Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1921-02-06

Set And he let his ears down again.
and stayed still. Fox come along;
over there. SO fur away / knowed
couldn't drop him. Never pulled: and
he never saw me: and old Dan set
where he was. Never moved a mite.
After a spell. Will Belter's hound
come past: and then come VIII him.
self. cutting down from where he'd
been waiting. Says: See a fox go by
And told him I did He asst why l
didn't shoot; and ! says the fox was
too fur OF: And he says; Where was
setting right by me-
Proutt laughed harshly. and slapped
a triumphant hand upon his knee.
will wouldn't believe me-" he de-
clared, till showed him tracks.
where we wuz. and where the fox
went by
He looked around for their admira-
ton; but no one spoke at all. Only
one or two glanced sidewise at each
other, and slowly grinned. The tale
was all right, except for a thing or
two. In the first place. Proutt was
how long the shot: and. in the second
place, Dan was known to be a surly
dog. not overly obedient unruly as
his master. And. in the third place.
this incident. thoroughly authenti
Gated. had happened two years before
to another man and another dog. as
every one in the store know. Proutt
had borrowed his tale from a source
too close home.
So they knew he lied: but no one
tie silence. Nick Wesley. the game
warden. said with slow twinkle il,
his eye: "Proutt. that reminds me of
story my father used to tell"
Prourt grunted something or other,
disguised with their lack of apprecia-
Law l. - f-~
agement. and began to whittle slow.
fine shavings from a silver of pine
which he held in hand. and told the
tale.
eeTT was when he was younger" he
explained. before he was mar
ried. while he still lived at home.
But I've heard him tell the story
many time.
MY Uncle Jim was living then;
and he and my father had hound.
Good dog he was. too. Good as Dan.
I think. Proutt.'
Well. one winter morning. with six
or eight inches of loose snow on the
ground. they were working up some
wood in the shed: and they saw the
old hound drift of into the pasture
and up the hill. And after a spell
they heard him yelling down by the
river.
"Jim said to my father: He's got
. fox And father said: Jim. let's go
get that fox. So they dropped their
axes and went in and got their guns.
and they worked up through the pas
the dogs noise, and they figured the
fox would come UP around the hill by
certain way; and SO they posted
themselves there, one on either side
of the path they thought he would
take. And set to waiting. And it was
they stamped their feet a little. but
they couldn't move much for fear the
fox would see them.
so they were both well pleased
when they saw the fox coming; and
they both shot when he came in range.
and anxious to be done.
We'll, they shot into each other.
Jim yelled: Damn it, my legs are
full Of shot" and my father said:
Mine, too, You clumsy coot" So they
made remarks to each other for a
way. there's the fox: and I'm full OF
your shot, and I'm half froze. Let's
skin the darned critter and get home.
80 father agreed; and they went
at it. The old dog had come up by
eve On an the fox as dos viii Aad
father took the front legs and Jim
took the hind legs. and they worked
fast. And they kept cussing their
hurts, and the cold. and each other.
But they slit the legs down. and
skinned out the tail. and trimmed UP
when they got about done. Jim, he
said: -,
'Kooss ahere. there's not a bullet in
this fox
Wen. they looked and they couldn't
md hole. Only there was blue
streak across the fox's head where a
bullet had gone. And that was queer
enough, but father said: I don't give
Q hoot There's bullets enough in me.
Skin out his nose and let's co.
80 they cussed each other some
more. and finished it up: and Jim. he
heaved the carcass out into the brush,
and father slung the skin over his
shoulder. and they turned around to
start home.
well. just about then the old dog
around. And father always used to
say that, mad as they were at each
other. they forgot all about 1t then;
and they bust out laughing. He said
you couldn't blame them. He said you
never saw anything funnier.
The cold snow must have revived him.
Because when my father and Uncle
Jim looked around, that skinieas fox
was going mp over the hill like cat
up q tree-and the old dog hot on his
heels"
THE store rocked with their mirth
as Wesley stopped. Lee Motley
roared. and the Saladines laughed in
their silent fashion. and Will Bissell
discreetly behind Proutt's
back. Wesley himself displayed such
surprise at their mirth that they
laughed the more: and fat little Jean
cried:
And that will put the bee to your
Dan. Msieu Proutt That will hold
your Dan for one leetle while. think"
Proutt himself was brick.red with
mry: and his eyes were black on
gether. and he laughed. Shortly.
His eyes did not leave Westleys
face. And Lee Motley found a chance
to warn the warden a little later. 1T
was a good joke" he said. You
banded it to him right But look out
Wesley, still smiling. was never
theless family troubled. I'm sorry"
he said. Il did it for joke"
HE can't take a joke" said Motley.
The warden nodded, considering.
"Ill tell YOU" he told Motley. I'll
square it with him.
IF 1t was me-" Motley agreed, II
would"
Wesley did not like to make enc
mics. And there had been only the
malice in his Jest. He took
his measures to Soothe Proutt before
they left the store that night
Wesley had q dog. q setter. clean
bfooded. from one Of the country's
finest kennels. A New York man who
had shot woodcock with the warden
the year before had sent the dog as a
o. lie AL