, had killed
rabbit not long before as he ran .py'
and very often the boys themselves
flushed rabbits as they went about IN
the field. Then there were innumer-
able tracks and other signs. The neio
swarmed with rabbits. ~
-. Each morning the two little fellows
went out to the. gum at the peep Oh
day or soon thereafter as Iney
woke. Once or twice the sliding door
of the gum was found down, tneIe mere
was hair inside more than once. the
rabbit he'd been in the gum; and the
Eboys thought that somehow he had
qof ont. Here, however, their reason
ing. was defective. The hair IN the
plin showed that the rabbit had been
inside. but Il did not show. the colored
narson slipping out before day and
netting away with the catch. One
morning in faIt they almo2t eaught q
colored person making on Win lao'-
Dit =,
However the boys did not even sus-'
nect This. One night, however, the
sKu Klux swooped down on the place
and stampeded the colored population.
a three hundred pound cook went
Through a window and up into a barn
iofty with the agility of a cat squirrel.
a nN6w hand that had the rheumatism
go bad he could hardly walk jumped
a fence and outran a dozen horses Tor
half cFfnile and got away. In every
direction the negroes scattered.
!. The. morning after. when the little
bcys went out into the gray dawn 10
their rabbit gum, the door was Gown
and a rabbit within! They got down
on the ground by turns ana e9eo nun
through the cracks. :.
Then there was held a council OF
war It was agreed that the big boy
should open the door, after standlng
tbe gum ON end and reaching down for
tho rabbit. This YVES first eXper-
ience and painful one. So much
hung on the Issue. ...
= The big boy got n good grip, after
being scratched on the hand and arm'
for a spent up rabbit will scratch 10
save himself, and he drew out the
prize. .-.,
Then, according to agreement, the
little boy got held OF the hind legs and
they stretched the rabbit between
ftnenn. II lllSy Iou pSSh A'-1SN-
with trifle more experience, they
would have knocked the rabbit on the
head at once; but they failed to think
of that.
Holding the rabbit between them
they got over the first fence and found
the place where q paling was on In
the garden Ga thing every small boy
used to know and took the rabbit
through. 1t was an easy matter then
10 take him through the garden to the
gate and thus around to the front OF
the house.
-. Visions of Rabbits.
1t was a glorious day, Everything
was perfect. Vision following vision
of large masses of rabbits, caught in
succession. Every wide chimney on
the place was already filled with rab-
bit flesh hung up to dry. The sun was
bright, skies were soft; all nature
rested in a haze Of contentment ana
satisfaction; and back of all that was
seen there rose; topping the hills and
with the sunlight streaming from
spires and battlcments those grand
Castles in Spain, on which so many
an object soul has fed, and in contem.. :.
plating which SO many hungry hearl
has found delight.
There, held fast between them, was
this glorious rabbit. There remained
one thing only to make happiness
complete, namely showing the prize
f.,n Of nn