The Wolf Point herald. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1913-1940, 1930-04-04

mock and pleasant dreams at thl
" untimely hour.
{ ooh, father, do not laugh at nj
. laziness! Indeed, l mean to cur
: myself of it. l am very glad t
: go with you. l intended to shoe
some more of the ortolans thil
morning, but there will be plent.
of time %afterward. The boys will
be shooting at them, | daresay
but | don't expect they will have
any great luck"
why not, pray?" inquired l.
Il don't believe they will know
what shot to use at first, and
besides, they will most likely
shoot upward al the birds and be
sure to miss them, on account OF
the great height and thickness
of the branches and foliage"
We'll, Ernest, you certainly pos
sess the gifts of prudence and re-
Election, as well as observation.
These are valuable: but sudden
action is so often necessary in
life, that I advise you to cultivate
the power of instantly perceiving
and deciding what must be done
in cases of emergency. Presence
of mind is a precious quality,
which, although natural in some
characters, may be acquired in a
certain degree by all who train
themselves to it,"
Once on the seashore, Il work
was quickly accomplished, for,
selecting the wood l thought fit
for my purpose, we laid it cross
the broad, leafy branch, and,
with some help from us, the donk-
ey dragged a very fair load of it
homeward, with the addition OF
a small chest, which | raised
from among the sand, which near
ly covered it.
We heard the boys popping
away at the birds rs we drew
near. They fastened to meet us,
and inquired where we had been,
looking curiously at the chest,
which | allowed them to open,
while l asked my wife to excuse
our absence without leave" and
after submitting to her gentle rep
rimand, l explained my plan for a
sledge. which pleased her greatly,
and she already imagined it load
ed with her hogshead of butter,
and on it's way from Tentholm to
Falconhurst.
The chest proved to be merely
that of a common sailer, contain
ing his clothes, very much wetted
by the sea water.
The boys exhibited an array of
several dozen birds, and related,
during breakfast, the various in
cidents Of failure and success
which had attended their guns.
Ernest had rightly guessed the
mistakes they would make, but
practice was making them perfect,
and they seemed disposed to con-
tinue their sport, when their
mother, assuring them that she
could not use more birds than
already killed, asked il I did not
think some means of sharing
them might be contrived, as much
powder and shot would be ex-
if they fired or at this
rate.
Entirely agreeing with this view
the subject, l desired the lads
to lay aside their guns for the
present, and the younger ones
applied themselves to max
ing snares of the long threads
drawn from the leaves of the
karatas, in a simple way l taught
them, while Fritz and Ernest
gave me substantial assistance in
the manufacture of the new
We were busily at work, when
a tremendous disturbance among
our fowls led us to suppose that
a fox or wild cat had got into
midst. +,
The cocks crowed defiantly, the
hens fluttered and cackled in a
state of the widest excitement.
We fastened toward them, but
Ernest remarking Master Knips /;
away. as though con- ,
;cious of some misdemeanor, went
watch him, and presently :.
caught him in the act Of eating
newlaid egg, whidh he had :
off and hidden among the :
grass and roots. Ernest found :
others. These we're very :
Welcome to my wife, for hitherto
he hens had not presented us
With any eggs. Hereafter she de- !
ermined to imprison the monkey :
very morning until the eggs had ;
,een collected. :
Soon after this, as Jack was !
citing the newly made snares
.mong the branches, he discover :
d that a pair of our W pigeons :
we're building in the tree. 1t was ;
cry desirable to increase our
took of these pretty birds, and :
cautioned the boys against :
hooting near our tree while they =
ad nests there, and also with :
egard to the snares, which were :
leant only to entrap the wild :
g-eaters. =
Although my sons were inter !,