Evening star., 1931-12-27
Beware the Deer!
H Reporter on His "Day of" in the Country Makes
the Discovery That an Angry Buck May
Cost the Unwary Dear.
BY A. X. BUCK.

emphasis on the don't"
~ Now it's doubtful If
Sergt. York is much of
hero to his wife and certainly it doesn't
look as though Jack Dempsey made
such big hit with Estelie So. news
paper man can't expect constant adola-
tion from a wife who has followed him
through more than decade of jour-
naliSm.
So I took a deep breath and waved
my walking stick at the big buck deer
that seemed to have my wife, two small
children and friend imprisoned" in
a little spring house on the estate Of
Lancelot Jacques, at Catocttn Furnace,
Frederick County, Md. But the deer
didn't frighten worth cent and paved
toSseS of the head for good measure.
He had a beautiful stand of antlers,
each point as sharp as rapier, and he
was unusually large for the ordinary
Virginia deer. Still, I thought, per-
haps he would be easy to han lie. How
ever, I'd seen white crosses put up over
the graves of a lot of men who rushed
into dugouts, machine gun nests and
the like without finding out what they
contained so I thought it over.
Party Includes Four Doe.
Four young doe were included in this
particular bucks party, besides small
buck. One doe stood on each side of
the spring house, about 80 feet away
their noses twitching and their heads
bobbing inquisitively, while two others
stood behind the buck. The latter two
were born last Summer and are quite
wild. The others are several years old
and very tame from having been fed by
Jacques guests during the Summers.
They wanted food and were gradually
closing in on the Spring house to beg
for it. But with each step, the jealous
buck became mere infuriated, paving
the ground daintily with his tiny, knife
like hoofs, and tossing his head up and
down like bull about to charge. He
obviously didn't want any one meddling
with his fine looking harem.
80" said I to myself. His interest
in us is due to his jealousy of the doe.
If I get rid of them, we're all right"
I banged with my stick on a little
railing which separated us from the
buck His answer was to paw again,
meantime his eyes flashing and SEEM
ing to bulge from their sockets. Then
I waved the stick menacingly toward
one OF his wives. The buck took an
other step forward, apparently ready
to do battle without further parley.
But the doe was frightened and bolted,
running past the buck. This distracted
doe, which ran in the opposite direc-
ton The day was Won The buck
followed them. they frisked about and
were gone, leaping over logs and
brook, going at a terrific pace with
high bounds.
felt rather bashful Obviously, my
friend, my wife and my children
thought l had an acute attack of cold
feet. We made for the entrance to the
estate, with me keeping wary eye on
the buck, who followed us most of the
way In fact, he cut in front of us
near the gates but left when I again
frightened the doe which was with
him.
Reputation at Stake.
My household reputation was at
stake knew I'd never live down that
display of timidity. I might say over
and over again that I was worried
merely because we had two small chill
dren with us, so hastened to the manor
house where Bill Renner lives in an
historic home that housed the owners
of a nearby iron mill in Revolutionary
War days. Bill is always balm to
irritated nerves He gets that way from
taking millionaires and diplomats on
trout fishing trips in nearby Hunting
Creek
do you know. Bill" said very
confidentially, that dog -goned buck
had me worried for a few minutes just
now. 1 thought sure he was going
to charge me and was downright wor-
ried, although knew I could drive him
off with nv stick"
Lucky for you you were Scared"
said Bill. You couldn't have driven
him off with a ball bat. You ought not
to go in there this time of year, much
less with the children"
"Ah!" scoffed. don't kid me, I've
often gone in there with the children"
Yes, in the Summer time" Bill re-
piled. But it's different now. and that
buck thinks hes smart. He'll have to
be looked after"
"Aw, come on" chided. "You talk
as though deer were dangerous"
Bill Tells His Story.
"Worse than wild cats when they get
started. Why, I remember the time
one of the bucks drove me into the lake
in the middle of January"
Then l knew Bill was started, so he
continued, with occasional coaching:
IT was over in the deer park one cold
day when this buck made for me.
thought he was kidding, so I headed
right toward him, but he stood his
ground. I picked up stick and flung
it at him and he charged, just like
bull but faster. I lodged and made
for the lake with the old boy paving
the ground and getting set for another
charge. Finally he few at me and
Jumped for the lake. The ice gave way
under me and 1 waded through the
breaking sheet for several feet, with